Sixpoint is my favorite brewery (appreciation thread)

if the 6 packs are truly going to be the same price or lower price point than the 4 packs, maybe I will change my stance. In the past I thought their price point was a bit too high for what it was. Maybe some Crisp is in my future

 

Not saying there is or isn't the words cream ale mentioned on the new cans, but what you posted is only a portion of the overall can, the other half of which describes the beer, has the governments warning, etc that isn't shown here, so by showing just the COLA label approval, that doesn't necessarily prove (or disprove) anything. Jess saying

 

Our views have been consistent about this topic (re: degradation of beer as an "arc" from the point of packaging) and this phenomenon is compounded by heavily hopped beers. The reality is it only takes a few days for the hop flavor and aroma to degrade noticeably after the date of packaging, and this has been confirmed empirically by multiple experiments and lab tests. Clearly it is not feasible for a brewery to run a supply chain with a 3 day code date. It often takes 3 days alone just to ship and receive the product at the wholesaler's warehouse, and then deliver out to the store (if you're lucky). That being said, beer will still be "good" for many months, it just wont have the potency or vibrancy of flavor that you have when fresh. The closest metaphor I can think of related to this phenomenon is that of a half-life (atomic decay). For a hypothetical example....In the first week, beer loses 50% of its hop flavor and aroma. The following week, it loses another 50%. But since there was only 50% remaining that second 50% is actually only 25%, then 12.5%, then 6.25%, etc. You get the idea. Beer will still be "good" for many months to come, but if you are comparing a massive beer like a triple IPA with another fresh sample, the only way to do it is with something right off the packaging line or within a few days of it. After that, its simply not a fair fight.

This is a valid point. But what if, instead, there was a born on date instead of a best by date? Would that make it easier?

As of right now, we are no longer are brewing there

Did you try the new Bengali?

Bro...its been a while! good to see you back on here.... :-)

Sir,

You only told half the story. What you forgot to mention is that you wrote a very thoughtful, respectful, and sincere letter to us. You didn't take your issues to social media or rant about how we created a horrible problem or mismanaged the retail store you bought the beer at without knowing all of the facts. Business/customer relationships are a two-way street. You went above and beyond what many folks do and we wanted to reciprocate in kind. Everyone deserves an excellent customer experience, but you deserved an extraordinary one.

Please don't take that the wrong way. I'm merely saying there are more appropriate media to discuss and resolve a customer service issue than social media. Phone and email are two obvious choices.

Its hard to define - but it is an ale!

 

Ha, you're not alone, I can't get them here in SE Alaska, but I've heard fantastic things about this brewery. Some day, I'll get my fat a$$ out East some day to hopefully drink sum. Cheers!

 

We're going to need your help with this to make sure the stores are not overcharging for the product (the more eyes watching this, the better). Our wholesaler has been informed but if you see anything, let us know! This is not as much of an issue in states where there are a lot of chain stores, but its a big issue in NYC with a lot of the independent delis and bodegas.

That being said, it should be emphasized that stores are free to charge whatever they want for the product. You can charge $100 for a 6pack of Heineken if you want, but you probably will go out of business, especially when your competitors are offering a much lower price. What I'm getting at here is we can't dictate to the retailer what they charge for the beer, but we can try to achieve consistency to the best we can.

If you see any 6packs of beer at $15 please let us know. They are supposed to be priced to be $8.99 in rural areas and up to $10.99 in NYC, with a few places at $11.99 but you should not see anything above that at the current price point.

thanks!

 

Good to hear (not at Lion in Pa. anymore). Where are you brewing beer for your cans now?

 

Absolutely, I wish all breweries did this...it at least gives the consumer clear info about the product as opposed to a best by date which varies a lot from brewery to brewery

Again, this wasn't directed at me but it clearly states on your website there is no phone number

 

, as Shane posted last Saturday: “We are no longer currently canning at Lion Brewery. We currently brew out of Brooklyn NY at our own facility and Memphis TN at an alternating proprietorship to handle our limited, regional distribution footprint in the United States and select international markets.”

More specifically they are brewing at City Brewing in Memphis, TN. @jesskidden posted concerning the City Brewing location in a previous thread discussion.

Cheers!

