Question about buying multiples of limited releases.

So I am somewhat newer to the passion of collecting and cellaring beer. I have been doing it with wine for many years but about a year with beer. I really mostly enjoy BA Stouts and porters which are more to the limited/rare release such as Goose BCS, Surly Darkness, FFF Dark Lord, etc. When I buy, I usually get 3-4 bottles of a vintage. I keep 2 for myself, 1 to try a year or so from now and then the other to cellar a few more years. The other 2 I usually use to trade other people for brews that I can't get. I just did this yesterday with Founders Bolt Cutter. However I bought 2.5 cases of Goose BCS this year because I really enjoy it. Obviously I need to go to multiple stores to get these because they usually limit you to 1 per person, etc. Since I am newer to the scene and trying to build my collection I also recently purchased 7 Sam Adams Utopias, again to keep 2 and trade the other 5 which was very successful given the limited availability. However, I NEVER buy multiples to then sell them for more to people who were not able to get them. I don't believe that is a fair practice and degrades the sanctity of the passion. Is what I am doing an ok practice and pretty standard? I also try to trade fairly and not "rape" people in order to come to an agreeable transaction. My goal is to have enough of different brews to ultimately share with my friends, etc. Let me know your thoughts.

Crickets. No thoughts anyone? All comments welcomed.

People are probably too in awe of your purchasing 7 bottles of Utopias to respond.

LOL!!! Yeah I think my wife was a little too. However I can't tell u how quickly I built up my cellar in the last two months. I was going to keep the last two but a guy hit me up yesterday and said he wanted to give one as a present to another beer geek so I let one of my last two go today. I got goose BCBS vanilla and bramble, king Henry, bruery cuir and fruet and ba old Rasputin 2011 for it. I thought that was a good trade for me. Let me know ur thoughts on my post. Would luv to hear ur opinion.

Responders will largely fall into two camps here-

Camp #1: If it's there with no bottle limit, it is yours to buy. People who whine about others hoarding are babies who think they are entitled to beer.

Camp #2: Even if it's there with no bottle limit, you should only take "enough" for yourself so that others get a chance to enjoy the beer as well.

My thoughts-if you feel that your beer-buying practice is questionable enough to warrant a post to the community, you likely realize that you are shutting people out of these beers and feel at least a bit bad about it. And by the way, at your pace, you are going to end up buying way more than you can drink...so maybe leave a few of those on the shelf for the next guy who can actually drink them.

Best,
J

It's not that I feel bad. Since I am new at this I honestly don't know. Like I said, I am not into hoarding. I keep 2, one to typically drink now and another to cellar for a year or two and then I trade the others. So other people get them. I would feel bad if I bought them and then kept them all. That would not make much sense to me. But if I want some more rare and desirable brews, a trade may require multiples. That is my thinking on buying a few more. When i do trades I also honestly try and make sure both parties are happy with the trade as well. I want to also make friends in this beer geek passion.

I think it goes both ways. I am in a similar camp to you (would love to have 1-2 to enjoy right now, 1-2 to sit on/trade for stuff I can't get).

It does suck when availability stops you/me/anyone from getting something we would love to enjoy, but hey...sometimes people just get lucky OR go the extra mile to get some extras.

Again, I think it goes both ways...many obviously hate what they call "hoarders" but I think it is completely understandable. Especially if you are like me, and you try to make square trades...

Cool, ur comment is much appreciated!

As long as you don't do one of the following, relatively few people will judge:

- Buy to sell or trade at a "profit" of some sort.
- Bring mules with you to artificially increase your limit at any one place.
- Try to dress up your purchasing in some sort of benevolent wrapping (i.e., "Oh it's okay to clean out 10 stores because I'm sharing it with 2 of my bros ")
- Be a big gloating douche about it. If people are discussing how hard of a time they are having finding a single bottle, expect a picture of a case you bought to be met with little excitement.

Sounds good too!

I usually buy 2-3 tops if its something to age. With something like Enjoy By I bought 4 and while I loved them (and will love the last 1 in my fridge) I also felt bad about it. I try to leave some for other beer geeks and if there's 3 bottles left and there's no limit I'll buy only 2 and leave the last one for someone else. But if you're doing it for trades and being fair to other beer geeks then I don't see a problem. The problem people are the ones trying to make money off reselling beer and emptying a store of its stock with no intention of drinking it or trading it.

Yeah all ur comments make sense and I agree. I never sell them, always trade. No mules here!! And I don't gloat. In fact if someone asks how I was successful with a buy, I typically share how I got it. And I really did not want to trade the second to last Utopias but the guy really wanted it bad to give as a gift so he pulled my heart stings and I gave in so I am really not a hoarder. Thanks again for ur thoughts!

Yeah that pisses me off as well. In fact last week I saw 2 posts on craigslist with 2 guys selling bolt cutter for $100 each and I sent them emails chastising them for it! I hate that. Buy it to drink and or trade but not to make a profit!!

