Other Half (August 2018)

We all see the keg list here each week so I am assuming bars and restaurants are getting that same list and are choosing not to spend $275 on a sixtel. Getting the beer into more bars and restaurants isn't really something OH can control unless they start charging less I would think, no?

 

I worry about all these expansions. I mean hype driven Instagram beers are not sustainable and I think it is peaking now. They all are similar and people will not continue to drink big abv beers. There’s a reason traditional styles have been around for as long as they have. Just my two cents on the expansion posts I read above.

 

As far as I can tell the only way to get kegs into more places is to make the kegs cheaper (see my above post). And yes those other breweries do contribute to the NYC beer scene but if Suarez opened another brewery let's say an hour west of where they are, how does that help the beer scene? I was just trying to say that if they opened a brewery an hour upstate, to me, I would be going there about as much as I would be going to Rochester or DC. I know maybe that is just me, but I think that they have done a great deal to move NYC brewing along and if the next step in expanding is going to other areas because they have reach capacity in Brooklyn, I am all for it.

 

I’ve thought about that possibility as well. However, bars would just charge appropriately. I see Grimm everywhere and I’m pretty sure their sixtels cost the same as OH. When I see Grimm, it is priced to allow the establishment to make the most sensible profit off the keg (i.e, $10/10oz). Grimm sells out pretty fast on LI so it seems that the customers are willing to pay for it. I mean I would gladly pay $10 for a 10/12oz of OH one-off/collab releases at a bar nearby than spend 4 hours round trip going to the brewery.

Also, FWIW, I know a few establishments that have said OH has neglected their requests for kegs. Keep in mind, this was 2016/2017, so it may be due to the amount of beer they were producing at the time.

 

money > locals

DC money / new locals + rochester locals / new money = wide spread unhappy locals fka other half hates bk locals

 

Oh I know, and it would be awesome, and I would definitely pay a premium to drink it a little closer to home, but it is always the same handful of places that see the benefit to buying other half kegs, and the others either don't care or like you said never got a response so they gave up. If that is the case, then Yes, I would say they could probably do a bit more to get their beers on tap more places, but if they have sent the list to the majority of people requesting them, then it may never improve until keg pries drop, or more places see the benefit.

 

I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not but if you are it still supports my point.

 

If the insinuation here is that Hazy IPAs are a fad/hazy IPAs are going to die, I just have to laugh at that. People have been saying that for ages and its only gotten more popular.

 

it's not that i would begrudge a business for making this decision. it's that their business is starting to look a lot like one i would prefer not to support if there are better options around (again, like a Mikkeller or a Modern Times)

 

I see you’re point but I do think it will reach a tipping point like everything else. We can agree to disagree on that but I think we can both agree it will be fun to see where the beer industry is in 5 years. Cheers.

 

What other evidence of a DC location aside from some guy on Facebook saying they heard from some guy about it is there? I can't be the only one that think expanding to two locations at the same time just doesn't make sense...

I went to Treadwell Park, a proclaimed craft beer bar, last night with some friends and was pretty surprised to see that the only NYC beer on tap was El Pres. And the only other IPA's were from upstate and pretty old. I think we have a ways to go before people can say Other Half "sold out".

Also swung by the brewery at opening and the Angry Chair stout is tasting pretty good. I'm starting to understand the joke about all Florida stouts sort of tasting like Hersey syrup though. I noticed a nice stack of nuts and 'tose being brought into the garage area. Wonder what they're brewing next?

 

I think they passed the test of not being a fad within the last 1-2 years. A big reason for their hype originally was because they were very rare. Few breweries were producing them and the style seemed like it was owned by maybe a handful of breweries. Now more and more breweries are not only making them but making very good versions and they are still maintaining their popularity which is saying a lot now that almost anyone that wants it can get it from their local brewery.

 

this is kind of my point tho... it's not actually "selling out" but it feels wrong to open new locations to just chase $$$ at the expense of exploring new ways to capture the immense amount of local $ being spent on out of town beers for no good reason

 

Mods: I'll take that Aspirant status for posting on a topic which resulted in a robust and civilized BA conversation (v rare)!

Really tho, I get the business angle which most have expressed, but I also question the positioning logic – if I lived in Elizabeth, Newark, E/W Orange, Jersey City, Trenton, etc. I'd be a bit pissed that Washington, DC got a OH brewery while I have to keep schlepping into the city. There's got to be ample demand in the aforementioned areas which is on par with the number of people who actually know/care about craft beer in the District.

Perhaps I'm overthinking it and the reasoning behind the move is because Matt's cousin lives in Shaw.

 

I did get the feeling that even though I am sure there was a ton of research done to decide where to expand to, they did not end up checking out DC and Rochester randomly in the first place. Just like there is some other sort of connection to those areas for the guys at OH (went to college nearby, family lives close, previously lived in the area). Or maybe I am just being naive.

 

Absolutely! I would even go so far to say that it is a damn shame you have to specifically go to a craft bar to drink OH. This city should have way more local options on tap at more than just craft bars, it should extend to restaurants and dive bars and clubs or wherever too.

Folks need to take a trip to rural Oregon where even the dingiest dive bar or restaurant has stuff like Boneyard or Barley Brown's around. It's nuts that, with the immense amount of money being spent in this City on beer, you still rarely see any local options that aren't Sixpoint or Brooklyn Lager unless you seek it out specifically.

 

But what can Other Half do about places not carrying their beer if places do not buy kegs from them? And what incentive is there for them to drop their Keg prices (if that is the main issue)?