Other Half Brewing June 2017

Do we think this Saturday will be that busy with the holiday approaching? Feel like a lot of people will be out of town but who knows

 

I don't think this Saturday will be that bad due to the holiday and the fact that the beers shouldn't bring that much hype (despite DDH Mylar Bags being one of their best).

 

Apologies for the dumb question, but I'll be in Brooklyn this weekend for the first time in over a decade. Any chance any cans will be left later in the afternoon or evening on Saturday? Thank you!

 

Are there any bona fide clairvoyants in here who can help on the above few questions?

 

Generally, cans start to sell out in the afternoon, so the best advice I can give you is that if you want cans, you should line up before they open. That being said this is a huge holiday weekend and we have no idea how that will affect the lines. They may still have cans from yesterday too so that might further complicate things.

 

Much appreciated, thank you! I'll keep my eye on Instagram/Twitter to see if there's anything left, as I won't be in a position to go at open.

 

If you're trying to plan your day out now last year's July thread might give some info on how this weekend went last year.

 

Good idea; I checked the thread and there were only a few posts around the 4th, but looks like cans were still left around 1pm. So I'll keep my fingers crossed and see what happens. Thank you all for the info!

 

Its going to be a mix of ppl being away for the weekend plus the fact that mylar bags been released alot lately that i am hoping for so i can get pick up in the afternoon

 

I went this past Saturday for the first time to be a line-goer and have to say it was pretty brutal. Got there around 10:30 and was in line for an hour and half to see DDH Daydream sell out like 5 people in front of me. (at least the dude getting towed provided some entertainment). Anyways, I was still able to snag a 4 pack of their other 3 releases and a growler of Dream in Green so I was happy with that.

I wonder if OH can use their presence on social to help quell the line issue? I feel like announcing the weekend's release on Monday/Tuesday drives up so much hype. Would posting say on Friday night / Saturday morning help squash some of the hype? Or possibly not posting at all and doing silent releases - you find out when you get to the brewery? No matter what, these guys are going to sell out of their beers because of the quality and word of mouth via social.

 

No offense to OH because I get it - it's great for business. But they specifically use their social media presence to drive all the foaming at the mouth to ensure quickest possible sell-thru

Edit - at the end of the day these guys aren't dicks. If the silent releases / lower limits / more spread out releases made little or no difference to them, then I'm sure they'd go that way because it would make everything far more pleasant for most people. But they don't, so I can only assume they have (or at least believe they have) a good reason.

As is the norm at this point - let's keep fingers crossed and see how the new/expanded space works out.

 

I usually sit out the lines on Saturdays based on social media posts and BA chatter, but the couple of times I have jumped on the line- inclement weather, or cans I just really wanted- I can say that 10AM to 11AM are the worst time to get on it. At that entry time slot, you're still going to be there over an hour, and your odds of being shut out of at least one or more cans is a near certainty.

People say this every weekend but it bears repeating from different mouths if it gives it more weight: if you have flexibility either go early (prior to 9AM), or wait until the line is just outside the garage or gone. I can't imagine for anyone except the most die-hard fans is that one hour wait for a pilsner or kolsch (no offense to fans of those styles) worth it.

 

Had both Watch it Fall Slowly and Ain't Nothing Nice after picking them up last night and both are delightful. I was more impressed by WIFS, though, as it's not common for NYC brewers to put out pilsners (have yet to try Transmitter's). It was a nicely balanced pils, without the fruity explosion I was afraid might happened with the hops listed. It had that note, but the malt still came through, making for a very tasty beer.

 

Totally understand why they do it and I don't think their dicks for it. Social is such a HUGE tool right now that I think it could be used to help their customers get the beer they want without waiting in a huge line every weekend. Just throwing this out there, but someone like Carton generally waits until the day of to release what cans they have and drop a social post on any new releases. I've never gone to Carton and waited in a line.

Granted there's probably some trade-off with line lengths vs. how fast they can sell-thru, OH is already so hyped and has a much larger market than Carton that I can't imagine they'd have issues selling out.

Sorry if this sounds repetitive for some, but there's got to be a better short term fix than "get there at 8:30" until the new/expanded space opens.

Also, kudos on the midweek releases.

 

Anybody else know about OH canning Pig Beach? Stumbled upon it on Untappd but never heard anything about it.

Edit: Just realized they canned it and it's sold at Pig Beach.

 

Whats the deal with Aint Nothing? Insta comments are garbage, anyone know a case count? I wouldn't be able to get to OH til like 7.

 

I know they sell Other Half "Hogwash" IPA at Pig Beach.

 

Its gotten worse over the past year. now if Im not out the front door by 8am then its a lost cause. I live 30 - 45 min away. I how it calms down a bit, but they have really been doing an amazing job with the beer they are releasing lately.

My problem is line cutting, I get there at 830 and the owner come around counting off saying Ill be fine. Then as i near the door i hear, if everyone in front of you gets a case of X then you wont get any. it rarely affects me but its hurting someone who shows up on time and its unacceptable.

I overheard them in a conversation saying if they see it happen they turn that person away, which is great, but there has to be a better system to prevent these people from cutting in line.

 

This made me think about the line cutting not often mentioned. What's up with people who come into the taproom from the garage (on release days) and assume they don't need to wait in line? Saturday's line was especially long, and quite obvious as it snaked out the door and down the sidewalk, yet several people would come in and attempt to blend into the line.

(obligatory "yes, i know, it doesn't stop unless you call these people out")

 

I agree with this for the most part, there is a component of social vigilance, but i miss the days of wrist bands. I hear they are trying to maybe bring that back, but i think it would help a bit. No system is perfect.