Green Flash to Build East Coast Brewery

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by Todd, Jun 27, 2012.

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  1. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,441) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Goose Island had more of a presence out here before the buyout. Now all I ever see is a random old bottle of Pere Jacques. Founders is one of relatively few "eastern" breweries I'd absolutely love to see on shelves at a store near me... and they've been around almost as long as Stone or DFH and much longer than Green Flash. What's the holdup?
     
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  2. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    Founders was still tiny in 2007. In 2007, Stone was 69k barrels, Founders was 6k.

    Green Flash and Founders are on same path, with Green Flash about 1 year behind Founders. Not sure your point on that.
     
  3. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    On a slightly different note, is their a west coast version of New Glarus? Someone selling 100k barrels in only their home state with no need to spread distribution at all?
     
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  4. leedorham

    leedorham Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2006 Washington

    Everybody lives east of Grand Rapids. The beer would have to cross a whole lot of nothing before it reached a population center of significance.

    DFH is an exception with their expansion westward, but look at the headaches it's caused them.
     
  5. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    An interesting way to see this, if you have the mapping software to do it, is to pick a few brewery locations and draw a circle around it that contains 100 million Americans (about 1/3 the population). That would be equivalent distribution areas for different breweries. Why west coast breweries ship east becomes really clear.

    Its not really accurate, as distribution doesnt quite work that way, but its a good approximation. A simpler way to do it is to look up state populations and start adding nearby states until you get to 100 million. CA starts at 37M, but where you gonna get the other 63M from? Michigan starts at 10M, but the other 90M is much closer.
     
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  6. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    is there.

    Really, I know the difference.
     
  7. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky


    I decided to test this for Green Flash and Founders. Not with mapping software, but I do have a census spreadsheet of US counties including longitude and latitude, so with a bit of manipulation:

    Founders 564 miles.
    Green Flash 1296 miles.

    Green Flash has to distribute a bit more than twice as far to get to 100 million American customers.
     
  8. jzeilinger

    jzeilinger Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,213) Dec 4, 2004 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Great beer but I still prefer the West Coast IPA's as a whole, but not in every case.
     
  9. ChanChan

    ChanChan Maven (1,341) Dec 12, 2009 California

    What Draheim said!
     
  10. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    There was a local TV show that interviewed one of the owners. There was a time not so long ago when they almost went bankrupt. Then they started making beers they wanted to drink, and the beers sold like crazy. They have been expanding very fast, but were <50,000 barrels last year. Yeah, not that big, but growing fast now.
     
  11. woosterbill

    woosterbill Pooh-Bah (2,733) Apr 6, 2009 Kentucky
    Pooh-Bah

    No.

    I didn't take the time to look up barrelage numbers, but New Glarus was the 19th biggest craft brewery in the country last year. The next biggest to distribute in only one state (at least according to seekabrew for the breweries I didn't know for sure distributed out of state) is Texas' Saint Arnold, which is significantly smaller at #43.

    New Glarus is a unique craft beer success story, no doubt about it.
     
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  12. SawDog505

    SawDog505 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,666) Apr 9, 2010 New Hampshire
    Pooh-Bah Society

    My concern is that they already charge $11 for a 4 pack. In New Hampshire very few people are willing to pay that. I will pay it when fresh, but I haven't seen fresh in a year. I hope it pans out, but it is a risk.
     
  13. Erix

    Erix Zealot (704) Jun 4, 2001 Vermont

    Eastern breweries are in fact expanding, but they seem to mostly stay regional. Looking at PA specifically (which I'm most familiar with), Victory is building a second, much larger location, where they can produce their staples, so they can use the original location for experimental stuff. Troegs just moved to a larger location, and many of the smaller breweries (Sly Fox, Lancaster, Appalachian) are building additional locations, and almost becoming local chains. The population density thing makes sense to me, where they're still trying to saturate the market but have a long way to go. Why would the eastern breweries ship their beer to the west when they can't even keep up with local demand?
     
  14. kexp

    kexp Initiate (0) May 10, 2007 North Carolina

    And that, sir, sounds like a world I want to live in.
     
  15. TomTwanks

    TomTwanks Initiate (0) Apr 5, 2011 Ohio

    Green flash is one hell of a brewery. Looking forward to this.
     
  16. cavedave

    cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,145) Mar 12, 2009 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Way to go Green Flash.

    Until someone tops Rayon Vert with a more readily accessible, reasonably priced, delicious, Bretty and sour BPA your future is unlimited. Double Stout and WCIPA are both fantastic beers as well.

    Come on East, we will welcome you with empty glasses outstretched.
     
  17. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,502) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah

    Damn right. Bring it on Green Flash. Atlanta is loving what you send out this way. Make it fresher, and I won't lie.. I'd stock it every week in the fridge.
     
  18. harperman69

    harperman69 Initiate (0) Feb 11, 2009 Tennessee

    Oskar Blues opening one in Brevard, NC.
     
  19. steebo777

    steebo777 Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2009 Michigan

    Shit, if you want a coastal city why not go with the Third Coast? There is a TON of great locations along Lake Michigan on the west coast of the state that would suit it perfectly. Ludington, Saugituck, or even further up by Traverse City.
     
  20. SteelersX

    SteelersX Savant (1,106) Jan 30, 2011 New York
    Trader

    Agreed - 2 hearted is second to none!
     
    steebo777 likes this.
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