2016 JK Atrial Rubicite

Except when you are in a Pick'em Contest!!!

 

I super like this. I live somewhat far from the brewery, but try to make it out there once or twice a year. Sometimes I've lucked out with the atrials and stuff, but I've always enjoyed my time there. More than buying a bottle to take back home and enjoy it with my friends (which we all anyways only get a small sample of) I have really enjoyed my time drinking at the brewery. Kudos for this idea.

 

Economical for who? If you're going to charge a premium for the bottles, then that probably makes up the difference in the cost of bottling

 

Go math!!!

 

Maybe, but there's probably more variables and in-made decisions for us to figure it out. I was at the cascade barrel house earlier today and they had 2008 Sang Noir (b1) for sale at $8/4oz... How much more could be charged and would people pay to make up for storing kegs 8 years?

 

IMO, Jester King should release all of the beers I want (the only ones with trade/resale value) at the times that I can make it out in allotments per person that make it worth my time to bring my wife and 4 cousins in our Excursion. But only if Pieous is open.

Also, I'm from Houston. I don't care about the timing of announcing releases catering towards "locals" who feel entitled to the product over others. Know the game, play the game.

 

I know this will never happen but I wish Jester King had a membership society. I know this has been brought up multiple times and there are pro's and con's BUT after joining the Bruery's Reservation Society and American Solera Society I am loving not having be concerned about beer availability. Something rubbed me wrong a few weeks back during the O&P release when there was a massive line to grab the beer and no one hung around after they picked up their bottles, literally picked up the beer and hauled ass out. Oh well, my ass will still be at all of the fruited sour releases this year.

 

Something tells me a lot of this isn't sarcasm...

 

Agree. The memberships really make it easy.

 

On the customer yes, but then JK is required to sit on ALL bottles for x-amount of time while they wait for people to pickup... Figure the minimum pickup window is 30 days. That's about 27 more days than any other time they release a fruited sour.

 

I know there are alot of logistics that go into a membership program. Would most likely need to hire someone to manage the process, store the bottles, shipping, etc... but it still makes it so much easier for the consumer.

You could also make the pickup window much shorter if they wanted to.

 

Doing a membership program and allocating all of those fruit releases only to members shuts out all of the new visitors from having the opportunity to purchase a bottle on their visit. It's working fine the way it is now. The wristbands on release days where they expect it to sell out early have been a great change too. Don't see it ever happening and hope it doesn't ever go that route.

 

I agree with all reasoning above. Membership has been brought up mulitple times and is a tricky thing. It is easy for a brewery to start a membership program from the beginning, very difficult for an established brewery to start a membership program. I think allocating all of the fruited sours to members would be really dumb on JK but I do believe there has to be a fine line drawn when people are bringing their grandmothers with them to get more bottles. It would be cool if the Funk and Sour event was members only and they recieved a small allocation then. It will never happen but I can daydream right?

 

Unfortunately I was there to witness some of that in person during Friday of the O&P release. Hindsight, It provided my fiance and I with a good laugh. I agree with everything else. I wish Funk and Sour was not on Thursday, makes it hard for me to make the trek up. I have only heard awesomething things.

 

Other than the immediate cash influx a membership program only benefits the consumer and only the consumer that is a collector. At the end of the day JK has said they have no desire to have a membership program because the disadvantages out weigh the advantages for them. I think the system they have now works perfect. They sell all their beer quickly and make a nice profit and the customer has to decide if the beer Is worth it for them. Yes some people benefit more than others, but that's the advantage of being local. If Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio had a brewery with the demand that JK had i wouldn't be upset if they catered to their local crowd. If the beer meant enough to me I would drive to go get it and not complain because no one is forcing me to do it. At the end of the day the way I care about beer has changed so whatever JK decides to do won't affect me. There is plenty of great beer that doesn't require 3 hours of driving and standing in line to drink. As long as I can show up to JK and enjoy hanging out i won't care.

 

I don't think price is going to really ensure that bottles remain without being significantly higher than anything that's out there. That is, I don't want to see a $200 bottle of AR.

Maybe a JK cellar club, membership could be free, but card required to identify the buyer, and limit purchase of those cellar bottles to something lower than the normal daily limit (2 a week, 2 a month, whatever).

I'd much prefer that to letting the market price set the timeline; for folks more interested in trade-value than accessing the beer and experience, money is much less of an objection.