Alesmith - Bottle Releases

I was hoping that they would let the VIP patrons in on the 24th since they are allowing an early pickup on the 24th for the last BA purchases.

 

i think this is awesome and look forward to visiting. that press release saying this is "unprecedented" is a bit of an exaggeration. it's not much different than Barrelworks, which is a small capacity tasting room, of only barrel aged and barrel fermented beers. also, whenever i've been at Barrelworks when Jeffers was there he encourages people to try their own blends of different components. i know, its nitpicking. but as i was reading the press release i was like, wow, what is this going to be? a topless barrel-aged tasting room?

 

Also forgot to ask, but I'm guessing none of the fun stuff will be on tap tomorrow for the early pickup people?

 

So, what's to keep a large party, say bday or bachelor party, from putting their names down (X-number of weeks in advance) and essentially reserving the entire room & best/most sought after beers for the entire day? That seems a poorly thought out.

Also, and they may not have thought of these, but are they going to ring a bell every 60 minutes to kick everyone out? Will that eat into the next groups' time?
Is there going to be a bouncer at the door checking names/IDs and marking hands?
What about line-ups for people anxious to get in? Can you buy the BA/special sauce in the room and take it out to your buddy who isn't special or is it drink in the room only? Also, how would they regulate that?

Sorry for the extra Qs, but it seems like there may be quite a few issues. At least at Barrelworks anyone can walk up to the bar and order a drink before meandering elsewhere. Here, while the nice quiet place to chill sounds awesome, I'm concerned about not be able to get the good stuff, especially for those who don't live in the immediate area.

 

While I think Alesmith is trying to do the right thing I have a feeling this will only be needed during the few busy times. I feel like Thursday at 2 PM they will not need to do this as there are few people in the tasting room. During non-prime time hours I don't see why they can't run it like barrelworks.

 

It would be less appealing for me to include Alesmith on the tour for out of towners if it wasn't easy to get the BA stuff on tap. I'm way north county so it's not like I'm going to drive down there to put my name on a list in advance. Maybe if you can do it over the phone or online. On the other hand, it's a nice space. So we'll see how it goes.

 

We agree that relegating our barrel-aged beers only to Anvil & Stave would be short-sighted. Rest assured, barrel-aged beers will still be offered here-and-there on our regular tasting-room method as they always have been, but for an incredible assortment of those oak-matured ales, Anvil & Stave: A Barrel-Aged Beer Experience is where you’ll want to make sure to visit.

 

Maybe they should just make sure that the porta johns outside stay clean, instead of building this bs.

 

So translating from PR Speak to English, some BA beers will still be available at the main bar sometimes. Sweet...

 

Here's proof for those folks still wondering if recent BASS release was 15' or 16'

 

nice!!! all i wanted was a bit of clarity, so thank you for that.

 

wow that tap list for today looks pretty off the hook... so sad I couldn't make it

 

Just got back from an outing to Alesmith and Mikkeller. Anvil and Stave is a real cool concept. I really like the high class feel of the room. I can't wait to go back.

 

I didn't wait for Anvil and Stave but I got pours of the other special things they had on in the normal taproom.

I didn't get much coconut from the Randall version but it was later in the day. The 2015 cask BASS was my favorite.

 

Anvil and Stave is a cool spot. Recommend going on week nights. Big and small rooms both had lots of barrel aged offerings. BASS is so good. '14 BA Old Ale was popular. Mai Tai IPA was a good idea. Have Mexican SS last, as cinnamon will overpower

 

Damn, forgot how expensive those badboys were til I got my 32 oz Viet fill and saw the $27 price tag. Made my eyes water for a second but then did a little math and realized that's probably not all that far off I guess.