18th St Barrel Massacre 2017

In a day and age where beer festivals sell out in minutes, 18th St cut this off on their own after weeks and only 260 tickets sold? Sounds like a good time to re-think something here!

 

Too much ego to change.

 

There are a couple of things for 18th Street to consider in the aftermath of this underselling.

1. 18th Street Gary is depressing now. They don't get many of the to-go releases. The last few times I was in there, I was the only customer. The website site for 18th Street's tap list has not been updated since January. If the don't put forth effort, why should customers.

2. Do something. Make a new beer, that's not another pale or Ipa. At least try to generate buzz. Quit assuming people will show up because of what you did 2 years ago.

3. Release Hunter 8. Release Hunter blends. Why limit arguably your best beer to a rotation of 3 irregular can releases?

I don't think I am being unfairly critical.

End rant.

 

If Hunter cherry hit cans, I would be all over that. That beer is fantastic.

Also, great point on the Gary Taproom. I honestly can't see myself ever visiting it again.

 

In their defense, the linked page below is updated in a timely manner.

http://www.18thstreetbrewery.com/draft-list/

 

Hammond portion of that page does in fact get updated regularly. The Gary portion has not changed since January.

 

I guess I don't understand why some take satisfaction in what they evidently perceive as a failed event, before the event even happens? Did 18th St piss in your Cheerios, or what?

18th stopped ticket sales at 260 or thereabouts - so what? Maybe that was the number at which they felt they could offer the best experience for those who did buy tickets to the event? Maybe that was their cap for the number of bottles that were going to be made available to attendees? (We all know how well it goes over when you change the offering after the date tix are sold - see the Dark Lord Day thread if aren't sure of what I'm speaking to.) Or, maybe that was the limit of people willing to pay the freight for the event (of which I was not one) - and if that's the case, then so be it - 18th will adjust the event next year (as they did this year) to either make it more affordable, or not even hold it at all, if it doesn't make sense to them to do it. Market forces will prevail.

I get it (I think?) - 18th was the flavor of the day for a time, and now they are seemingly old hat, but worse than that, they pissed you off somehow / somewhere along the way - maybe their (perceived) arrogance, last year's Barrel Massacre, or whatever, and now they are brewery non grata. And if they've fallen out of favor with you, then that's understandable, but I don't get the animosity I sense from some towards the brewery.

 

I didn't agree with you on your Dark Lord posts, but agree with you here. They're having an event, they sold some tickets. I have no idea of how much it impact their business model and what they expect out of this to be successful. I wasn't into the craft beer scene 2 or 3 years ago so maybe that's it, but they generally seem to make pretty good beer and it's nice to hit them up when I make a run to 3F. To be honest, once or twice I've made a run there as the priority option, then getting 3 Floyd's because I was close.

I went to the 3rd anniversary and really enjoyed it. Or at least I think I did. I don't remember much after about the 5th BA stout.

 

Somehow I knew you would don your shining armor and defend 18th Street.

I don't perceive it (at least from my end) as animosity toward 18th Street. Believe it or not, there is an entire thread where people bitch about fff. Yet, Several thousand people will be there Saturday. That is not to say the 2 breweries are on equal footing. Myself and I suspect a lot of other people would like 18th Street to do something new and intersting again. Make me want to line up on a Saturday morning. I suspect you may even feel same way. And maybe its also good for 18th Street to feel more sting from the market adjusting.

 

I don't recall calling out a specific poster - that would make me a poop head.

In fact, I thought your points were valid - Gary is depressing, and they don't update the website; they haven't made a new Hunter variant in a couple of years.

As for making a new beer other than an IPA or a pale? Who else is doing that? But, they always have a sour or two on at Hammond, and they have been branching out their styles a bit of late.

If I were to quibble with you, good sir, it would to suggest that you have no basis for the snidish "underselling" comment - you may perceive the event to be a failure, but no one really knows. I was more focusing on the larger trend in the beer world to turn on a brewery, and take satisfaction when they stumble. Not saying you think that - that would make me a double poop head.

 

I did not think you were calling me out. In fact, you and I are largely on the same page here.

In regard to the underselling comment, you are right in saying that failure is difficult to perceive. My only response would be to suggest why offer to sell 400 tickets if you really only want to sell 260? 260 may be a better break even point for them in the long run, but cutting off sales at a seemingly arbitrary time seems weird to say the least.

 

This makes no economic sense. (I know this is coming off as rude, I'm just stating this as a matter of fact.) The inherent cost of producing 1 bottle is very large. With every additional bottle made, the marginal (per unit) cost decreases. Selling 400 tickets should be more cost-efficient for them than it is to have only sold 260. If this is not true (if Marginal Cost is increasing at some point), then they should know this and shouldn't have set the # sold to 400.

So...they just didn't sell as much as they wanted.

 

1.) Agree with you on Gary.
2.) Wat? They release new stuff all the time, and not all of it is APAs / IPAs. We've seen regular new sours, a handful of new stouts, they have two new English IPAs on now. Further, hop-forward beer not only sells, but it is the style that 18th Street is probably best at. Their entire Shadows series have been an unbroken string of huge hits with some absolute home runs in there. They've all sold out relatively quickly, and they trade well too.
3.) Yeah, I'd love to see a new Hunter too, but I'll take regular, Vanilla, and Coffee in cans in the meantime.

 

Which In the Shadows are you looking for? I can find most of them on store shelves.

I never said their ipas were bad. But again, which one can I help you find on store shelves? There are a lot of good Ipa's available right now. It's tough to get noticed in that field. Zero Discipline aside, I would be reluctant to call any of them "huge hits".

I do think the Sour Note stuff is well done. I patiently waiting for Apricot Gose to return.

 

Just proves that you aren't wrong 100% of the time....

I keed, I keed!

 

Specifically -- Teddy Bear Picnic, Twisted Doom, and Zero Discipline stood out to me as really outstanding, but I definitely enjoyed the rest of the series too. And I certainly didn't see any of those three (or any of the series, really) shelf-turding it up anywhere in NWI.

No idea why you seem to have such a huge axe to grind with 18th Street, but I'd suggest just not buying their beer if you don't like it. I'll continue to drink it, and I'll also continue to actually be happy that I don't have to wait in line at the brewery and can sometimes find their beer on the shelf at a store. I guess my palate can't truly appreciate the "rare" and "hyped" subtleties the way that others' can.

 

Sorry dude. Again, I enjoy many of their beers, but think they have fallen into a rut. I offered fair criticism. Feel free to disagree.

 

hard to believe that a brewery, with the momentum 18th street had, on the day of barrel massacre is at the bottom of page 3 of this forum.

really interested to hear how today was for those that went?

 

this event was great, as always. I have been to every year, and will continue to attend every event that is offered. There was plenty of room, there was a terrific blues band, the barrel aged beers were great, the food was outstanding, the space was well organized, whats not to love?! the 18th st./cycle collab was out of this world, liquid fudge brownies! zero issues today. was a great time!

 

I had a great time - no complaints here.

They did have ChemTrailMix on tap early in the day, too, so there's that.