 

Below is an extract of an e-mail that I previously sent Shane Welch with my impressions of the Memphis brewed Sweet Action. Take it FWIW:

"I am drinking a can of Sweet Action as I type this message. I have never had this beer for before. This beer exudes the quality of ‘drinkability’. It has a very nice balance of sweet maltiness in concert with some nice herbal hop qualities (with just a touch of citrus to my palate).

I know this beer got classified as a Cream Ale on BA, but to me it reminds me of a nice English Golden Ale (despite the fact it is a orangey/amber vs. golden)."

Cheers!

 

Wow, thanks, guess I missed that.

I assume this means all Sixpoint beers in cans are still not brewed in New York, but now are brewed in Tenn., not Pa.

 

When should we expect to see the new packaging hit shelves?

I Will be sure to let you know of any pricing anomalies! Thanks.

 

Shane (@sixpont) posted: “But what if, instead, there was a born on date instead of a best by date? Would that make it easier?”

If only one date can be printed on a beer package I personally prefer the bottled on (or canned on) date; please don’t utilize the stupid AB term of “born on”.

I would suggest that having both dates of bottled/canned on and best by has the optimum utility. It provides the bottled/canned on date which is extremely useful for ‘experienced’ craft beer drinkers plus a suggested best by date which might be more helpful to more ‘novice’ craft beer drinkers.

Cheers!

 

Dave, to the best of my knowledge there is no canning line at the Sixpoint Brooklyn Brewery. Hopefully Shane (@Sixpoint ) will confirm this.

Cheers!

Jack

 

Hi Keith,

You should already be seeing them hit the delis around the NYC area, assuming that is where you live of course.

Jack, et. al. -


At this point in time we are taking it all in...we are gathering feedback from a) customers like you, b) retailers, and c) our wholesalers to determine what the best course of action here is moving forward while also considering our own needs - which ultimately means looking out for the beer (that's what this is all about, anyways).

One thing we don't want to do is appease one group of people then piss off the remainder of folks involved in the relationship. We are trying to build a consensus here, but in the end, we must always think about the beer.

cheers

 

“One thing we don't want to do is appease one group of people then piss off the remainder of folks involved in the relationship.”

Shane, needless to say that I don’t have a full appreciation of all of the business concerns and vested interests in this matter but from my perspective providing both a bottled/canned on date and a best by date should satisfy all parties?

Needless to say but this is your decision.

Cheers!

 

If it makes any kind of difference I too would prefer a bottled on date rather than a best by date. I also would prefer an industry standard so that I do not have to spend time in the aisle on my phone looking up the fresh beer list to see who uses which date. It seems to me that it would simplify matters entirely if the julian calendar were done away with in this matter as well. It's not that the julian date is too difficult once you understand it. It is before that that it seems to be an obstacle where it should be a source of information.

 

Now Im really confused. As this post by @Droopy487 states, the replacement cans he got have a 5/15/2014 date on them...so the only conclusion I can draw from this is 1) they did indeed switch to a "canned on" date, or 2) he was sent out of date beer to replace the out of date beer purchased from a retailer.

 

It was a typo. He meant 05/15/2015

 

Care packages from breweries might be the one thing on earth better than a box from a trade or a BIF. I cannot say how much goodwill I have toward a brewery that does this; for example my experience with Port/Lost Abbey. I had an incredibly minor problem and they, unsolicited, sent me 2 t shirts and 4 glasses.

Never had a problem with a Sixpoint beer so I haven't dealt with them, but I loved the bejeezus out of Hi Res and I'll buy Resin anytime. Have had only about half of the regular lineup, but not a bad beer in there to me. I get what some are saying here that there's 'nothing special' about doing social media or other things that some other breweries are doing, because they're not the first. I disagree with this; in an industry with over a hundred widely distributed breweries (and of course hundreds of local/regional ones), to be one of only a handful that take as much interest in their customers as they do is definitely special, you don't have to be the first or only one doing it for it to be commendable.

Lastly, @Sixpoint, PLEASE do switch to canned on dates, preferrably with wording to indicate that this is what the date is (wouldn't want to get some beer 2 weeks past 'best by' and think that it's 2-weeks-fresh). I think most consumers (or at least those savvy enough to be looking at dates pre-purchase) are capable of figuring out on their own how long after packaging the beer is still desirable, and there's no need to memorize how long the 'best by' date is from packaging date.