CantillonWatch

[Ednolb]

Went today. There were lots of people even though I arrived at 10h20. Had to wait 15 minutes before I could buy beer, there were like 15 people before me. Normally I can just walk up to the counter or there's maybe 3-4 people waiting.
While I was waiting Jean himself addressed two people and asked them to leave because he was sure they were buying beer to resell it on the black market (his words). When they started discussing he asked them what fruit was in the Fou Foune and when they couldn't answer he asked them again to leave, and so they did. Never had that happen before.
When I finally got my beer and was drinking some really good LPK '14 at the bar, I heard people say that they temporarily closed the bar because there were just too many people. After 30 minutes they reopened it.
Crazy ****...

 

[opperkleurder]

Nah I don't think they've announced it before. But I also don't think they ever had lines going into the street! Crazy.

Was there today, but around 2 there was no line at all. Only around 4 many people showed up. Lines are longer mainly because it is card only and they really do the registration of the card now for every single customer. It costs quite some time.

For the on site drinks all tables were filled, but was not that busy.

 

[Ednolb]

Was there today, but around 2 there was no line at all. Only around 4 many people showed up. Lines are longer mainly because it is card only and they really do the registration of the card now for every single customer. It costs quite some time.

For the on site drinks all tables were filled, but was not that busy.

Must have been the morning rush then... I have been there a couple of times since they started writing down the card info, but never have I seen such a long line like the one I saw today. I also had a 3F open beer days feeling.

 

[BusinessSloth]

Kinda sad it’s come to that.

 

[Compton25]

Kinda sad it’s come to that.

Like with everything else wrong in this world, I blame you.

 

[bostonvert]

Went today. There were lots of people even though I arrived at 10h20. Had to wait 15 minutes before I could buy beer, there were like 15 people before me. Normally I can just walk up to the counter or there's maybe 3-4 people waiting.
While I was waiting Jean himself addressed two people and asked them to leave because he was sure they were buying beer to resell it on the black market (his words). When they started discussing he asked them what fruit was in the Fou Foune and when they couldn't answer he asked them again to leave, and so they did. Never had that happen before.
When I finally got my beer and was drinking some really good LPK '14 at the bar, I heard people say that they temporarily closed the bar because there were just too many people. After 30 minutes they reopened it.
Crazy ****...

Awesome to see him kicking out people! During open beer days on sunday a whole bus full of scouts stopped to buy zenne and OGV....This is getting way out of hand but at the end of they day its just a few bottles of beer, right?

 

[BusinessSloth]

Like with everything else wrong in this world, I blame you.

I don’t know how to post stuff from imgur anymore because it’s all weird and new now. So here’s a link instead

https://m.imgur.com/7PxEMpn?r

 

[Gonzoillini1]

I don’t know how to post stuff from imgur anymore because it’s all weird and new now. So here’s a link instead

https://m.imgur.com/7PxEMpn?r

Take your link, right click to open link in a new tab, copy the URL, paste into the Image URL on TalkBeer, Profit.

 

[BusinessSloth]

Take your link, right click to open link in a new tab, copy the URL, paste into the Image URL on TalkBeer, Profit.

Do people still use TalkBeer on a computer?

Sorry last post. Completely off topic...

 

[jdoucet]

Have they done this before (limit allotments per week) or is this atypical?

I missed Nath/FF/LPF by a day -- go figure. Overpaid for Nath and FF in a Brussels shop on my last day in town, which is starting to feel less ridiculous given the madness at the brewery.

They did it at random 2 years ago, the one minute they were selling stuff, the next it was "not available". It could switch a few times a day...
The overpaying, at least they weren't secondary prices...

It’s regular practice, but I don’t remember them announcing it before, though I don’t have FB, so that could be why.

It's the first year their FB communication is this "on point". Last year they did it too, but not as good as now.

Does not bode well for my visit next week

It does actually, they will be selling some starting today or tomorrow, so it's nice of them to keep stuff for you ;-)

 

[Frank1]

It does actually, they will be selling some starting today or tomorrow, so it's nice of them to keep stuff for you ;-)

I was mostly talking about the day of the week that it happened, but hopefully the mad rush is over and Thursday won't be too bad

 

[matedog]

I think I posted this is in the lambic.info thread, but does anyone know if they bottled LPK this year? Looks like they normally do it end of August/late September.

 

[Gaseous Clay]

I think I posted this is in the lambic.info thread, but does anyone know if they bottled LPK this year? Looks like they normally do it end of August/late September.

It was in a fruiting tank when I visited early September. I’d imagine that much like 2013 and 2015 LPK, it will remain in house only, but I would be delightfully surprised to see it available for takeaway. Time will tell.

