Notable Releases - DC/NOVA/MD

Depending on when they're coming through Richmond Veil and/or Triple crossing could be a nice addition to any GBS variants

 

Hardywood posted a couple days ago saying that they were all out of GBS and variants at the brewery, but then yesterday they "found" a pallet of rum barrel GBS. So that's all that's left there.

 

Posts like this always amuse me. i know snark is "the thing" right now (kudos on the eyeroll emoji) but seriously? You're on a website comprised of beer nerds and you're getting touchy over same beer nerds expressing criticism of a brewery's bottle sales method? bottle release critiques are pretty common around here. most of us have a good idea of what works effectively.

I don't know if criticism just makes you inherently uncomfortable or if you derive some sort of inner satisfaction from acting like you're above it all, but surely you have more to contribute than derision of the community you voluntarily participate in.

Or maybe not.

 

I was pretty excited for the Aslin ticket system in that it could mean my family could be flexible and pick things up but the plus tax and ticket fee just seems absurd? They think it's ridiculous the lines I wait in for Tired Hands and wish they would do something about it but not at the expense of worse pricing. Didn't aslin also mention that this wasn't set in stone for future releases but to see how it goes with that initial run. Also as for clarity issues (lol) I think that's why they have been posting photos of that classic turbid Aslin goodness online.

 

Also I've pretty much noticed this tone on all of the similar breweries but at the end of the day I think it comes down to the ubiquitous nature of this level of brewery in the market especially on the east coast. Feedback helps small businesses grow of course and they would be wise to listen to their customer base but a lot of the complaints I've seen across the board have been grass is always greener types. These lines suck why can't it be like X, these prices suck why can't it be like y, yet they are all relatively very small operations and demand is just crazy. I don't think any of these issues are going away any time soon. In the meantime I'm hoping my sister lucks out tomorrow so we can have some for the holidays haha.

 

My sister in law lives in Boston, works near Trillium's Canton brewery, and is flying into DC in a few days. I asked her this morning if she could swing by the brewery on her way to work to grab some DDH Congress Street, and she said sure. She got in line behind more than 50 people and was out in under 30 minutes with two 4-packs. It doesn't have to be a shit-show, but some of these younger breweries just haven't figured things out.

 

Your sister-in-law is way cool. I suspect most people would think swinging by a brewery and waiting in line 30 minutes for two 4-packs of beer is bananas.

 

Shouldn't we acknowledge that we really have no way of knowing Aslin's reasons for not canning, or the reasons any small business makes its decisions?
We know from breweries that they have to order a ton of cans for canning to be cost effective, which also creates storage issues (where to put all the unused cans).
We know from breweries that larger formats (like 750's) are more profitable.
One brewery owner explained to me in detail why he believed cans are not superior to bottles (maybe he just hated cans).
How can we possibly know the issues guiding (or forcing) decisions (e.g.'s cash flow, storage space, profit margins, whoever-just-quit-or-got-fired, personal preferences, couldn't-book-the-mobile-canning-line-the-week-we-wanted-to-release-the-beer, broken equipment, cheapest available equipment, etc...)?
We can dislike the decision, but we're just speculating as to motive.

 

This is their first release like this so expect changes to come on the next one. I believe everyone was bitching about hardywood last year and this year everyone was much happier. Most business are not run by idiots and they listen to their customers and I anticipate Aslin will do the same, using a different system/format/website/etc. for the next one. @hoppytobehere showed this math on facebook too (or borrowed it from there) and the cost per OZ is pricey but as was noted in that post, to get beer from the top NE/Mid-Atlantic breweries, you have to drive or ship which probably equates to similar cost (or you have to trade)

 

Not sure I'd justify the price of Aslin's bottles by comparing it to what you'd have to pay to acquire an out of distro beer.

In an interview, they said the reasons for choosing bottles over cans is because they liked the look (they referenced trillium bottles) and they can control the amount of oxygen that gets into the bottles better than they could with a canning line.

FWIW, the inventory on the Eventbrite page is showing there is more than 400 of each beer left.

 

Aslin is nowhere near as large as Trillium. They can't just will themselves to have sufficient product to meet demand.

 

Are you going to buy tickets?

 

@DCgolfpro I am but only because I have people who are interested in trades $4$ including the ticket fees.

 

Hopefully.

 

So assuming you're pleased with the trade, your trader is paying for the fees you're upset with, right? I daydream of a day when breweries like this end up not selling a drop of an 'overpriced' IPA because we refuse to buy it and $15 bottles of bourbon county sit on shelves year round because we won't pay for it. I know you already know this, but since 50% of this thread is journal entries about beer shit I'm going to say it anyway, when we snatch up all the shit we're bitching about we're telling them what they're doing is okay....no matter how many times you post about your displeasure.

 

If it makes people feel better. Aslin just posted bottle sales are now going through their website and not Eventbrite. So no fees. They are making it up to mug club members as well. On their facebook post

 

Yea I think everyone needs to take a deep breath. This move shows a good faith effort by Aslin to respond rapidly to their customers. The prices are still high so if you don't like it don't buy it. Lord knows there are other beers out there.

 

@DCgolfpro I agree with you but I can't get treehouse and so when I have a trade partner willing to give me $15 worth for a bottle of Aslin. What am I suppose to do? Not take that trade?

Also clearly all the bitching did make a difference because they changed. And here's the thing if they'd left it through eventbrite I wasn't gonna buy my limit and I certainly was gonna have my fiancé buy hers. With the change now maybe I will.

As far as your comment about BCBS sitting on shelves. That could be pure preference. I'm not a massive stout fan so your damn right I'm not dropping $15 for a 12oz bottle. Also I have issues with Goose Island that are for a different thread I'm pretty sure.

 

I think one thing that's good to keep in mind with Aslin is these are good guys trying to do it right, while grappling with a rapid and somewhat unexpected success. They've told me more than once they welcome criticism because they are beer nerds themselves and want to keep us happy. However they choose to do things, the last thing they're about is a cash grab from what I can see.