Spencer! Our Prayers Have Been Answered

According to my Spencer rep, they have reached a crucial distribution threshold that has allowed them to lower their prices, make more beer, and still have ample profits. In the near or possibly distant future, I would also expect a few different styles coming from their brewery. He mentioned barrel aged...

 

or put another way -- the intense competition in the local craft beer market has resulted in Spencer deciding to give a bit of God's profits back to the mortals.....They also need to add at least another beer to their impressive one beer line up....

 

Good to know. I really enjoyed their beer, but $17 - $18 /4 is a little tough to swallow. I honestly haven't glanced at it lately as a result. This will put it back on my radar.
I agree that I would like them to add another beer or 3 to the lineup, (eventually the full range, payers, dubbed, tripel and quad) but as we saw in their run up to open, they won't rush anything. They have plenty of capacity, but they will take their time and get everything exactly right before widening the range.

 

^I read that as well. They have a ton of capacity. I'd rather have them do it slowly and become our own little version of Westy than to go big time.

 

I'm assuming the larger bottle format that I've been seeing didn't do much for profits for them, so this is the next logical step.

 

I noticed a 4pk going for $14.99 at my local store about a week ago. The misses and I both think it is a fantastic beer, and a ~25% price reduction means we'll opt for it a bit more often.

And very eager to try anything else they offer -- I would expect those to be outstanding as well.

 

Does this mean more styles?

 

They will only produce the one style for the first 5 years. After 5 years, they can/will/may produce more styles.

"The monks, concerned with the increasing costs of maintaining the abbey, became interested in brewing beer in the Trappist style. In 2010, several fact finding missions were dispatched - first to the Belgian Beer Fest in Boston, then to several Trappist breweries in Europe, where they met some skepticism from their European counterparts.[6] Eventually sympathizing, the established brewers made three recommendations for the new enterprise: hire a skilled brewing engineer, build a modern, state of the art facility, and only brew a single beer for the first five years."

 

Some evidence of a price drop... I got Spencer the other day for $10.13 (!!!) / 4-pack at Anthony's Liquor Mart in Gardner MA, as their July special. More than worth a quick swing off Route 2 if you're passing by! Hallelujah!

 

A table beer at $17 a 4pk was outrageous. I am a Catholic so I already tithe on Sunday's and so I had to let this beer go. Not to mention I had a few gushers the second 4pk I bought. I find it funny that Neighbor of the Beast became my go-to 4 can Belgian. The devil changes you, you don't change the devil.

 

Always skipped it because it was priced around the same as imported trappist beers. It was weird because I was even seeing it in grocery stores in the midst of the usual sub par selection and it was clearly never going to sell there at almost $20 a four pack.

 

Stopped into Austin Liquors (Worcester) this morning and they had Spencer Trappist for $13.99 4/pk.

 

The Globe had an interesting article yesterday on Spencer's price drop and future direction. Expanding beyond the single beer style is a very good idea (assuming the quality is there, obviously).

http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyl...ds-its-line/r2vRU9BSjhbnzmUnzcHPSI/story.html

 

Stoked for the Holiday Ale

 

Wish they went for a Dubbel before Trappist RIS...is that even a thing?

 

Between stating that they're chasing American consumer flavor interests and introducing an RIS... I bet their Trappist family in Europe are thinking highly of them right now

 

If Westvleteren distributed to the states in today's craft beer world, I wonder if today's consumer would even care beyond the initial wave of interest.

Once the novelty wore off, I imagine the bottles would sit just like Rochefort, St. Bernardus...etc. These beers sell I'm sure, but they don't exactly fly off the shelves.

 

Not only is their price dropping but they're also releasing a second beer for the holidays!

 

Haven't tried their flagship because of the price but I would be very excited by a price drop and want to try the Holiday ale and RIS!