 

[Saind]

It was in a fruiting tank when I visited early September. I’d imagine that much like 2013 and 2015 LPK, it will remain in house only, but I would be delightfully surprised to see it available for takeaway. Time will tell.

300kg kriek would make like 1200 bottles of lpk right? Should be enough to sell some

 

[matedog]

It was in a fruiting tank when I visited early September. I’d imagine that much like 2013 and 2015 LPK, it will remain in house only, but I would be delightfully surprised to see it available for takeaway. Time will tell.

I'm assuming 2000L means 2000 liters. Is that how much they'll likely make?

 

[Gaseous Clay]

I meant 2013 and 2014 LPK in my post above, not 2013 and 2015.

300kg kriek would make like 1200 bottles of lpk right? Should be enough to sell some

I would think that some would make it to keg and that even if they bottled 1200, a good amount of it would be cellared. I know that Jean likes to send LPK to the bunker for long term aging.

I'm assuming 2000L means 2000 liters. Is that how much they'll likely make?

Your guess is as good as mine. If the fruiting tank listed when I was there is/was the only LPK tank for this season I think you can expect just 2000L of LPK 2015 sticker.

 

[opperkleurder]

Brasserie Cantillon
· 13 minuten ·
End of sales for Fou'foune, Nath and Lou Pepe Framboise.

That was quick. Sold out in 4 days.

 

[Gaseous Clay]

Brasserie Cantillon
· 13 minuten ·
End of sales for Fou'foune, Nath and Lou Pepe Framboise.

That was quick. Sold out in 4 days.

There were quite a few mules/resellers there apparently. Really a shame. Fou Foune and LPF have both lasted weeks/months in the past at much higher allotments. I wish there were an easy solution that benefitted the real lambic lovers and penalized the resellers, though unfortunately I do not believe such a solution exists.

Also worthwhile to note that Nath and LPF have been available for in house consumption for months and quite a bit of Fou and LPF with out into distro, plus the upcoming online sale - which, who knows, may be larger than the last few due to high demand. They’re doing all they can to get their beer into lovers cellars/stomachs, but it really is a shame that profiteers make that harder for those just trying to enjoy Cantillon.

 

[daniel1]

I wonder if they still have plenty of bottles but got fed up and just killed it due to the massive fuckmess it looks like it turned into.

 

[Gaseous Clay]

I wonder if they still have plenty of bottles but got fed up and just killed it due to the massive fuckmess it looks like it turned into.

I wouldn’t be surprised.

I wish people would stop pouring money into resellers pockets. It just gives them more and more incentive to do this and more and more reasons for producers like Cantillon to limit their to-go sales. The only “winners” here are those making bukubucks on JVR, Armand, Pierre, Karel, and others’ hard work

 

[boogercrack]

I wouldn’t be surprised.

I wish people would stop pouring money into resellers pockets. It just gives them more and more incentive to do this and more and more reasons for producers like Cantillon to limit their to-go sales. The only “winners” here are those making bukubucks on JVR, Armand, Pierre, Karel, and others’ hard work

It's a real downward spiral with no solution though.

For this "lambic lover" buying secondary is literally the only way I have to acquire the product I love at the moment. It's less expensive and less of a headache just to buy it than to acquire the bottles needed to trade for them and ship.

Not all of us can just up and leave our jobs and families for jaunting overseas to pick up one or two bottles of LPF at the source.

 

[matedog]

It's a real downward spiral with no solution though.

For this "lambic lover" buying secondary is literally the only way I have to acquire the product I love at the moment. It's less expensive and less of a headache just to buy it than to acquire the bottles needed to trade for them and ship.

Not all of us can just up and leave our jobs and families for jaunting overseas to pick up one or two bottles of LPF at the source.

That's why I wish it would be more limited to being able to buy it at bars and drink in house vs. hopefully buddying up with a bottle shop manager in case a few bottles happen to land and don't get snatched up by the elites who hoard stockpiles of it to maybe drink someday because they think they like aged lambic. I've never bought lambic on the secondary market beyond Etre once, but it seems sooooo much easier.

 

[Gaseous Clay]

It's a real downward spiral with no solution though.

For this "lambic lover" buying secondary is literally the only way I have to acquire the product I love at the moment. It's less expensive and less of a headache just to buy it than to acquire the bottles needed to trade for them and ship.

Not all of us can just up and leave our jobs and families for jaunting overseas to pick up one or two bottles of LPF at the source.

I understand what you are saying, but I fully stand against your practices. What may benefit you now will not in the long run.

I’m of the idea that if you can afford to buy Zenne at $400, or Fou at $100, you can afford to set money aside for an eventual vacation to the Pajottenland.

