Breweries Trending Up and Down

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Kadonny, Jan 2, 2014.

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  1. BMitch

    BMitch Crusader (447) Jul 10, 2012 Virginia

    Don't get me wrong, I still think they've got some good things going. Still a fan of Unearthly/Oak Unearthly and Choklat for starters. I was just pretty disappointed when I heard those other 3 beers were going away. Obviously there must be a legitimate business reason behind that decision, but as a consumer it's definitely a bummer.
     
  2. youngac

    youngac Crusader (496) Jul 14, 2005 North Carolina

    For me:

    Trending up:

    Toppling Goliath - way up!
    Terrapin - only because I never had access before and I'm finding several tasty brews
    NoDa - again, access for me is a big part but lots of solid brews
    Alpine - keep brewing great beers when I can actually get them
    Stone - love the new releases

    Trending down:

    Dogfish - don't get excited about them much anymore, don't know why
    Great Lakes - nothing to get excited about anymore, still best regular porter out there

    Im sure there are several others.
     
  3. shredder83

    shredder83 Initiate (0) Feb 21, 2013 Illinois

    For me personally fff. $30+ for their barrel aged offerings, raising case prices and not keeping up with demand despite their supposed "upgrades" over the summer has soured me on them. That and the fact that they distribute to what, four states when they can barely keep their beer on shelves in Indiana let alone Illinois, Wisconsin and Ohio.

    Trending up for me, pipeworks and their eagerly anticipated tap room offering pours and grower fills sometime in 2014.
     
    youngac likes this.
  4. Kadonny

    Kadonny Pooh-Bah (2,582) Sep 5, 2007 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I still love Pumking and drink it every year, but just based on my perception of it this year and availability of it even now (in January), it seems the general public has soured a bit on it. Backburner to me was never a very good barleywine, I think there are much better out there. Choklat is good, but how much of that (and Creme Brulee) can you really drink? I don't care for Oak Unearthly at all and the rest of their lineup is meh to me except 2XIPA which I do enjoy. I still have not tried Live yet (forgot about that one), maybe I should before I have this overall opinion on ST.
     
  5. PSU_Mike

    PSU_Mike Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2013 Pennsylvania

    I know I already replied to you but I had more thoughts. Lagers also take more time than ales. Not 10 months but longer nonetheless. They are not jacked up in price. Your $25 bomber extrapolated out equates to a $327.27 case of beer ounce for ounce. I don't care what/how/where/why/who goes into making that beer...it's not worth that price.

    Westvrleteren 12 is ~$40 a case (according to their website)
    Heady Topper is ~$77 a case (according to a tweet from Kimmich)

    These are the 2 beers considered to be the best beers in the world depending on which website you go to. No amount of labor, ingredients, or processes justify a 4.25x price jump from the best beer(s) in the world.
     
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  6. HRamz3

    HRamz3 Initiate (0) Feb 9, 2010 Pitcairn
    Deactivated

    Huh? One hand you rant against breweries with limited distribution (who continue to sell out at very reasonable prices). Then on the other you complaining about high prices. Pick one, can't have it both ways.

    That being said...

    Up: Otter Creek, Long Trail, Victory

    Down: Green Flash, Goose Island
     
  7. PSU_Mike

    PSU_Mike Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2013 Pennsylvania

    Oh you absolutely can. While increasing distribution would create an initial investment, if your beer is selling well in smaller markets, the investment is absolutely justified. Wider distribution is more opportunities for sales. All of the breweries with the widest distribution channels are the ones offering the most affordable beer (Victory, Sam Adams, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, Stone, Bells, Founders, etc.). I'm shocked I even have to argue this point.

    Now, I am not talking about Joe's Brewery and Vacuum Repair down the road. I am talking about larger breweries who clearly have the demand, means, and product to succeed on a wider scale but refuse to distribute. Like I said before, hipsters fail in a capitalist market.
     
  8. rlcoffey

    rlcoffey Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2004 Kentucky

    BBC = Bluegrass Brewing Company, at least in my locale.
     
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  9. YamBag

    YamBag Initiate (0) Feb 2, 2007 Pennsylvania

    Up - Victory: Incredible line up of all styles
    Down - Dogfish Head: The 90s called and they want their beer back
     
  10. Ilovelampandbeer

    Ilovelampandbeer Initiate (0) Aug 25, 2013 New York

    UP: (meaning they havent yet hit their peak)
    Alchemist
    Sixpoint
    Goose Island
    Cigar City
    Ballast Point
    DOWN:
    Rogue
     
  11. Imacopyouidiot

    Imacopyouidiot Initiate (0) Oct 1, 2012 Illinois

    Ha Westy 12 is $85 for a brick. 6 bottles +glass. My friend bought a few in Belgium for 15 Euro each.
    http://121212xii.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/hello-world/
     
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  12. PSU_Mike

    PSU_Mike Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2013 Pennsylvania

  13. Kadonny

    Kadonny Pooh-Bah (2,582) Sep 5, 2007 Florida
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Bam, shots fired against DFH!