In regards to Jmgrubs post.

Though I lean towards camp #2, i also somewhat agree with camp #1. If there is no limit, you have the right to buy as many as your wallet/wife allows. You seem to have plans for every bottle you got and your not grabbing them up just for the sake of grabbing them up, putting them on BA, and sayin "Look what i got bitches!!"

I look back at all the times I only bought one bottle to taste and think to myself "If i would have bought 3, i could have drank 1, cellared 1, and traded the last... damn."

So i go back to Jmgrubs post, take what you want, but try and think about the next guy that wants it just as bad as you.

The only problem I have with this is jealousy. I wish I had the for such beers. Or the availability in my state. (Texas) Any Texas beers strike your fancy?

I am always down to trade. That is why I do buy more, primarily for the brews that I don't have access to from a geographic standpoint or older vintages i can no longer buy. What do u have? Right now I am really trying to get some stuff from the bruery. Let me know.

true. Not to mention nearly all the Utopias for trade are ridiculously hilarious offers.

Fundamentally, the effort (and money) to hunt down 7 bottles of Utopia paints a certain picture. It's not like one store had 6 of them on the shelves (unless they do it differently in your neck of the woods). By snagging those all up to land whales that doesn't really sound much like advocacy on the surface.

A lot of us could have bought multiple Ultimate Box Sets but one will suffice for the purpose of tasting and enjoyment. Buying up 5 or 6 in hopes to trade for other whales instead of leaving them at the store for other BAs also isn't advocacy.

I traded all 6 with people that were very happy so I think pretty fair and I am trading with all those people again.

in your OP you said you had 7 bottles and you were keeping 2. Now you traded all 6. Anything else I'm missing?

I had 7 and initially traded 5 because I wanted to keep the last 2. However someone else contacted me to see if I would trade one of my last 2 in order to give it as a present for Xmas to someone. So I traded it and now I have one left for me to drink.

You should sell it

Since you didn't trade these through BA can you let us know what you received for each bottle?

Guys like me have been looking for Utopias on the shelf because trading a Rare, Blabaer and DDG + extras isn't too exciting.

LOL. I opened it on Saturday to start drinking but as I mentioned I NEVER sell beer. I don't believe that is in the spirit of our beer passion.

You don't think it's fair to others or you don't think it's fair to you? This idea brings up a lot of issues, but all I'll say is that from a personal perspective, I prefer paying cost to trading. If someone is going to offer cost + shipping for a rare release, then that is someone I consider a nice friend.

Traded 1 for a BCBS rare and a few others, another for a Dark Lord vertical with a 50/50 eclipse and a couple others and then the one today was BCBS vanilla, bramble, king Henry, bruery fruet and cuir and BA Rasputin anniversary.

Nice haul, post a pic in the hauls thread.

I guess I feel that I is good to trade since we r all limited to geographical distribution limitations so we trade. Selling for even cost defeats the purpose a bit plus I believe most people enjoy trading. It is about exciting and fun.

Thanks. I tried but could not figure how to attach the pic from my phone.

Why do you think that "collecting" is the proper attitude toward this hobby? Drop the focus on "collecting" and "building a cellar." Most beer should not be aged. Your obsession with collecting and cellaring is costing you large amounts of money, and it seems like you rarely enjoy a "cellarable" beer fresh.

I don't get it. GREAT beers for an overpriced cellar ornament.

Actually most of the beers I purchase can and should be cellared and we open news all the time to enjoy.

Wait a second here...

You would rather go to a store and purchase a bottle of Utopia at retail rather than trade >4 limited/bruery release/never-to-be-made-again whales that you spent years accumulating for it?

I mean if people trading for the Utopias were assholes they would just sell the Rare for $250 it was pulling on ebay and buy a Utopia rather than adding 4 more bottles to get to an delusive "shelf" price that really should have no bearing when dealing with a bottle of this cost.

Christ, if I wanted a Utopias that bad I'd much rather pay for it than give up all that great beer. To each his own though; never realized it was that hard to find, seems like I see it multiple places every year.

Seriously?

You said you're far from each other, so you trade, but how is that better than paying cost? If you want something from his distro, you pay cost, and if he wants something from your distro, he pays cost. This helps make up for market inefficiencies.

I'll grant you that there is some fun to the extras, but there's no reason that you wouldn't send extras when paying cost opposed to trading.

Actually in Chicago BCBS rare is going for around $180 so that trade was fair.

Yep.

Where can I buy some in Chicago for that super low price?

Yes I see ur point as well. But a lot of people don't want to pay with cash and ten how do u determine the price for an older vintage. At that point I think trading is a bit "cleaner". But I appreciate ur point.

I see it sitting on shelves in high and low traffic stores, sure their may not be many bottles but the price limits the market so much there just don't need to be. I don't think some stores sold out of last years run.