Brewery Release vs. Distro - The great debate

I can see the periodic carnival wait in line brewery method appealing to a certain crowd. It would have to be a really sought after gem. The potential problem of going through a typical distribution network would be that allocations are handled poorly and some great customers miss out......A greedy salesman here, a sleeping salesman there. The buzz about a brewery release is good advertising, and if it's a brew pub, sales are out of the roof! I'll never wait in line for any beer when so many great options that I've never tried are readily available.

 

I don't mind standing in line to get a beer, but I'm with you -- silly per person limits like the 1 per doesn't bode well with me if it's not extremely limited (like 500 bottles or something like that)..I would think 4 is a happy medium, or at least 6 if the bottle count is like you mention, in the thousands.

I like distro in that it's easier, but like @rgordon said, it also puts some great BA's without.

 

I don't think the the trade of brewer has to include a national or even staewide distribution. What is so viable about brewing as a trade or vocation is not the idea that ONE brewer will surpass all others to the point that they would become the next national brand. The idea is that brewing beer is a skill and that all good beer has the same merit and the same features as well. I enjoy finding new beer. I enjoy drinking beer from other states. My opinion is obviously passionate and therefore a bit muddy. I enjoy a good national and international distribution here. Brewery only releases are fine with me.

 

I have nothing against brewery only release. I do think waiting in crazy hype lines for hours is insane. But a place like Carton has brewery only release and I feel like its a nice reward for the local customers that support the brewery all year.

 

I don't have a problem with it at all because distributors at their worst, sleep on beer and it sits in a warehouse. Also, if you're only shipping dribs and drabs as opposed to whole pallets out to your various markets of these things. The costs do add up, and then too, there's the aforementioned problem of it getting lost in a warehouse awaiting distro because what driver wants to handle a case or four of some random fanboy beer for an entire market when they can load up a whole truck of some fizzy yellow water? Also, too. The cut distributors take on beer when you are producing runs that short is nearly enough with certain beers to make those beers loss leaders. So, keep the special stuff local and let the regulars of the taproom reap the benefits and the brewery gets to keep the cash that would have been siphoned off via distributing it to make more cool stuff.

 

Distro > Brewery only

 

JK had people going through multiple times, buying people beers in order to get them to go through line for them, etc. When it's a 1 per person limit and 3 guys from OK post up a pic of 50+ bottles on Instagram (and laugh about how it was 1/person), that shit's not okay. Us Austin locals want to be able to have the beer at the brewery for more than 3 days. People gaming the system makes that not possible and makes JK have to do shit like banning people and all that. And their distro beer is anything but disappointing.

My ultimate point and response to your question is every brewery should distribute or not, brew what they want, and be rewarded with respect for themselves and for their beers.

 

Naturally? How about they respect the limits? 3000 bottles is hardly a massive release. I don't understand the attitude that if a brewery doesn't want to grow to the size that they can distribute nationally / on a large scale, and at the same time they make an effort to allow the small amount of beer they do make, get into the hands of as many people as possible, that they're "bad".

 

There needs to be a good medium where fanboys are not being entitled shitheads and gaming the system with their fanboy breweries. 3,000 bottles is just not a lot of beer when there's hype and fanboys trying to hog it involved. That 3000 bottles is maybe 3 pallets worth, and is barely filling a 20 barrel bright tank. That's just not a lot of beer to put out there in the world.

 

While there is no shortage of brewery releases in Oregon and the rest of the NW, I am really glad that long lines, system gaming, and general beer ass-hattery is kept to a minimum. Breweries should be able to release beers as they see fit, but I've been to large bottle count releases that were poorly run and 100 count bottle releases that were chill. Perhaps beer culture in different regions plays a part too.

 

My thoughts are that the brewery should be able to choose for themselves whatever method they feel best gets their beers to their target market demographic. Better for them and better for the consumers.

For example, I have zero problem with a brewery releasing 3000 bottles on site with a rule of 1 bottle to a customer (3000 bottles is not a lot in a state the size of Texas) but I do have a lot of dislike for people who will game the system so that they can mess over other people and prevent others from getting their chance to try the beer.

As for alternatives, you want to keep in mind that its pretty much normal around sites like this one that no matter what distro method or bottle limit the brewery chooses they will catch flak for it from someone one. ("What, they released only 3000 bottles so my area distributor got only one case and it only went to their favorite store and was gone before I even could get there???") So, I figure that if they are going to get criticised no matter what they do, they might just as well do it their own way.

 

Oh I agree the system is not perfect. The basic problem is that nobody yet has come up with a system that works better. There are other breweries doing the same type of thing and it works about the same for several of them. I'm also aware of several variations on the JK strategy and ultimately where it doesn't work its been the beer geeks gaming the system in some way or another.

Edit: As a quick example, not too many years ago Russian River allowed Growler fills when they did their on site release of PtY which is a tap only beer. Until some guy took some friends where were not even beer drinkers to the brewery where they each got their allotment of growler fills. He then collected all the growlers in one place, since they were his, and came on here to show off a photo of the 20 growlers he'd gotten. Justified it by the fact he had trading partners and he was only keeping 4 of them...

Needless to say RR now does not allow any growler fills of Pliny the Younger at their bar.

 

My opinion is based on the motivations of the brewery's intentions. If you have a time sensitive, hop forward beer that requires consumption sooner rather than later, I can understand the motivations of a brewer for wanting to preserve the quality of the beverage, by maintaining control of every step of the process. However, I think some brewers enjoy the hype that comes with having specialized beer reserved for brewery only releases, and doesn't really require it. I think a brewer should do whatever they want, but when you begin to piss off the locals (a true micro-brewery's bread and butter clientele), because they can never get a piece of the hype because of all the out of towners, it can backfire in my opinion.