I am not taking a shot at you, let me be clear there, but I have never understood the mindset of “I can’t afford to go and visit these breweries I love and support them directly but I can afford to pay 10x the retail price on their beer and because it’s my only chance”. It just doesn’t add up. Again, not a shot at you, this is a common trend that has gone on since the birth of MBC.

 

[boogercrack]

I understand what you are saying, but I fully stand against your practices. What may benefit you now will not in the long run.

I’m of the idea that if you can afford to buy Zenne at $400, or Fou at $100, you can afford to set money aside for an eventual vacation to the Pajottenland.

I am not taking a shot at you, let me be clear there, but I have never understood the mindset of “I can’t afford to go and visit these breweries I love and support them directly but I can afford to pay 10x the retail price on their beer and because it’s my only chance”. It just doesn’t add up. Again, not a shot at you, this is a common trend that has gone on since the birth of MBC.

The reasons I don't go has nothing to do with the money. It's just not aligned with my life priorities right now to make trips focused on breweries or beers. When my kids get older and we (mostly my wife) are comfortable with leaving the country with a babysitter at home (let's be honest, Europe wouldn't be nearly as fun toting along, say 3 and 4 year olds), it'll happen. It wont be the focus of any trip ever in my life though.

What other ways can I support them directly?

I don't see much difference in plunking down say $70 for a 750 of kriek at a resturaunt and buying a $100 bottle of LPF from a secondary seller. Just from the bottom line. Ethics aside of course, lol.

 

[beerindex]

I’m of the idea that if you can afford to buy Zenne at $400, or Fou at $100, you can afford to set money aside for an eventual vacation to the Pajottenland.

Even if that's true, and I don't know that it stands to reason that it necessarily is:

1) If buying limits remain a thing at the breweries, then as noted, all you're doing is making those bottle seven more expensive by forcing somebody to buy airfare, a hotel, meals, transportation, etc in another continent to buy a couple of bottles of Fou. I fail to see the upside.

2) Believe it or not, there are plenty of people who either don't want to, or can't because of familial considerations, structure their vacations around beer. What might work for you is not necessarily an easy sell for the guy with three kids under ten. Should he just not have any lambic until his progeny is all off at college?

3) Even assuming one has the money to travel, and no restrictions that come from having a family, getting the time off can be more easily said than done for many people, either because they work in high stress white collar jobs where actually using your allotted vacation is strongly informally discouraged or because they don't have paid time off.

 

[Gaseous Clay]

The reasons I don't go has nothing to do with the money. It's just not aligned with my life priorities right now to make trips focused on breweries or beers. When my kids get older and we (mostly my wife) are comfortable with leaving the country with a babysitter at home (let's be honest, Europe wouldn't be nearly as fun toting along, say 3 and 4 year olds), it'll happen. It wont be the focus of any trip ever in my life though.

What other ways can I support them directly?

I don't see much difference in plunking down say $70 for a 750 of kriek at a resturaunt and buying a $100 bottle of LPF from a secondary seller. Just from the bottom line. Ethics aside of course, lol.

Even if that's true, and I don't know that it stands to reason that it necessarily is:

1) If buying limits remain a thing at the breweries, then as noted, all you're doing is making those bottle seven more expensive by forcing somebody to buy airfare, a hotel, meals, transportation, etc in another continent to buy a couple of bottles of Fou. I fail to see the upside.

2) Believe it or not, there are plenty of people who either don't want to, or can't because of familial considerations, structure their vacations around beer. What might work for you is not necessarily an easy sell for the guy with three kids under ten. Should he just not have any lambic until his progeny is all off at college?

3) Even assuming one has the money to travel, and no restrictions that come from having a family, getting the time off can be more easily said than done for many people, either because they work in high stress white collar jobs where actually using your allotted vacation is strongly informally discouraged or because they don't have paid time off.

I understand both of your points. Not everyone can take the time, money, etc to travel to the source whenever they please. I dont agree that the only other option is to turn to the reselling market.

Frankly I think that the notion of "well I cant go to the source so I must turn to resellers" to be a little entitled. We can't always get every single beer release, and in the case of obtaining these beers we are given plenty options: travel to the source, buy through local distro when available, buy directly from the source online when available, trade, or wait until you can travel to the source/buy in distro. Again, this isnt a jab at either of you directly, and I apologize if it comes across that way.

Buying into the secondary market just exacerbates an already existing problem. As I stated originally, what may benefit you now wont in the long run, and it hurts others in the community.

 

[boogercrack]

I understand both of your points. Not everyone can take the time, money, etc to travel to the source whenever they please. I dont agree that the only other option is to turn to the reselling market.

Frankly I think that the notion of "well I cant go to the source so I must turn to resellers" to be a little entitled. We can't always get every single beer release, and in the case of obtaining these beers we are given plenty options: travel to the source, buy through local distro when available, buy directly from the source online when available, trade, or wait until you can travel to the source/buy in distro. Again, this isnt a jab at either of you directly, and I apologize if it comes across that way.

