Breweries opening in Minnesota 2015/2016

A counter point would be to go there and be an actual customer. Anyone can send an email, competitors and such included. A guy who has never been somewhere, but sends an email, isn't really a "customer."

 

OK.."Potential" customer. Isn't that the goal of these places to convince "potential" customers to stop in and buy their beer?

And being I am coming 200 miles and trying to decide which of the numerous options to stop at I think it would serve them well to communicate and answer a simple question from someone who might spend a lot of money at their place and might talk about their place to others who then might stop at their place, and so on and so on.

Maybe I'm nuts. Maybe you're right and businesses should list e-mail addresses on their websites and then not respond to e-mails from people who could likely spend money at their business...that makes more sense..

 

Hopefully you are not referring to Badger Hill? If so, let me know as this would be a big miss on our (and my) part.

 

You raise a valid concern, ZAP.

With so many new outfits I have to wonder -in how many cases- might it be the first experience for many of the proprietors to have to field questions from the buying public? Or whether they are training staff adequately (e.g. someone who isn't sure how to answer a question and simply doesn't forward the inquiry to the proper person at the brewery.)

I'd say try again, and give them the benefit of the doubt.

 

No not Badger Hill....sounds like you are one's who get this part of things.

 

Oh I have. A couple of these places I have e-mailed more than once and not heard anything at all back ever. Surprisingly I just went to the places that communicated with me.

 

It's too bad about the former, but the latter makes perfect sense.

Depending on the size of their staff, some of the new breweries might be overwhelmed by the total number of email inquiries which they receive: hobbyists, the press, people in their nearby community... all on top of licensing (TTB, state, city) and supplier communications -- I have to imagine that some inquiries are simply getting lost in the shuffle, unfortunately.

 

That's a terrible counter point.

Zap asked some honest and simple questions and there are three options if these questions are received.

1) Answer the email: "Hey thanks for the interest. We're open 12PM - 11PM Tues - Sat. All taps are $4 ranging from 10 oz pours to 16 oz. Growlers are $10 - $15 depending on style. We have a Quad aged with cherries and a dry English stout on right now and are working on a IPA with warrior and nelson hops. Swing on by and check us out and we'd be happy to have a pint or two and show you around.
~regards"

That took me two minutes to type. I imagine it would take less time for someone who wasn't making shit up.

2) Answer the email: "Go fuck yourself. Our real customers would know the answers to those questions. We don't want nor need your money and patronage. Who is this anyways, Dangerous Man again? I fuckin' told you you ain't never getting the recipe to our Alabama style Bavarian Chocolate IPA porter. Never!"

3) Don't respond to email: Basically you are going to get the same reaction from the emailer as you would if you respond like in option #2 in that they probably aren't going to come by your brewerey/taproom.

 

I would say the things you asked should actually be listed on the breweries website/Facebook page. Would make it easier on them by not having to answer the phone and reply to emails and customers could find it with a few clicks.

 

I don't think so. In my mind you can't complain about Customer Service at a place you've never been a Customer. Feel free to disagree.

 

Here's the update on Leech Lake from their Facebook page:

Leech Lake Brewing Company
3 hrs ·
As you've no-doubt assumed, the $1000 limitless growler offer didn't meet with enough... exuberance... to be adopted. So, LLBC's assets are being liquidated, and the brewery will close once the last ounce of beer is poured from the taproom. The existing inventory will continue to be bottled and sold to liquor stores while it lasts, but I will no longer supply to draft accounts.

To those of you who expressed interest in the limitless growler offer, thank you very much! Your support for LLBC is appreciated more than you know. Sorry I couldn't "brew up" more participation. Cheers, and take care...

 

No where in my original post say I hadn't been a customer there before. In fact now that I think of it one of the places I did stop at once before. So can I know complain about customer service there? This is too funny.

 

Leaves an open void for someone to come into that area and make some top notch beer and do well. Would need to be the right business plan. Summers would be nuts. Winters you'd have to make good enough beer that people will buy it consistently off-sale.

 

Ironically this is a place that I found always had good customer service in replying to facebook, e-mails, calls, etc. Unfortunately the product overall was subpar. Every single beer was single hopped with fuggles. He would not waver on that either. Beyond that too many "off" bottles in the market and overpriced as well. Obviously a lot goes into making it in this business but I am sad to see this happen here as they are nice people and responded well to their customers.

 

Ok, you drove 200 miles once to one place before. My apologies, you're clearly a great customer. They owe it all to you.

 

From the tone of that update it sounds as if even he didn't expect that latest capitalization plan to work out.

No doubt that all of this is an unfortunate turn of events for his supporters. On the other hand, his can-bottles are now gonna be even more collectible to people that collect stuff...

 

Wait...now I gotta be a "Great" customer in order to expect a simple reply to an e-mail. Not just a regular ol customer. You are confusing the fuck out of me. I sure hope you are not involved in one of these places. If you are please let me know so I can never go there.

 

[QUOTE="Chaz, post: 3170535, member: 246] On the other hand, his can-bottles are now gonna be even more collectible to people that collect stuff...[/QUOTE]

I have a feeling we will see those sitting around for quite some time.

 

Dude, don't feed the troll. He lost the weak "point" he was making when you said you had been a customer before, so falls back on an attempt at condescending snarkiness. I think everyone else who's ever done any kind of business, anywhere, knows that it's not a great idea to ignore queries, whether you're a customer or a "potential" customer. Clearly it had an impact on where you spent your money in this case.

 

They were $14.99 at TotalMayhem, so I had to pass. As a collector, I'll swap 'em up for some old Gluek cans.