Other Half Brewing Thread (March 2016)

I think it was also not as "sexy" a collab as others they've had (nothing against Bunker - I dug Get Wheated)

 

Seems like they only respond on instagram. Rarely get replies on twitter.

 

I don't disagree, which is exactly why I haven't been to an OH can release in a while. I decided to drive down to Carton in the morning over Super Bowl weekend (due to higher limits) and came home with a case of 077xx, (4) 4-packs of 07750 and (2) 4-packs of Boat. Took me about an hour in each direction, was in and out with cans in about 5 minutes, and have been sustaining myself mostly on what was left of that stash (after sharing with friends) for the past month+.

 

The problem is that there are 20 million people in the metro area. Assuming even 0.1% of them are beer geeks, and 5% of those beer geeks show up for any given OH release, that's a 1,000 people.

 

I think this example really reiterates @taestee 's point on the population. Atlantic Highlands (which I live 20 mins from) is a quieter beach town with a lot of families. So Carton releases are super chill and easy.

 

Maybe it is strictly east coast, was in Florida last week for vacation/huna day. Tried to get the cycle bottles, each day there were people in line at 430a (which is way too early for a beer). The thursday release sold out in an hour, they opened at 8. Complete insanity. Also there was much whale sharing going on at 8a-9a, then again it's sort of legal in st. pete to drink on the street.

 

Another thing that helps Carton (and Kane), compared to OH, is that a lot of people who live in NYC don't have cars which makes it harder to get to NJ for releases. Pretty much everyone living in NJ has a car though and can drive to OH for releases. So OH is going to attract bigger crowds for this reason.

 

I get it, some business owners love interacting with customers, some just want to focus on making great product, and OH seems to fall into the latter. I know I do my best to support businesses that can handle both. That being said if you have a business e-mail, answer it. If you're not going to respond to e-mails just don't give me the address so I don't waste my time.

Now everyone get off my lawn...

 

Also have to consider that Carton releases are super chill cause they choose for them to be. They don't announce 2 weekends in advance of a can release. They post it at opening when available. It couldn't be more chiller and easier than that.

OH has done enough releases now to know the crowds that it will draw yet they use the same method. So at some point I have to assume that OH is cool with everything that occurs during a release. (Drinking, lining up at 6 am, slow moving line, etc)

 

I made this point a while back and someone shitted on me for it, but it's totally what it is. I'm not about to rent a car for $100/day from Manhattan to go and spend 3-4 hours getting beer. At least at OH, it's just time, and not the money.

 

It's one of OH's best beers IMO.

Good call. 077XX and 07750 are as good or better than any beer OH makes

This is the main reason. If you are a carton fan you can guess the relative release of most of their beers, but most of the time you don't truly know until you see it on Facebook. And they have been releasing Wednesday afternoons (easily the slowest day otherwise) without notice. Cosmonaut, the most recent one, wasn't even posted before open - I was there at around 515 and it hadn't been listed online yet.

 

OH does not have the space to store the cans, which is why they want the beer to sell out same day if possible. Perhaps this will change once the zoning stuff for the space next door is finalized. (Hey, wouldn't it be great to discuss that instead of having this same old conversation over and over again?). As someone who has been to almost every single OH can release since that first GD Friday afternoon release, I have no problem with how they run these releases. If you want the beer, get there early and wait in line. If you don't, well...don't.

ETA: This is not directed specifically at you BTW. Just my 2 cents on the past 3+ pages of discussion.

 

Any insight into when the zoning will be finalized? I don't think people here are complaining about getting there early though, the complaints are more centered around the speed of the line. I want the beer enough that I've showed up to all of the big recent releases, but I'm also able to voice my concerns about the speed of the lines, which I plan on doing next time I'm at the brewery per @Kanger's suggestion. It's not a binary thing.

 

Yo, /%$# this hazy shit...Double Mosaic Dream is legit

...sorry get back to lines and tree house comparisons

 

Nobody has been bitching about getting shut out. It's about the inefficiency of the checkout/line speed. You're telling me that on a beautiful spring Saturday you're perfectly content standing in line for five hours when it could be two instead?

 

No worries man, I know spacing is an issue. But on the flip side of that, I have a feeling OH wouldn't really have a trouble selling out cans. I know I would definitely take the trip over if it meant I could comfortably enjoy the tap room, get a few growler fills and pick up cans. (My last release was Street Green and haven't been back since). I'm willing to bet that there are other people in a similar situation as me.

As people stated earlier, NYC is quite populated, do you really need that influx of people only at the beginning of the day. Wouldn't it be a better model to have a constant flow of people throughout the day?

And before people get offended, I have no issue if you want to wait in line, so no judgements here.

 

Yeah I don't see the issue with having a problem with the inefficiency at all. I have limited experience at other breweries, but it seems like OH is extremely inefficient with line speed compared to other places with high demand.

To be honest though, I'm guessing the OH guys don't really care too much about speeding up the line or maximizing efficiency. They're clearly going to sell out of everything anyway, and long lines definitely help maximize the hype train. What does it matter to them if people are in line for 4 hours instead of 1.5-2 or whatever they could cut it to with a better process?

 

Sustainability... the fad/hype will eventually wane (to some degree), the current crop of customers will grow tired of standing in place on stationary lines, and/or the next new, shiny brewery opens to attract the crowds.

 

Hopefully Grimm.

 

AKA. Grimm