Sixpoint distributing to Portland

i'm not sure if my situation can really be extrapolated to the rest of the PNW, but i always have a six pack of IPA in my fridge (or a keg of fresh IPA). it's almost ALWAYS local, as i tend to avoid any IPA outside of WA or OR when i'm at the store. i'd say there's a 0% chance i'd risk picking up anything from victory, dogfish head, or any other east coast breweries that ship their beers out west. if there's a bottle/canning date, then maybe i give it a chance, but how can i argue with a 6-pack that i know was brewed less than 200 miles away and is constantly being re-stocked (e.g., top cutter)? it's not that i don't like these east coast beers or breweries, it's just the easiest way to ensure i'm going to have a great, fresh IPA and avoid disappointment.

@Sixpoint - you keep mentioning that everyone needs to drink sixpoint IPAs fresh. i don't think there is anyone here that would deny that your IPAs are fantastic fresh, but that tends to be the case for a lot of breweries out here already. i love that there's competition here, and your reasoning for expanding to portland is great, but i can't help but think the odds are stacked against this idea. is there room on the shelves for more great beer? of course. but are those beers going to fly off the shelves so you can constantly replenish with fresh IPA? my guess is that's going to be a challenge.

i drank quite a bit of sixpoint living in DC, and really like it. every beer is superbly balanced and refreshing. there's plenty of things i miss from east coast breweries, but they don't tend to be IPAs. it's the stouts, porters, and lagers i miss. i wish more breweries who choose to expand west would focus on filling the market in other places other than IPAs, it's a super-saturated market to begin with.

 

thanks for the great dialogue, and yes I do agree with a lot of what you are saying.

That being said, I do think there is room for fresh, bold, and interesting IPAs in limited quantities out here. We have a unique packaging format and the customers at reputable establishments are appreciating them - talking to store owners firsthand indicates they are receiving a lot of repeat purchases. Fwiw, I have seen quite a bit of old West Coast beer on shelves out here as well. Just because your brewery is "local" does not guarantee its fresh - you simply have an advantage due to the shorter supply chain.

That being said, although we were one of the first east coast breweries to regularly brew IPAs and hoppy beers, it hardly represents the majority of our offerings or makes us an "IPA only" brewery. Beers like the Crisp, our BEAST MODE, 3Beans, Tesla, etc. are unique in their own right, and do offer a greater diversity to the folks out here.

Back in 2004-2006 we focused a lot on Belgian styles, and we plan on bringing some of those back as well.

We also are looking to delve deeper into some interesting low ABV styles, so keep an eye out for those as well.

thanks for the honest feedback!

cheers

 

thanks for the response, appreciate it! picking up fresh, local IPAs has worked for me because i drink a ton of IPA, don't really like to think twice when i'm making a purchase, and i know what i like. most times i'll buy it directly from a brewery, but when i am buying it from a store, it's like picking up milk or eggs - i just grab a six pack and think very little about it. i'm definitely not in the industry, so my opinion reflects more of my own experience and anecdotal evidence.

next time i'm down in portland i'll grab some sixpoint beers! i love the 16oz 4-packs, wish more breweries offered beer in that format. maybe i'll even try some IPA and report back how fresh it is

RE: old west coast beer on the east coast. no denying that! how many stone IPA, green flash 6-packs are turding up the beer aisles along the east coast? maybe i'm being cynical, but i just don't trust the 3-tier system enough to expect IPAs can make it across country fast enough to appease my high standards, and it's certainly the same for east coasters, if not worse. there is just fewer local options for most east coast areas.

 

Question as I haven't seen the cans in person yet, only the label images online - do the cans not say what type of beer they contain? I looked at the image for BEAST MODE and would not have guessed it was a porter. Just curious.

 

does this help? ;-)

 

cool man, just so you know - we no longer do the 16oz 4-packs as our preferred format. We now do 6packs of 12oz sleek cans. You should try them sometime!

and fwiw - when I said old beer on the West Coast, I was actually referring to West Coast beers. I saw several 90+ day old beer on the shelves last week...and these were from very well known west coast breweries. Old beer is not limited to out-of-town breweries. Its a problem regardless of proximity.

cheers

 

So this beer would be perfect for watching Seahawks games! Need to make this happen

 

Haha, yep. Well, as long as you're buying by the 6-pack and not singles anyway.

 

indeed!

oh, and sorry @dphi just noticed you asked about the CANS and not the actual 6pack wrap. So the answer is no, there is nothing on the can that flat out says PORTER to identify it as such.

 

I was thinking the same thing, but then remembered it's not a WA beer. Can't break tradition.

 

A sixtel of the Bengali was kegged yesterday and was shipped overnight and landed in Portland, OR this morning. It is less than 24 hours old. It will be placed into the walk-in-cooler at Belmont Station upon delivery and will be tapped at 7pm this evening.

I highly recommend to those who are dismissive about this beer to stop on by; you might have a second opinion. :-)

@TheeWalrusHunter hoping to see you tonight ;-)

 

Well we really don't have a "PR team." We just write whimsical sh*t in house because its much better that way, and true to our roots.

The whole notion of "PR" is actually a relatively new concept. I remember reading about this stuff in my more (Or less?) radical hippie days in college (before dropping out), when I read a lot of Noam Chomsky stuff. Did you ever hear of a dude named Edward Bernays? He pretty much invented the modern use of PR and swaying public opinion. Chomsky writes a lot about him, and his role with the "corporation" and manufacturing consent.

 

I was just thinking that!

 

Good enough for me to actually talk to people on here. I don't see any Alaskan breweries on here doing that, so kudos to you. If anything it makes me wanna try your brews! I just need to get down to Portland, OR!

 

I think I'm missing this. I'm still in AK and hope to make it down in the near future. Cheers.

 

you missed out bro! the hopheads admitted it was some of the best they've had ;-)

 

Thanks for the offer. Couldn't make it but would have been fun to try. Didn't know you all cared so much about freshness considering the 9-month out best buy date on the only 6 of Bengali I bought!

 

Apparently this dude does not like Bengali Tiger

 

There were several people at Belmont that night that noted they thought it was better than RPM or Pallet Jack. Of course every person is entitled to their own opinion but you cannot deny a double blind tasting, which seems like the next appropriate step. ;-)