Question for those who know more than I: I was under the impression that liquor stores couldn't charge for tastings. I remember this topic coming up a while ago, and that there are some loopholes...serving food? Wondering why South Lyndale can charge $10 for an upcoming Lagunitas tasting. Because they are serving cheese? Because the laws have changed? Because I'm an idiot?
Law change or not, charging for a tasting is just bad for business. It is an elitist approach to tastings. Also, I have been exposed to many beers I would have otherwise never tried at liquor store tastings. This has led me to buy some of those beers (both at the event and later). I don't know about others, but I never leave a store after a tasting without buying something. Hearing that South Lyndale is charging for one makes me not only not want to attend the tasting, but I will not patronize their store, either.
Charging for tastings? Why not just have a promo to deeply discount the beer? Give some Swag out and call it good! Besides, if you know anything about Lagunitas' history of producing quality beer, you should be able to make that leap between browsing and buying without an expensive sip or three in between.
perhaps if two or three full beers poured in a glass(which you get to keep) was part of the tasting, but that sounds more like a bar event.
It sounds like you are assuming that the tasting will be the same as it was before but now they are charging and that may be incorrect. I think the Four Firkins wanted this change so they could do much more extensive beer classes, ie tastings that they could not provide for free while they still provide their share of free tastings.
The law that we changed was specifically only for teaching structured classes, which can include sampling. You cannot charge just for sampling, that is still illegal. For example, we still do free tastings every Fri and Sat after 6, and we almost always have a guest brewery in pouring free samples on a weekday. If anyone needs further clarification, please ask. Thanks!
Could see paying $10 for a tasting if you got a glass and a sixer of your choice from the beers tasted.
This tasting SLL has charged for tastings many times in the past, which is why I've never gone. They're really the only store I see doing it for regular old tastings. They have done free ones, too. They do let you sample whiskey while browsing for free, which is cool. This tasting is also limited to 20 people (i think), which is also atypical.
It's a tasting after we close. The money goes towards the product poured, the cheese bought, and large discounts on the beer sampled. They are in seminar form so there is plenty of education on the products tasted. Usually garb is given out and something always gets pulled from the cellar at our expense. It's a fun two hours of drinking and learning about beer/whisk(e)y/wine. We here at SLL value each and every customer we have and I hope that something as silly as charging $10 to cover our expenses for providing a good (and cheap) time for said customers will cause us to lose business. Also, as the O.P. mentioned, if you shop here you would know that we are very generous in our sampling of beer, spirits and wine during business hours. Thanks to all of you that support our shop. Especially the last 10 months!
I take it you meant the opposite of that, eh? For what it's worth, SLL was always a legendary place in the "beer scene" when I first entered the 'industry' in the early Oughts, and I trust y'all will put on a good spread for the token Ten Spot.
Thanks for the explanation. I will continue to patronize your store (I'm getting close to my $250 threshold!), and really was just looking for some legal clarification.
IMO, former GM Rick Heyne is one of the early architects of the craft beer movement. Back in the early to mid nineties he single highhandedly changed the direction of craft beer in the south part of Minneapolis his store gave me a pay check.