Buying into the secondary market just exacerbates an already existing problem. As I stated originally, what may benefit you now wont in the long run, and it hurts others in the community.

Huh. Curious how it is entitled? Entitled to me would be going to Cantillon and there only being gueuze/kriek/rose available to go and getting mad about it and posting on the internet about how they didnt have any seasonals after you made the trip all the way there or something more atrocious like confronting staff about not selling what you wanted or trying to bribe them into selling other things or going beyond the limits. That's a real ********* move there.

Ive been ordering from etre for 6 years. Ill admit I got real spoiled back in the day when you could order fou, st lam, vig, iris, lps, etc basically at will. Hell even the seasons sets sat for long periods when they went up. I really miss those days and know that the gravy train is over. Who in this thread hasn't ordered from etre? With continually raising their prices every time a bottle goes up.... what's different there than any other reseller?

It has never been in distro for me, so that option does not exist. Ive only ever bought 1 cantillon retail, 400 miles from where I live and got charged $32 for a 375 classic in 2013. Really a great deal right?

Do I think a Zenne is worth $400 of my money? No I do not, and nor will I ever buy one at that. Do I think Vig at $60 is acceptable? It would be to me. How I make that decision is up to me, and only me. Is there any other way that I can source Vigneronne when I am looking to find one for less than $60? No, there is not. If I could find a way to have bottles of kriek for $30/750, Id probably drink one every single night. But AFAIK that doesn't exist so I do not. I don't piss and moan about it, that would make me entitled. I also dont just go out and buy everything because I can. I usually have reasons.

I know it is a shady deal. This **** got desirable to a large number of people and that ******* sucks.

 

[Gaseous Clay]

Huh. Curious how it is entitled? Entitled to me would be going to Cantillon and there only being gueuze/kriek/rose available to go and getting mad about it and posting on the internet about how they didnt have any seasonals after you made the trip all the way there or something more atrocious like confronting staff about not selling what you wanted or trying to bribe them into selling other things or going beyond the limits. That's a real ********* move there.

Ive been ordering from etre for 6 years. Ill admit I got real spoiled back in the day when you could order fou, st lam, vig, iris, lps, etc basically at will. Hell even the seasons sets sat for long periods when they went up. I really miss those days and know that the gravy train is over. Who in this thread hasn't ordered from etre? With continually raising their prices every time a bottle goes up.... what's different there than any other reseller?

It has never been in distro for me, so that option does not exist. Ive only ever bought 1 cantillon retail, 400 miles from where I live and got charged $32 for a 375 classic in 2013. Really a great deal right?

Do I think a Zenne is worth $400 of my money? No I do not, and nor will I ever buy one at that. Do I think Vig at $60 is acceptable? It would be to me. How I make that decision is up to me, and only me. Is there any other way that I can source Vigneronne when I am looking to find one for less than $60? No, there is not. If I could find a way to have bottles of kriek for $30/750, Id probably drink one every single night. But AFAIK that doesn't exist so I do not. I don't piss and moan about it, that would make me entitled. I also dont just go out and buy everything because I can. I usually have reasons.

I know it is a shady deal. This **** got desirable to a large number of people and that ******* sucks.

Its interesting that you bring up Etre. I do not consider them to be participants in the secondary market. As far as I know, they charge the same prices for items on their webstore as they do in their brick and mortar. Them shipping abroad is an added benefit that other stores could surely follow. I also believe they have expressed permission to sell these beers, though please correct me if I am wrong here. I do not put them in the same group as those who send out army's of mules to hoard beer in order to flip at an absurd price for maximum profits.

I agree that pissing and moaning about not being able to acquire certain beers is entitled behavior, yes. I also think that turning to the secondary market when you are unable/unwilling to obtain the beers through the available legal/ethical channels to be of the same entitled nature. The common thread being the idea of "this beer has been released therefore I must have it".

To play on your example, "is there any way to source Vigneronne when I am looking for less than $60". Yes, you can visit the brewery/Belgium, wait until it is released online if they decide to do so, track it down in US distribution, or trade for a bottle with other purchased beers. The other option is going without the beer, which brings me back to the entitlement issue I brought up. Again, I dont want to make it seem like i'm taking a jab at you directly. I dont know you, and I have no reason to be nasty to you, but this is a common trend that Ive seen for years and has always bothered me. We cannot get every beer release. We are given options to do so, and if we are unable/unwilling to adhere to these options, then we should accept the fact that we may have to go without.

Turning to the secondary market is not the answer, and its unfortunate that many see it as such.

 

[Compton25]

 

[NAD1983]

I’ve seen this get done.