Are there issues with our distributors?

Can't wait to scrounge the city for places with 1 bottle limits on BCBS! Maybe I can score 3!!

 

Yeah, what's the point in life, if I can't get every limited beer that comes out...

Good grief!

 

I am actually surprised that we received the sisters in the quantities we did.

 

The only real annoying thing about this to me is that for a month GI boasts about the Black Friday release and posts in all over social media. I head to the store Friday and am told that the local distributor decided to deliver it the next week. Just a PITA as I surely will not get it Tuesday, but may have had a shot Friday while off work.

 

Wow. This whole thread....

I think you need to look at the amounts that breweries are sending outside their home markets. As a distributor we put in orders, and the brewery chooses to send us whatever they want. A lot of times (more often than not) we are told what we get. I guarantee you that 100% of the time we order/request more than we actually get. 100% of the time. Next comes the lose/lose situation of figuring out who gets what. I'm not even going to get into that. If you see me out we can discuss it over a beer.

Most breweries take care of their backyard first and whats ever left over gets divided up to all the markets. Some get more, some get less. With the growth of the craft segment there are more stores that are interested and deserving of these beers.

Also don't forget, breweries don't know the total yield of this beer until final packaging. This is the biggest factor in who gets how much. If there yield is low, there isn't much to go around. Pretty simple.

There will never be a point where everyone is pleased. Take note...these are all dubbed "limited releases"....the intention of these beers is to be hard to find and they are made in limited quantities.

Sorry to inconvenience everyone.

Also if you haven't read this, you should. It's a great article written by two people know better than anyone
http://growlermag.com/race-for-rare-beer/

Joe

Also for the 3rd time ABYSS will hit the shelves next week.

 

I believe the majority of the people in this thread did not agree with the OP

Thanks, for your post.

 

You know me and my two buddies said the hell with it hopped in the car and drove to Chicago problem solved.

 

I am not even putting effort into getting bcbs here. too much of a headache. glad I have multiple trade partners in IL.

 

I feel like some folks are missing the point here. Either way, it seems that beer advocate sometimes exists just for folks to disagree about.. you know.. everything.

Regardless, there is something strange in the Twin Cities. I was in Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN over the holiday weekend. Fargo saw Abyss awhile ago and it was already gone. Abyss was sitting on the shelves in Moorhead. BCBS came out on Friday in both Fargo and Moorhead. 2 smaller markets, both in and out of MN. Seems odd to me.

 

When in doubt....blame Surly.

 

So did you buy any? Or are you just posting for no reason>? I think jjjoe laid it out pretty well.

 

The whole point of this thead (I think) is to find out WHY we haven't gotten it, not to complain or whine about it.

What is going on in the distribution process that lets other nearby markets (and markets farther way from whatever brewery) get beer that we still don't have weeks later?

 

Jealous...

 

I'm glad to see that you are still missing the point and your avatar perfectly illustrates your contribution to this thread.

My point is that it seems to be a local (twin cities) problem. It came to relatively small markets in MN and ND before here. Thus, I do not see how jjjoe's comment addresses the issue at all. I get how purchasing on the distributor works.

MNPikey nailed it a few posts above. It just doesn't really make sense.

 

Just guessing....

Wait....I don't know why. I just drink their beer.

I can remember drinking MGD in college, which was in the early 90s. From what I remember hearing, AB came out with that to compete with Miller GD. The Upper Midwest just started to drink that, and a lot of it from what I can remember. As for the Bud Light, most everyone know drinks MGD, and not the Miller version. If Bud Light suffers in Minnesota and other states, I am sure they could stop production of MGD and let us have just Bud Light. But then where would the light beer drinkers go.

 

I guess I'm still not getting the point.
I just think it's pointless to go on and on about it.

We're not getting as spoiled this time as we're used to.
I can think of a hell of a lot of other places that wished they had our world problems, as it relates to craft beer.

 

It's a timing issue. Plain and simple. A lot of breweries announce "release dates" when it will be available to either distributors to pick up, in their tap rooms or available locally. We do not schedule pick up from a brewery bases on 1-2, maybe 3 pallets of limited release beer. It is normally scheduled to replenish mainstream brands. Sometimes if we have excess brands on a truck we can cut a pallet or two to fit the limited beers on but if we need all of the Mirror Pond we ordered to not run out then the Abyss will have to wait.

The other factor in timing is short weeks. We won't release limited beers on short week. Retailer don't like them released on short weeks either. There are so many moving parts happen with <5 delivery days that adding this to the pile never works out. We have done it in the past and NEVER works out. Just too much going on.

Now I can't speak for AB or Goose or their wholesalers but as far as leveraging limited beer from brand x for sales, displays, distribution of brand y, that is not something we practice. Example: Abyss allocation are determined on Deschutes sales not Miller Lite. Seems unlikely Bud would hold BCBS over a retailer's to help improve Bud Light sales.

Now, as everyone in this forum can probably tell you, the Twin Cities is a very strong craft market. Breweries know this. All the breweries I work with are trying to get us as much beer as they can. Reality is some years we might get less than other years. It's doesn't mean that the brewery doesn't like Minnesota or think we don't deserve it.

There are so many moving parts and factors to how and when these beers get from brewery to retailer, I'm sure I forgot a few things. We are all working hard to get as much as we can and breweries are working as hard as they can to divide it up to all of their markets the fairest way they can.

 

Thanks for your post. And knowledge.

 

Just talked to my brother in law up in Fargo. He called the liquor stores there this evening and they got BCBS Friday and its sold out now.