The Angry Chair Thread

Honestly...AC would be better served going the CCB route and doing a bottle club. They can get the money upfront and avoid lines and crowd.

 

I think that is where cycle and AC are different. AC is constantly trying to improve and make their customers happy. Monday was very slow moving and they adapted changed the way they did releases the rest of the week. Last year AC rare beer night was packed and they changed it to make it better. The line for BA cupcake was lined through the neighborhood and the opened early to sell bottles. I know cycle has changed the way they do things over the years and they are a great brewery making great beer, but it seems AC has watched others and proven time and again they are willing to be flexible and adapt as best they can to their rapid growth.

 

I don't agree and honestly I think it's not even worth comparing. Cycle has had a couple of years to deal with the crowds, lines, mules, and other bullshit. Their lines currently run smoother than any other brewery in the Tampa Bay area. 500+people can be lined up and be in and out in an hour while people that decide to stick around are also getting quick pours at the bar.

AC has a lot of challenges ahead as it continues to grow. The taproom situation is difficult because it's so small, there's no good parking, lining up around the building isn't all that safe due to how narrow the sidewalk is/no shoulder on Florida, etc.

But hey, as long as it's mainly only a real issue during TBBW I don't really care. I like their taproom more than anything else in the area, if only because I get a steady dose of mid 90s hip-hop with my beers.

 

One could say AC adapted on Cupcake Day...others could say The Tampa Police told them start the sale 40 minutes early as the neighbors were flooding them with complaint calls..and comparing anything they do to Cycle on Bottle Sales is ridiculous as Cycle is The Gold Standard on how to run a Bottle Sale..you really start taking Cycle Bottle Sales coordination and smoothness for granted until you go to another Brewery's Event

 

Except it took Cycle a couple of years to get to this level. There were plenty of growing pains along the way.

 

For sure...I love AC..they just have a ton of inherent disadvantages for doing bottle sales that Cycle does not like backing up directly to a Residential Neighborhood...lack of parking in Seminole Heights..dangerous line situation..etc....they really need to start a Rare Bottle Club is the only realistic solution for them in their current location..

 

For what it's worth...Cycle also has concerns with its neighbors. The reason they switched to 8am releases is because the noon or 3pm releases (even when not announced well ahead of time) resulted in lines that blocked the other businesses and resulted in numerous complaints.

I think that AC would benefit from a bottle club however that carries with it its own issues. Storing the bottles till pick up is a problem. Even CCB has had issues with that with El Cat. Also, making sure eyou can produceasily the number of bottles promised (especially when you get into barrel aging) is also a logistical concern. Not to mention the logistics around sign ups, collecting payment, renewals, etc.

I think AC would benefit from using a mix of bottle club and general release. Figure out the what your base line number of bottles would be and make that (or a portion of that) the size of the club. Do general release for the bottles that are in excess of the number needed for the club. That way AC can hopefully alleviate the number of people waiting in line and still make sure their loyal customers get bottles. There are lots of people that just want one bottle or would be interest in being able to guarantee they could have a bottle without having to run out from work or find a buddy to pick it up.

 

1. Which does everyone like better? 2nd Anniversary Stout vs BA IGCCS?
2. For those at the Rare Beer night this year, which beers stood out from that amazing list?

 

BA IGCCS was the shit, I couldn't believe Double Stuffed Oreo Fudge Bucket kicked in like 10 minutes

 

Not quite an answer to your question, but I preferred the 2nd Anniversary just slightly over the BA Imp German Chocolate Coffee Cake I had immediately preceding it. But they were both great, and I suspect that was only a matter of personal preference. EDIT: Reason for my preference - I thought the barrel came through more, and added more, in the 2nd Anniversary.

I was told by the bartender (about 20 minutes into the event) that the keg wasn't pouring right and they had pulled it off. No idea if that was true or not, but that's what I was told.

 

wow that's a bust....that was one of the ones that I would've went after first too (had I been able to get a tix)

 

Hopefully they'll have it again soon

 

I was also told they pulled the double stuffed Oreo keg due to pouring issues.

I liked the BA cupcake better as well. But I thought Woke might have been the best beer there.

 

Woke was on for growlers last week when they re-opened. Was so happy to see stouts available for growlers again. Actually was the first growler I've filled in a few years, since they used to do GCCS for fills. And agree it's really good, mostly because it's not overly sweet by AC standards.

 

I was sitting at the bar got a pour of Oreo , it tasted good to me but then Ryan was messing with the tap then told them to pull it after he tried it. He said "I don't like it there's an off taste, so i pulled it." I tried to convince him to sell me the keg but he just smiled, said "na brah" and tapped Peanutbutter Marshmallow Popinski in it's place.

 

late to the game but HBS: aren't the two women who started it formerly of WOB? That's what I heard. Why wouldn't the logistics of pouring for a large crowd be something their staff could handle?

Got to HBS with a few friends but we left because we had Cycle BA day to attend. IF it was really two hours to get a pour...wow!

for AC, they are just Soooo small in building size and staff size. They definitely need to move to earlier releases. But with such a small staff...it's gotta be tough.

a bottle club? Hmm there's got to be a reason Cycle has not done it yet

 

I've now learned, after talking with some other locals who go their regularly, that the two "bartenders" that seemed more interested in dancing and snapchatting and taking selfies ARE the two women who started HBS. So, I guess my feedback to them will probably fall on deaf ears.

On the topic of AC and bottle releases. Bottle clubs have their own logistical issues (storage space, recording keeping, etc) which is probably why Cycle has taken the path of least resistance in their approach to releases. Remember, this was a brewery that only recent started accepting credit cards in the tasting room. And while Cycle has had challenges with their neighbors and had to make changes to how they do bottle releases (8am), the major difference is that they are in a business district. It's a while different ballgame for AC when their neighbors are residents who have people lined up on their lawn and cars parked blocking their driveways. The city is going to be a lot less understanding of AC if the residents continue to complain about the cars and crowds.

 

New weekend release:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1432818600091407

The Easter Bunny is bringing you a basket of bottles this year! Most of our peeps know that this beer has come out with a different name in the past.... Purple Puffs is our blackberry, black currant berliner weisse with marshmallows added. This is a treat you never knew you wanted to drink... but you do. Bottle sales will start tomorrow (Saturday 4/15) at 11:00 AM.
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**We are opening early for bottle sales only, no draft until 12:00 PM**
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Bottles will be $16 each and will be limited to 2-4 per person depending on our turn out. Official limit will be decided tomorrow morning and not changed after that. Please bring cash to help expedite the process. Thank you!



What was this beer originally called? Worth the trip?

 

It was originally called purple peeps. It's a good beer. Crowd will be less because it's not a stout and appeals to a different crowd, but it will most likely sell out at some point tomorrow.