J Wakefield Releases

Heres a suggestion to JW if you happen to read these forums. Close down the OG as soon as possible and get that PR nightmare behind you. Then start a new club for future releases, but as an act of good faith to those who originally supported the funding of the brewery offer them a free membership in phase two. That would go a long way towards repairing a reputation as an ethical businessman.

 

Kinda sounds like fraud

 

But he does a sweet crossfit program at the brewery on Saturdays. #priorities

 

I'll do pickups for anyone pressed on the two week time limit after the last bottle, message me.

 

Saison aged in white wine barrels and imp stout w/ raspberries aged in rum barrels.

 

sounds like a few recent releases from the Buddha

 

Wasn't there supposed to be a la nada bottle?

 

Dear OG's

Your two final bottles are ready for pickup. First is our Imperial Stout aged in Rum barrels with Raspberries added. Second is our Saison aged in Sauvignon Blanc barrels with hibiscus added. This closes out the OG Society. We will be able to hold your bottles till February 19th. So all bottles will need to be picked up by then either by your proxy or yourself.

I want to thank you all for the support you have given us this opening year. We thank you for your contributions and helping us get off the ground. I will say this has not been an easy year for us being an upstart business. I have been lacking on my communication with you guys over the year and I apologize for that. It definitely has not been easy trying to juggle all these hats and run this society. Hopefully you can forgive me for the shortcomings we have had with this society, like i said it has been a major learning curve for us.

We tried our best with the beer releases as well, even though we were met with massive disappointment from a lot of people, we were happy to hear that some of you were satisfied with them.I also would like to thank you guys for the massive amount of patience that you guys had from close of the campaign, through the year and a half of build out that we had on the brewery to where we are today.

Due to how we handled this society, the types of feedback we received from you guys, we think it would be in the best interest of everyone if we did not do the society again in this fashion. So at this time we will not be doing the society for 2016. If we change our mind you guys will be the first to know. Again we say thank you for your patience and support. We hope you guys have a great 2016 and the last day to pickup your bottles is February 19th.

Cheers,

Johnathan Wakefield

 

That Saison sounds like a shelf beer. I'd be pissed!

 

I don't buy his apology for the lack of communication over the past year. They update their Instagram page daily (often several times). How hard is it to crank out a monthly email?

It seems the OGs have become an afterthought and, at this point, essentially a hindrance to him and JWB.

 

So $300 and 7 bottles = $42 a bottle when it's all said and done. What a deal this club turned out to be.

From his original email to OGs on 1/21/14.

"Also renewals will be at a discounted rate for those that choose to renew their memberships."

I must have missed the part where we get a discount for next year's OG membership...oh wait.

 

This, to me, was originally my main reason for joining. Committing $300 in startup money in exchange for six bottles wasn't the main reason most people joined I'm sure. The main motivation for most was getting in on the initial club INCLUDING the first right of refusal to join future offerings, at a discounted rate. Once again Mr. Wakefield lets down those who helped him start his business venture. He should look back to his roots at CCB, and take heed how to run one of these things. ( I'm pretty sure the renewal rate for the next version of El Catador will be very high, and I know of a number of BAs clamoring at whatever openings might then be offered up for new members.)

 

Pardon my grammar, when I said renewal rate I should have said percentage, as in a very high percentage of current members will likely renew.

 

When you put it into that context it really stings. Even if you factor in t-shirt, glass and lame party you're still looking at $35 or more per bottle. What a shame...

 

Couldn't make the party because my first child was born within a week of the party and the glass and T shirt were afterthoughts. They didn't cost anything to make for the number of OGs that there were.

 

I have a feeling that no matter what Wakefield would've done not a single person would be happy.