Brewery constraints when releasing limited beers

Like you suggested I think the fairest way is some sort of lottery system. Because no matter if its first come first served or lineup and get a number, there will always be line cutting and people who simply can't make it in short notice. No matter how you do it people will miss out and complain.

 

No matter if you do a scratch off, line up with fist come first serve(bringing mules) or random lottery. There will be a group of people unhappy and dissatisfied.

 

Make more!.........please

 

"Fair" is such a relative term. No matter what is done, people who don't get the brew they want will complain. If you don't get a bottle, trade for it, or just try again next year. I get weary of everybody wanting bottle releases to be "fair."

 

I would say do what ever you want--it has gotten too complicated.

There are just so many good things from so many places. People need to lighten up a bit--it's a relaxing and fun thing, remember?

Personally, I have found seeking out the local gems that far fewer have heard of as an equally fun and completely unfrustrating endeavor. Olde Hickory Event Horizon and their Redeemer are on par with the big boys. Event Horizon has become sought after but used to be on the shelf getting dust at one point.

Foothills Sexual Chocolate started similar.

On to the next one. If I score a hit great but the journey is equally fun.

 

Lottery system is the best. It's fair. Nobody can really complain if they don't win, as they had the same chance as everyone else.

 

I like that fact that you are thinking outside the box, but it sounds like you will have the same problem with the tickets that you would with just doing a regular bottle release.

Are you going to announce when the tickets will be given out? Will the tickets be given out first come first serve?

If you announce when the tickets will be handed out, you would be mobbed at that time. People will bring mules, try to cut in line, camp out, etc. You also have to prepare for people trying to acquire multiple tickets (by going to all 4 events). If the ticket is not tied to that individual somehow, they will then try to sell or trade the tickets. So what happens when you are ready to give out a couple hundred tickets and 3 times that number of people show up? At that point, no matter what you do, people will scream "unfair!!!".

If you don't announce when the tickets will be given out, be prepared for complaints that you are catering only to locals and the "regulars" who use your taproom as their local craft beer bar (probably because they live or work closeby). People will scream you are favoring one type of customer over your larger customer base (who doesn't live closeby and visit your location often). They will call that behavior "unfair!!!".

Good luck!

 

I don't see a problem with an unannounced release, just put them in the cooler and put a limit on the number of bottles. Bell's has been doing this kind of thing for awhile. Not everybody is going to get bottles, no need to create a clusterfuck. Are the people that happened to go yesterday and get lucky any less worthy of the bottles than anybody else?

And is it really a shock that CCB released something special on Friday of ACBW? It'd be a good hedge, similar to expecting some kind of Hunahpu's release on Dec 21 (Mayan end of the world). Sure enough, I walked in on Dec 21 and they had Apple Brandy on draft.

 

Sounds like a lot of extra work (and extra cost) for a limited return on people not being butt hurt. Kate went to the lottery system and there was still butt hurt aplenty surrounding it. The fact is there will be pissed off people no matter what. They will get over it. CCB does so many different special releases and treatments (growler Tuesday, treatment Thursday, random wacky stuff on tap pretty much every day) that everyone can always get something unique from them if they swing by the brewery.

 

"Disenfranchises" is a critical word here. Since there in no inherent franchise to be taken away, there clearly isn't a problem at all except for those who feel they are entitled to the beer simply because they want to have it. That said, why shouldn't a brewery favor the regular loyal customers who have supported them and helped hem improve and grow?

Edit: as for abuse by locals there are users of any limited release system and there's no reason to believe the locals would be any worse.

 

Yeah, I don't think you mean disenfranchise. I'll leave it at that.

 

I applaud your efforts to avoid ill-will and be perceived as "fair" but just the need to go to such extremes now is approaching a level of insanity that at some point will likely turn on itself. It is a great problem in one sense to be so sought after. The concept of a release becoming such an event--Founders KBS, for example--started out as a simple small thing and evolved into a monster. What was intended to be a celebration has become a cluster$%^&.

Certainly most of the "problems" would all be avoided if it just got shipped out to stores or showed up unannounced. No hype, no tickets, no lines, no scratch offs. There would be the lack of publicity and perhaps lost opportunity to show case so I get the value in the hype and the fact that these can be just fun--again until it gets too big.

I hope this round of craft success will sustain and feel that it will because a superior product at a good value will always have a place. Good luck. Send some to NC.

 

I'didn't. That word comes from the post which I responded to. :-)

 

Yeah, I meant the first poster.

 

Its big of you to admit to some of the feelings you have about this particular release and how it was handled. But I agree with those who suggest that the brewery just quietly and without fanfare put the bottles out to sell with a per person bottle limit. Allagash does this with many of their short supply sours and it seems to work well. In this particular case you came out on the short end of the deal after expending a lot of time and effort to maximize your chances by having advance information and multiple visits and it didn't pay off. But you still had much much greater chances of being able to buy a bottle than I ever did or would.

But, as others have noted the same or similar problems exists with a lottery system. Only in that system you still wouldn't have an equal chance unless you brought in as many mules as the worst offenders amongst the line jumpers, line repeaters, and mule bringers, unless the managers of the lottery charged more per bottle and went to the added expense of carding everyone and not letting family members or friends or even neighbors on the same block acquire lottery tickets. (Part of the difficulty is that you are honest and fair-minded so you've not spent a lot of time thinking of the ways to game the system and take advantage of the folks who play fair.)

With a no-fanfare release chance favors the people who walk in the door while there is still a supply. With a lottery, chance favors the people who have the most lottery tickets. In either case, some of us won't get a beer we would like to try.