Counter Weight Brewing Company (2018)

Their Instagram suggested their canning line just arrived today, with a "Better late than never" caption. There's been some talk in the CT thread on the last page:

Also the current rumor is that there's going to be one set of cans that's brewery only and a separate set that goes into distro. This is probably a good call given some of the gnashing of teeth I heard about from distributors when NEBCO ended up selling the last of the Gandhi-Bot cans at the brewery.

 

I remember hearing that they were aiming for a February opening. I hope that is true!

 

Oh poor little distributors. They lost out on gouging for a few hundred cases that NEB sold at the brewery. What NEB really needs to do is drop who they are with b/c NEB has been more than patient and shown much more allegiance to their lousy distributors than they ever should have.
Admittedly, initially NEB was grateful to the distributors for going out and pushing their product. This "arrangement" apparently involved the distributors having exclusive rights to sell cans of the core 4 beers (Bot, Hag, 668 and ECP (when it actually existed)). However, times have changed. Craft brews, especially in the "brewery release can format" have absolutely exploded. NEB no longer needs exclusive distribution of their cans. [Ironically, Sea Hag was one if the first IPAs to be packaged in cans, go figure] They have more than paid back the greedy distributors in expanding and making more beer available for distribution, thereby increasing the distributors profit.
NEB has been gracious but now probably realizes there is a new business model which includes breweries being able to sell their beers (most notably cans) at the brewery. Imagine that concept. However, if the money grubbing distributors can't squeeze every last nickel out of the, they get pissed.
I sure hope that FBD NEVER goes to distribution. You think finding a 4 pack of Bot in the wild is tough. And the reason for this is lousy distribution (with a hand from some, although not all, package store owners). I hope NEB reaps every well deserved penny from FBD cans. As far as kegs, let the distributors circle like sharks in the bloody water.
I am not sure how long NEB signed contracts with the distributors but I sure hope they are up soon. NEB have practically been indentured servants to them for at least a decade. I certainly hope that Marty will be able to negotiate something on their behalf. It looks like Matt Westfall was wise enough to the game to not fall into that trap (although he did sign with at least one of the two crappy distributors of NEB).

 

I can't wait for Counter Weight to start producing, but I live in the Western edge of the state and distribution is more than welcome!

It's funny how finding a 4 pack of Bot in the wild is more palatable to people than standing in line in the freezing cold or boiling sun on can release days at NEBCO or any day at Tree House ... to each his own. The reality is that there are a lot more customers going into liquor stores than standing in long lines at breweries for beer and I can't see this ever changing.

Funnily, you complement Counter Weight (a little) for being "wise enough" to have two distribution sources for their packaged product (brewery and distributor) when NEBCO already does this. Right now Coriolis is the only brewery distributed can but as you alluded to FBD appears to be ready to follow suit.

 

Not trying to derail a CW thread but since Matt is the link to NEB and CW's still unknown distribution plan is threadworthy, a discussion of NEB is, IMO, appropriate.

CW is apparently going to have at least one canned beer that can only be purchased at the brewery and at least one canned beer that will only be available at package stores (and maybe bars, but NOT at the brewery in cans or on tap for fills). I could be wrong but I think this is a bit of an attempt for CW to have some additional brewery control while giving a bit of exclusivity to the distributor. That being said, I think there will be much overlap on brewery v. package store can availability.

NEB does not have two distribution sources for packaged product save for Stout Trooper (only this year), Coriolis, which is a new and sporadic phenomenon and their true uber limited/seasonal stuff which if they sent to distribution would be an administrative headache considering the small quantities (Comb Over, Weiss Trash, BBIST). I have never seen them sell 668, ECP or Hag cans from the brewery. Likewise, only the very last of the then "Gandhi" cans were sold out of the brewery, which led to the distributors getting miffed.

I agree with you wholeheartedly about going to the brewery. They pour every style of canned beer (all 3) regularly at the brewery. Coriolis is brewery and bars only. Bot is on seemingly every week. They have put on at least 50 different brews on at the brewery in the past year. Save for a special release, lines are usually under 15 minutes for fills.

 

I think we are agreeing here ... NEBCO just has more beers (for now):

Brewery only cans - Coriolis and seemingly FBD (based on both of our assumptions)
Distribution only cans - Sea Hag, 668, G Bot

As you mentioned, IST was both for first time this year.

Sounds like Counter Weight will be doing something similar in that they will have beers that go out in cans for distribution and others that are sold in cans at the brewery only.

 

No one "needs" exclusive distribution of their cans. From what I've been told by people from two breweries, distribution in CT exists in perpetuity at the county level. You need to reach an actual agreement with the distributor to annul your arrangement with them. This is why some of the newer breweries have actually hired employees to drive around the state with SUVs or trucks with kegs and pallets of bottles/cans rather than sign up in the first place. If they manage to attain sustained growth, there's no reason to give away that piece of the pie up front on crappier terms associated with lower volume and higher risk for the distributor.

The brewery-only model for canned releases is NOT a sustainable model for the mass market. It's about to hit a wall. You'll get people popping in to pick up stuff at their favorite brewery within 20 miles, on the way home from work, or in their own town, and then you'll have enthusiasts who will continue to hit up whatever is the latest stop on the hype/facebook sponsored post train (trailblazer cold creek tess, ice cream man, #nofilter, whatever armada released) is that week.

I'm not sure what my point is other than this: while there is a nice balance to the "beer X goes to distro, beer Y stays on-site" thing, selling beer X through distributors doesn't preclude you from also selling beer X at the brewery, so what is the benefit of keeping beer X as a distributor-only beer? If it is legitimately only "well, doing that means the distributor might say 'FU' to you," then it's really a matter of making a product good enough to speak for itself. I have a feeling CW will do that, so I think it's a weird decision.

 

What a nice looking facility!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1153312494768147

 

That is just enormous for a start up. Awesome!

 

Indeed, and they flew on that project, seems like just yesterday it was announced. He must have had a head start with the licensing and such.

 

It's encouraging, because you know they're gonna be popular right off the start with Matt's track record.

 

Pumped for this! Nice to have somewhere closer to home than NEBCO when I go visit my parents

 

Any news? I'm not on FB.

 

Not much.

From 2/1:

"It's been a while since our last post. We've been busy putting the final touches on our tasting rooms and finishing some projects around the brewery. We expect to have an opening date to share with everyone shortly. We can't wait!"

 

There's a little brew fest going on this Friday at the New Britain Museum of American Art. Counterweight is on the vendor list so it should be interesting if that is A; in fact true, and B; what they bring!

 

Note sure what the case count was but Premeditated Murder did make it into distribution (twice?)

 

Teaaaaase

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1165827923516604

 

Headway kegs going out today. Looks like Prime 16 New Haven will have it on at open.