Bruery Hoarders Society

8 pages of whining, entitlement, and trying to complain about Ciccerone. Ahhh the new era of beer geekdom.

 

There are 11 RS-exclusive beers slated for next year...if that's not enough rarity, then maybe the RS isn't what you're looking for to fulfill your craft beer collecting hobby.

 

http://mlkshk.com/r/DBLT

 

$700 x 100 people = $70,000.

I'd check to see if Mr. Rue isn't suddenly driving a BMW M5.

 

He looks like a Kia guy.

 

To be honest, this whole thing is a joke. I'll admit that it is similar to the way a lot of wineries sell wine, but thats about it. It just seems that it's a way to sell decent/ok beer, at best, to people who value it way higher than it should be valued. I have tried several of the Bruery's beers, and they are definitely not worth the price tag. This is not to say that some are pretty good, but you are paying for the fancy labels and not the beer. If you actually cost out the bottle cost, ingredient cost, and other fees and taxes plus labor cost to the actual retail price, it doesnt add up. This just seems like another gimmick to get people to buy way too expensive, and overvalued bottles. It just seems like a way to get people to over hype a brewery and a their outrageous price tags. And to add a side note to this, California just changed its law to say that Barrel aged beers are not to be taxed as spirits anymore but as regular beer. So hopefully we will see the cost of these beers go down, but I doubt it.

Edit: And if 50/50 decided to do an Eclipse Reserve Society I would definitely be the first in line to join! Because they definitely would know how to actually run a futures program.

 

A lot of people say the exact same thing about the Eclipse series...I understand what you're saying, but the Bruery is far from alone in this strategy, they're just far more direct and aggressive about it than a lot of other breweries.

 

I see more whining about whining, than actual whining. So I guess I'm whining about the whining about the whining, but really there have only been a few people who are voicing their butt hurt on this one.

 

I'm not offended by the name, and I doubt most people are. What offends is the idea of this group at all. Instead of working on making the current RS what it should be, you are clearly just adding another layer to maximize profits. In the future, either the new society will grow, or you will continue to alienate RS members who don't get an invite. If the group grows, what then? Another new society every 3 years to keep it "super seekrit"? And if you keep it the same size, yes, you will have diehards who stay in, but the RS members being excluded will become further alienated.

This Hoarders Society is what the RS should be, and I would be surprised if the RS didn't suffer due to it.

 

I have seen a number of people have the same complaints about 50/50 average overpriced beer. I don't agree with that, but I have seen it said here on BA so it must be fact.

 

Haha, you got this edit in after my post...to be clear, I'm not bashing 50/50 as a means of defending the Bruery. Along with being an RS member, I buy Eclipse futures, so obviously I'm a fan of both breweries and their respective programs. I just think that if people want to criticize the Hoarders Society and/or RS (and honestly, there are some valid concerns about the Hoarders Society's effect on the economics of beer), that it's worth taking a look at the industry as a whole and realizing that the Bruery is not doing this alone.

 

I have seen the same thing, but the quality of their beers is way better. They sell great beer at a the same price the Bruery sells ok beer. So I guess quality is a good reason to have a high cost.

 

Nope, they are definitely not alone. But their pricing scheme doesnt match the costs of the beer production as a whole. It only seems like a way to gauge the consumer, and to see how much money they can squeeze out of them before they say no more. And the Hoarder Society might be that point.

 

Its almost like saying that $5 wine is worth the same price as $70 dollar wine, which is definitely not true. Eclipse is my $70 wine! Quality over hype every time.

 

Comparing FiftyFifty to The Bruery is apples and oranges.

 

I have no dog in this fight, but this is actually a great point that I had never considered. If I could pay for limited release beers online and then pick them up locally at my convenience I would definitely be willing to pay a premium. Making my weekly Tuesday trips to 3 shops and waiting in lines at breweries starts to get old after a while.

 

True. But just comparing the way they run each of their respective futures programs. And you can compare the quality of each as well.

 

Why would RS suffer? And what is wrong with maximizing profits in this way? Some people can't afford, or don't want that much beer that comes with HS. So RS would seem like a better fit for those persons? And if you don't like the Bruery, you don't have to buy anything, so there's a club for those people too.

Isn't everyone covered here? There are many options. Choose the option that suits you best.

I predict both RS and HS will grow. I don't see alienation. Does Costco alienate its members by having a gold card, silver, family, corporate cards? What about bank cards and accounts? There simply are very few companies out there with a one size fits all organization for their consumers. America is/used to be? about freedom and choices.

Didn't get an invite, but want one? There's plenty of people here who did, but don't want to spend that kind of $$$. Post an ISO. Work as hard at gettin in, as you do bitching about not getting in (not directed at anyone in particular, this is just general advice to the group).

 

did you really post the first paragraph and the last line with no sense of irony?

the difference is a little thing that people in the industry like to call "profit margin."

assuming you meant "gouge," which isn't even used properly - you are aware that black tuesday and eclipse cost the same amount, right? it completely blows my mind that you're criticizing the bruery's prices but shitting your pants with excitement over eclipse.

 

" Does Costco alienate its members by having a gold card, silver, family, corporate cards?"

^^ not really the same, If Ruth's Chris said the Ribeye was only for "special customers" but... I could still get the Filet anytime I wanted, I'd probably quit going altogether.