Boom Sauce

Most reputable brewers will buy back old stock - either from the disty or retailer. Its not food for the brand and reputation to have old stock on the shelves, and for the casual buyers (who dont look for freshness dates) to buy-drink-and never buy again.

 

Summing up:

1) Dudes don't like the beer too much.

2) Dudes are still sad that the brewer hurt their feelings.

3) Dudes will be starting fourteenth thread about how they don't like the beer too much and the brewer hurt their feelings in approximately three weeks.

See y'all next time!

 

YES, but I do think there's an interesting story here aside from all that. I don't think it's exactly right to say that the "bubble has burst" or anything like that, it does seem like the industry is past the point where almost anyone can enter the market with almost any strategy and have success. You've got Hobo struggling out of the gate, Pretty Things closing down, Otter Creek and it's associated brands scrambling to update, Berkshire suddenly showing up in 12-packs after decades of bombers/growlers only... for better and for worse, brewers can't just do whatever anymore.

 

I think you'll be waiting a long time for that, unfortunately.

 

I think there are three main issues here. First, obviously hype. Boom Sauce/LHBC oversold and under delivered. A very bad way to enter the market. Second, and this is purely speculation, I wouldn't be surprised if LHBC was able to secure the 'right' hops for a juice blanket, at least not in the quantities necessary for their scale. So, what ended up hitting production, rather than an IPA full of these sexy, newfangled hops like Mosaic and Galaxy that are huge contributors to sweet, juicy, tropical flavors, they were stuck trying to hit that goal with the last generation - Chinook, Simcoe, Citra, etc. While these hops are great, they're not going to deliver that hallmark NE IPA tropicalia on their own. Finally, the size of the operation isn't doing them any favors.

I'm inclined to believe that had they under delivered on a small scale, people would have at least been intrigued by the novelty - enough to turn over product. OR had they been more modest in the claims on a large scale, people would have bought into the 'decent but local' ethos. BUT they promised (wouldn't shut up about) the amazingness of their beers on a large scale. And now there's no novelty and a disappointing product.

Expectations play a huge role in perception of reality, and disappointment is very difficult to overcome in customer retention, especially without a longstanding relationship. If I buy a disappointing Sierra Nevada beer, I'm going to keep drinking Sierra Nevada beers regardless, because I know they make a high quality product the majority of the time - misses get excused. A new brewery that arrives on the scene with a product of unproven quality with the claim of near-untouchability, well, you're setting yourself up for quite the uphill battle there.

 

This is really the crux of what's odd about the whole thing to me and that's an interesting theory.

Also, I think you meant to write "unable".

 

Yes, exactly. I think they weren't able to get the sexy hops. Typo in my previous post.

 

Regarding the post above from oldbean, I am sad to see Pretty Things closing as I have enjoyed several of their brews regularly. As to Otter Creek, consider me a convert, I am liking their hoppy offerings. As far as this thread goes, I see Boom Sauce and Steal This Can at quite a few places here in RI now. I can't get myself to pull the trigger. I guess never having been to the Lord Hobo bar I don't have the same level of curiosity/expectation that many others here have. I am affected by the underwhelming response the brews have garnered.

 

My local currently has plenty of fresh Be Hoppy and Anti-Hero, and I left with a sixer of both. They also have plenty of Boom Sauce and Steal this Can, neither of which did I consider buying. As much as I want to like LHBC, I almost always have better options.

 

I took @sjverla's point to be a possible explanation for why LH beers aren't juicy or "NE style" (as advertised on the cans) rather than as an excuse for quality.

But if Trillium and company don't rely heavily on those newer hops then that would seem to put the kaibosh on that theory.

 

I'm not a huge fan of Boom Sauce. Steal This Can is pretty good, though. I'm happy to see it regularly available on shelves.

 

It's the beer. It's one thing to not make a beer that's as good as Heady Topper. It's much more problematic when you're making a beer that's not as good as Hoponius Union.

 

$11-$12 for a 4-pack is expensive for what Boom Sauce currently is, IMO. I may be missing something in the price model, but when something more mass-produced and easily available is as expensive as a can of Tree House, it'd better be special. And when you're more and more likely to see a 4-pack of Boom Sauce next to a 4-pack of comparably- or cheaper-priced Santilli or Whirlpool, then IMO there's very little going for Lord Hobo's flagship offering.

So, I guess to answer your question, yeah, the 'premium' pricing does seem to add insult to injury, especially when a hypothetical price drop reduces it to the same price as Night Shift cans, which are consistently excellent.

 

I wouldnt buy it regardless of price as it is now.

 

Speaking of expansion - Farmhouse Tap in Burlington, VT tweeted their excitement to tap Boomsauce and STC next week.

 

As I will be in Burlingnton next week, and will likely stop by Farmhouse, I am somewhat curious to see what they will charge for a pour.

 

It's not VT but Maine that is getting the fresh stuff - Bier Cellar in Portland sent out an email today saying they have fresh Boom Sauce that was packaged this week. They said it was the second batch of the new and improved version 2.0 with "reduced maltiness and an increased hop aroma."

 

I've been sold this bill of good before. Are we to 80% yet?

 

I'll add that if I ever start a brewery and am looking at my marketing plan, I will refer to how Boom Sauce was presented to the public as the way NOT to market a new product.

Better to just make the three other beers and tell everyone you are going to be experimenting with blending them and would like their help getting it right and offer the blends in the tap room or in cans (like Night Shift Morph) until you hit in a winner.

Then you have your boom sauce