    I keep forgetting about Sixpoint. I love some of the stuff they are doing, especially Resin and Diesel. I think Sixpoint is heading in the right direction, I hope their quality maintains.
     
  14. Imacopyouidiot

    Imacopyouidiot Initiate (0) Oct 1, 2012 Illinois

    And how much is the roundtrip flight to Belgium?
     
    #34 Imacopyouidiot, Jan 3, 2014
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2014
    HRamz3 likes this.
  15. jrnyc

    jrnyc Pooh-Bah (2,988) Mar 21, 2010 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Down...... Any brewer who doesn't bottle date their DIPAs/IPAs.
     
  16. GetTheYayo

    GetTheYayo Initiate (0) Aug 26, 2012 Pennsylvania
    Deactivated

    This. I almost cried when I heard they were discontinuing Mokah.
     
  17. TheodorHerzl

    TheodorHerzl Initiate (0) Mar 30, 2007 Indiana

    Up: anyone making tasty beer at a fair price

    Down: all of the new breweries in planning that think they are God's gift to wort and slamming other breweries or trying to build the hype machine for untested beer.
     
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  18. Modernrickk

    Modernrickk Pooh-Bah (1,853) Oct 3, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah

    The six pack is trending down for new breweries- kinda lame for someone that doesn't have friends that like good beer- I can't just keep having bombers after bombers- it's not even a price thing but I've gained hella weight ahahahah

    Trending up is
    Eagle rock
    Smog city
    Alpine
    BEACHWOOD

    Trending down (for me)
    Rogue
    Drakes
    Dogfish head

    New years resolution is to drink more local brew - LA county is gaining steam little by little
     
  19. TheBrewo

    TheBrewo Initiate (0) Nov 11, 2010 New York

    As Rochester, NY locals/natives we have supported Three Heads Brewing from day one. It has been great to see them up their distribution and watch how receptive each new market has been to them. Otherwise, on a more "major brewery" scale, Lagunitas has had us starstruck since Sucks.
     
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  20. sisterthelonious

    sisterthelonious Initiate (0) Aug 3, 2013 Wisconsin

    My Ups:
    Toppling Goliath- With a pale ale to rival Hoppy Birthday and Zombie Dust (pseudoSue) and a IIPA that rivals HT (Zeelander), they're poised to be the next Alpine. Which didn't make my list only because they've held status quo as the best hoppy brewery in San Diego for the past 5 years. Which means they are trending even. Oh, and they make killer stouts, too. Which Alpine decidedly does not.

    New Glarus- Another super-regional that just keeps making better beer. They brought back Belgian Red and brewed the hard-to-get ale of the year (Very Very Blackberry Sour). Adding a brand new aging cave for brewer Dan to play in means great things for Wisconsin residents.

    Beachwood- Snuck onto the scene last year with some nice beers on tap in San Francisco and San Diego. Started bottling this year. The best of the new wave of LA breweries.

    San Diego (the whole city)- Societe has the best Belgian beers in the state, two of the best IPA's in Southern California, and the best Imperial Stout West of the Rockies not named Old Rasputin. Modern Times is poised for a can takeover of the West Coast. Monkey Paw is the coolest brewpub in California (next to Scot Blair's two other bars, Hamilton's & Small Bar), Pizza Port keeps expanding, and Alpine is 20 minutes away. They get plenty of PtY in February, and beer week is Disneyland for hop-heads (while the rest of the family can literally spend the week at Disneyland).

    My Downs:
    Lagunitas- By the time I left California, I never drank Lagunitas. There were simply too many better, more local options in San Diego. Outside of SoCal, Lagunitas is (unfortunately) the most widely-distributed representation of West Coast styles. Green Flash is better (but more expensive). Stone's Enjoy By is cleaner than Sucks, but see below. Also, there appears to be some question about the character of the leadership of Lagunitas that reminds me of another NorCal brewery that has lost a lot of respect over the past few years...

    Stone- Stop making putting out half-assed, over-priced barrel-aged beers, please. Their beers were extreme 10 years ago, but nothing they've done (save Day Man and Enjoy By) in the past three years is really up to par. As production increases, it seems like quality goes down. It's barely perceptible, but it's happening. Stone stores popping up around SoCal, a new restaurant/brewery in SD, a long-awaited hotel, and now they want to open a brewery in Germany?

    Bell's- Hopslam ain't what it used to be, and they're getting schooled by Founders on how to put out exciting seasonal releases. They're beers are readily available in my city, but I never buy them. I can't imagine I'm the only one.

    Horny Goat, Big Bay, Chameleon, Milwaukee Brewing Co.- Milwaukee craft beer drinkers are becoming more educated by the day. Expect any brewery that can't execute a quality batch of beer to be gone within a year or two.
     
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