Poor Business Sense

I have mixed feelings on flights. It slows down service and reduces efficiency. One could also argue that flights reduce sales per customer. Think about it. You want to sample what a brewery has and order two $8 flights. You've now sampled 8 beers (32 oz) for $16. If no flights, I'm more likely to have 3-4 pours to really sample what I want. Now I'm spending $18 - $24 on 48oz - 64oz. I'm in favor of giving people 1oz splash samples if they don't know what they want. I would rather increased sales on quicker moving product than higher margins on slower moving product.

 

Actually thinking about it, SARA was probably one of the best brewery experiences I've had in the US. Had around six small pours, with each beer being very good to outstanding, and with no waiting involved. Then bought two bottles to go. And then napped for a couple of hours while my wife drove us to Tomales Bay.

 

Quite a number of people include highly sought after craft beer brewpubs/breweries as part of a vacation destination. So yes, I find it very helpful and a great service when such places offer tasting flights, since the chance of me ever returning to said place may be very unlikely. I regular a few great places here in Michigan, all of which offer flights and all of which are extraordinarily successful. Do I order flights from these places regularly....no. Especially if its the same rotation.....I'll try what looks good and then go back and drink more of what I like.

 

Of course. I do too (re making a brewery a vacation destination). When I visited it was part of a vacation. That last part was a joke. But all I was pointing out (as have others, and as have you with your last post) is that flights are a labor-intensive way of getting beers to the people who are least likely to become regulars. So I can understand why somewhere may not do it.

 

Don't assume they lied to you just because "the law" sounds stupid. There are no shortage of stupid laws, especially when it comes to how beer is distributed.

 

This, Trillium as well. But those breweries have a well-earned reputation for consistently producing quality beer, so I'll take a flyer on something I haven't tasted yet.

I'll usually take a flyer anyways. I've yet to have a beer that I had to drain pour in doing that, though I've had a few that just weren't to my taste.

 

A lack of flights is a pet peeve as well, but if they don't offer them, they don't have to buy the glassware and spend the time pouring 4+ small glasses (though it usually is a higher revenue/oz on a flight). As for growlers, I know several breweries who don't offer growlers on many of their beers because they're selling every drop they brew by the pint. (Do the math $5 pint = .31 cents/oz, would need to be a $20 growler for the same revenue/oz). Also, it's possible that only one small batch of a given beer was made and a couple growlers could be 20% of the entire 5 gallon batch or something. While I wish there was unlimited capacity of all beer I wanted, I live in the real world and wouldn't call it "poor business sense".

Anybody who claims that there are weird laws relating to growler fills when there are none in their state should be forced to drink nothing but Natty Ice for a year. That'll teach them to BS people. I'm looking at you every brewery/store in Ohio and Kentucky who won't fill other people's growlers.

 

^MA is in the process of attempting to change that law. We'll see how it goes.

 

Also to note about SARA. It's in a small industrial zone of an unassuming town. I imagine the only people that go there are either regulars, or beer nerds making the trip. I don't run a business, and anyone who does should or shouldn't offer flights as they see fit, but I would have thought flights make sense if your brewery is a large destination-type place (like Firestone Walker), or if you're located on a busy main street in a town. Basically places/situations where non-nerd non-regulars are likely to show up.

 

If your talking about SARA what are you complaining about? The only gripe I buy is no tasting flights. When a brewery like that has such an excellent track record you buy bottles and look forward to trying at home. Thats like going out to Hill FarmStead and not bying any bottles because they are not available to taste.

Edit
Again I really dont get why you would complain about getting such excellet beer without tasting it. Have you never gone to a beer release? You ususally never get to taste limited or special releases.

 

Could not agree more. That being said SARA I think is next on my list after crossing HF off several weeks ago.

 

Hill Farmstead actually switched to a "ticket" system like our local brewery Treehouse uses. You get there, fill out a ticket for what you want and then they call your name when it's filled. You can go wander around, do your sample pours, etc.

 

Yea but you still have to wait in line to hand them your ticket. (At least you did when I was there)

 

SARA?

 

Understood. But if there's 50 people ahead of you, then you're still waiting a while. Just not in a line. So replace "line out the door of people filling" with "group of people milling around waiting for"

Guess the point was that there are pros and cons to not offering a comprehensive list of growler options. A pro for SARA is no/limited waiting.

 

Sante Adairius Rustic Ales - a brewery in Capitola, CA

 

Thanks, never heard of the brewery or the city.

 

I'll usually take the risk. But, I can understand how it's a pain.

 

I'm going against my own set of rules and using too many acronyms. Need to stop that haha

 

It's possible that they did have it on tap for a few kegs but the kegs kicked and they still had bottles to sell.