Bells to MA, CT, RI soon?

I really hope this isn't where we've ended up, where there are NEIPAs and then there's everything else. That's so sad.

 

I'd still really like to try Hopslam, it takes like a single Sierra Nevada to remind me that stuff that was beloved in 2011 is still good as hell usually.

 

They were in the market and met with distributors in January

 

I would love for exhibition stout to roll in. one of the great imperial russian stouts and in 6 packs. seems to be a dying breed on brewery release calendars every year

 

I don't believe they've announced their decision yet. Most likely its going to be Craft because in other parts of the country they've gone with Sheehan owned distributors

 

True. One of my buddies is a Craft rep. Things will likely be finalized soon and beers expected in May or June (for CT).

 

A welcome addition IMO. Two Hearted will be in the rotation for me - only question is if they can limit the distro somewhat to keep it fresh. Oberon is a must-have during summer & should sell well here.

Took me a few attempts but I’ve come to respect HopSlam, I’m curious to see if there will be any hype - it’s about the complete opposite of the juice IPAs popular around here.

 

Who comes off the shelf to give them space would be a good question. I am sure initial sales will be brisk with the introductory hype, then it becomes a question of sustainability. Not sure how New Belgium is doing outside of the Boston area - limited offerings by observation and not huge volumes on shelf, if that is even a valid comparison.

I notice WIcked Weed because I kinda dig their labels, but man that stuff sits on shelves forever now. It was a big deal when it first showed up.

It's nice to have more variety to pick from, but I also ponder how it all works. Shelf space is a finite resource, so when something new comes in, presumably something has to leave. Hopefully the retail shops make good decisions based on sales volume. I can see some good local options being crowded out along with some of the crappy local options. I will take a good non-local over a poor local every day and twice on Sunday. Expanding territory and presumably expanding capacity seems a bit counter to trends. So is the idea to introduce to a new area, ride the wave as long as it rolls, then pull back when sales fall off? Seems to be what happens.

 

So much GARBAGE that is sitting on shelves and gathering dust nowadays, it shouldn’t be hard to eliminate one or even more brands to accommodate