Hoof Hearted

I was a bit nervous about that when the Sheriff showed up--it's not a ticketed event, no fencing, no word from the brewer, etc. Definitely feels weird once you think about it. Thanks for the heads up.

 

If the new ticketing system (coupled with just going to pick up your beer and leaving) and no bottle shares is the way it's going to be in the future....I'll be pretty disappointed.

Waiting in line early on Sunday morning with my friends while sharing some great beer and meeting new friends was a big part of what made Hoof not only fun, but special. I've met so many kind, generous, fun and just awesome people down there and have gotten the privilege of sharing some major beers on my bucket list too!

The atmosphere and bottle sharing at Hoof is second to none in the entire state and it will be sad if that is gone now. I understand they are a business and that bottle sharing there has always been illegal (even though they didn't give a shit until the authorities finally showed up) and that parking is limited and that their popularity is rising insanely fast, but I already miss the releases this past summer and fall.

I personally love most of their beer, but the new friends I've made and the fun I've had down there is what always made the drive truly worth it. We will just have to see what will happen in the future.

 

Agreed. This is much worse news than standing in line for 2 hours and being informed they are out of beer when you are inside the barn.

 

Okay yep now I'm a little disappointed. Bottle shares are one thing, that was fun but there are other ways to do it--maybe before or after at a neutral location.

But now they're going to do online, and free, ticket sales? Even worse, opened for the taking during work hours? I literally would never see these opportunities until 8-9PM, which today is a good 7 or more hours after they posted it, 6 or more hours after it sold out.

So basically I guess I can say goodbye to Hoof's brews from here out.

 

It was only a matter of time, just like what happened with Jackie O's. The bottle shares there used to be beyond epic. First time having Heady, a Lost Abbey Veritas (which one, I have no remembrance of), BCBVS, BCBCS, Mother Funker, Supplication, Consecration, the list goes on and on.

One of the best beers I ever had there was the first batch of Ithaca LeBleu. One of the first sours I ever had, and was just amazing. Hell of a way to get turned on to them, I suppose.

 

Those were so fun. It's been so long that I don't miss them as much anymore, but man were those great.

 

Yeah, I also agree without the shares and ticketed releases we likely won't be going nearly as much as we have been... It's what made these releases so awesome and different from every other brewery experience in the state. With those epic bottle shares, the people, atmosphere, etc... Simply couldn't be matched. I can go get great beer all around Cleveland, but that experience you really could not.

We met so many awesome new friends we always looked forward to hanging out with every release. Crazy to think this past summer how less busy it was and what it has now become.

 

I checked out the link for ticket sales yesterday (said 149 of 150 sold when I was on there). Curious how they came up with that number. If they have been producing roughly 200+ cases, and more people than not purchase an entire case, should be enough beer with new limits for 300 tickets conservatively. I'm sure a big part of it is parking control related/ trial and error/ relative lack of interest this week, but on the surface it appears that they may be focusing on getting more out into distribution.

 

So yesterday was the day to bitch about the tickets. I am guessing today will be the day to bitch about no more bottle sharing (which was never legal to do there anyway).

 

Damn it, Mike haha. BIG beer lover!

 

They stated on Facebook that the 150 number is considered a "soft launch" to see how everything goes, and the remaining cases will either go into distro or they will save them for the next release, so there will be two types of cans available. Seems like a pretty smart way to do it. I'd rather them muddle through the ticket system in the cold months, versus Blabe and Kong releases in July and August. That would be a disaster.

 

In terms of the 150 limit for the next one, I believe that this one was done on the 7-bbl system, not the standard 30-bbl they used for Cult, Blabe, Konkey, etc… So mathematically, it all makes sense for this one… 7-bbl results to about 217 gallon, or 27,776 oz (assuming no loss, which is unlikely). In 16oz cans, it gives about 1,700… Divided by the 12 cans (per person limit) that results in 145 people if everyone bought the maximum of three four packs. Assuming not everyone will show up that got a ticket, it gives a little headroom. If I was them, 150 would have been my choice as well!

If this was done on the 30-bbl, they could have theoretically done somewhere around a 600 ticket limit, to put into perspective... Given that and the fact this is a "specialty" IPA and may not be as popular, it makes sense they did a smaller batch of it.

 

I understand that. They could always can the weekend before. It makes more sense that they opened early due to parking and thus were behind on canning. I assume canning has not traditionally been the issue.

 

You can't blame Trev and them. I mean, beer nerds/geeks/advocates/etc completely happy or keeping your brewery open and running. Hmmm, hard decision there.

 

What about this.

Ohio beers and breweries are better than outside states! Very lucky to have fat heads, jackie o's, jafb, willoughby, hoof hearted, brew kettle, madtree...um...to my family and friends....I love you all...I'm sorry if I forgot anyone that helped make this all possible!

 

Did I say I was blaming them? I don't blame them one bit. The law is the law and keeping your business up and running has to be top priority. My point was I am sure there will be bitching over something that wasn't even legal anyway. Having heard stories of people pouring themselves into their cars after Hoof releases (only going by what I have heard...so I cannot say for certain), maybe this keeps some drunk drivers off the road on Sunday afternoons in southern Ohio. Man, I am a grandpa.

 

The problem is they already out grew their expansion. They can't keep up with the demand. If you look around town, places that used to get kegs don't because all the beers are going to go to canning. After they brew the beers, the fastest way to move them is to can them the same day, get them out of the barrels and brew the new batch. The canning thing is all new. They never had problems when they first canned because the demand wasn't what it is today. This is a small business compared to FH, CBC, etc. Their going to have growing pains. So comparing the inconsistency of the beers, parking, canning issues is all going to happen.

 

Guy I was bullshitting with for a few minutes towards the end was absolutely annihilated and without saying a word just mid convo walked away got in his truck and drove off. Took a few of us by surprise and he almost backed into several cars on his way out. I mean, obviously any brewery or bar you go to this can happen but at least the servers can cut you off if they recognize you are getting out of control whereas in this situation there is no control whatsoever.

 

Yeah that's just disgusting and pretty damn scary. You're right; it can definitely happen anywhere and certainly does. I was just going by what I had heard, and you further confirmed it.

 

I don't live in Ohio so I only hear about the availability issues through my BIL. I assumed HH popularity would explode when they started canning and the beer reached people outside of CBus. They will get it figured out and I'm sure the new brewpub will help them take the next step.