Trillium has ruined me..

If you're a hop geek then you will know the hops and if you're not then you won't care.

 

This is me. There are a few select beers that I always like to have in my fridge, but for the most part I am a 1 and done guy. As Augie Carton says there are drinking beers and there are impression beers.

 

I dont think they have trouble selling out their Fort Point, so no biggie for them. I like it this way, it is fun to make jokes about Citra dry hopped Fort Point.

 

And what about the person just getting into craft? If they see Galaxy dry-hopped next to regular Fort Point, they're going to assume the galaxy is better simply because it says dry-hop on it.

And the brewery may not have trouble moving Fort Point, especially because the staff knows the brand and can inform customers while they're buying/sampling, but if a great store like Redstone has Fort Point sitting, there's an issue somewhere.

 

It's really funny to me that six months ago everyone was bemoaning Trillium not being in liquor stores and now people are complaining about them being TOO readily available.

 

Bitch, bitch, bitch.

I love the 750ml format. It's two generous tulip fills which, personally, is my preferred serving size. At between eight to twelve dollars per bottle, the price is totally acceptable.

 

The $8 bottles are at a good price point. Better by far than Singlecut or Maine in their 500ML bottles at around $7-8. My Trillium strategy is essentially (a) try most everything hoppy, regardless of cost (b) most repeat buys are Fort Point or Congress, as those are clearly the best values.

Since my wife will split any IPA or hoppy PA, these 750's work for me. But I'd certainly prefer 16oz cans for the base beers.

 

And we haven't even started talking non-IPAs! $10 Pot and Kettle (coffee or otherwise) has taken the spot as my go-to dark beer. It's better priced than, for example, Yeti and the variants (non barrel aged) which, in Boston, clock in around $12 for 22oz. Value is dependent on available budget and comparators. When compared to other porters, like Founders, I'll gladly pay a premium to have access within days/weeks of bottling. Trillium has range!

 

Trillium bottles are perfect for sharing with my equally hop-loving fiancee. Frankly, I'd rather go through 2-3 Trillium bottles than 2 TH cans for no other reason than the joy of having a great 3rd beer.

Any views on Trillikini?

 

I thought Trillikini was a solid light session beer, good hop flavor but just not a style I really like. For context, I don't really like even the better session brews like All Day, Go-To IPA, etc. And I only like but don't love Whirlpool. My wife on the other hand, whose tastes have gravitated more toward sours and saisons these days, thought it was great.

By far the best part though was the format/price point. Say what you will about the 750 format and price, but can anyone really tell me that this format and price isn't an awesome change? If this beer had been released in 750 format, it would have been at least $7, right? For just a bit less, my wife and I each had a pint of beer as opposed to ~12 ounces.

 

I thought Trillikini was up there as the best session I've ever had with Whirpool. A lot of flavor packed into 3.3%.

 

I recall reading years ago that wholesale cost on 750ml bottles was $2 per piece. That means a not insignificant portion of what we pay for Trillium bottles goes toward the cost of the glass itself. I know that 750s are perceived by many brewers and consumers alike as a premium format, but I'd be happy to buy the same beer in a 22oz bottle for less money. Especially considering that that they're not bottling a lot of beers that need the thicker glass to withstand the carbonation levels.

 

Can you at least admit the "bitching" is due to the astronomical beer pricing in MA in general? Trillium's at the forefront.

 

We (Redstone) Sell through most of the Trillium we get on a weekly basis at both locations, the most we have held on to any style has been a couple weeks (mostly non IPA). I understand that most want their beer as fresh as possible especially if its local, however a beer that was bottled a month or less ago and kept cold is not considered (at least to us) "old, "stale" or "aging". No decent sized brewery would be able to grow a business if they had to sell ALL of their beer in 2 weeks of bottling, no matter the format. Just my thoughts.

 

And kudos to you. The new Stoneham store is awesome. But I picked up, I think it was Summer Street, there last month that was six weeks along - which is fine, a month and a half isn't awful, but it does make you wonder, with direct distribution, where that bottle spent the first month. I guess with the increased capacity, Trillium actually has excess stock sitting around waiting to be sold. I know that I've picked up month-old bottles in Canton. It makes me laugh remembering just last summer, at Fort Point, when a five day old bottle was a rarity.

 

Do we think there will be an expansion of trillium taps around the city now that they've expanded and we're starting to see bottles lasting (only a little bit i know!) longer? Or is that more of an alcohol distributor type problem? I love that I can get them at the Publick House near my apartment but I'd love to see a situation similar to Waterbury / Stowe / Burlington where sooooo many restaurants have heady + focal (and even HF now!)

(PS: i understand there are size differences between metro Boston and northern Vermont, but I think the question and comparison remains at least a little valid)

 

I've gotten it on tap at 5 Horses and Lulu's, so hopefully it's in motion already...

 

I've been to places around Boston that have Trillium that were not listed on the "Draft accounts" page on Trilliums website

Walked into 5 Horse Tavern in Davis a couple weeks ago and they had Artaic, Mettle and a couple others (along with a free Artaic glass with a pint ordered!)

 

Given the sludge I find in the bottom of every bottle, I assumed that they bottle condition them, which means they need a few weeks to sit in warm storage so they can be carbonated before being sold. The last two bottles I got last week seemed a little undercarbed to be honest.

 

Just because there is sediment, does not mean they do not carbonate before going in the bottle. My guess is they carbonate before going into the bottle.