Tired Hands (October 2018)

Ok that pumpkin chai latte on tap is amazing. Up front all tropical shake but then finishes smooth with those great spice notes, I'm impressed.

 

No line no wait at 5:30 today. Tried the shake on tap and it was ok. The apple cider donut shake at the cafe was much better.

 

Also eating my words with this batch of regular only void on tap. Almost like it's on nitro so smooth. Lots of chocolate.

 

I still can’t get over the one case allotment.

 

It will be interesting to see what they do, now that it's becoming pretty clear they can't just keep rolling can releases like they have been and expect the beer to sell out in a reasonable time frame.

 

What is a reasonable time frame? Invasive series aside, aren't most of the weekly can releases still selling out within a few days?

 

Well they did open a third location with cooler space. I think they are trying to move towards the new Other Half model of having multiple cans available all the time.

 

Love the Other Half model, I went there after a year away and it was night and day. No line just a massive selection of beers to pick from.

 

This would be a good plan for them. Obviously the beer garden in Fishtown is seasonal, but originally they weren't going to have cans to go there and have already sold Church there I think. The next step will be to have regular cans to go there ,probably next spring. Evil genius right up the road does a fair amount of takeout business with much much worse beer, so they could continuously move a ton there without the need for crowded hype releases , in addition to having regular stock in Ardmore. Isn't this the direction alot of the hype brewery's have gone (OH, Trillium, Treehouse, etc). Sure special releases will still bring the linelifers , but the need for their informal distribution network can be more than offset but the expanded number of regular customers who will show up daily to pick up cans.

 

Treehouse has done it perfectly. They've dialed in their core beers and let people get familiar with their product/lineup. They release experimental beers under the curiosity series.

Once they became big enough, they scaled up and moved to a larger location. They are able to offer some of the most sought after IPAs at a relatively cheaper price with up to case allotments. They are consistently working through 2000 cases of Julius

I think the biggest things hurting tired hands is 1) Obviusly pricing but I have no way of telling what their business plan looks like. Why they are charging that much and where's it going 2)Too many new beers and experiments being released for $20+ a four pack.

Just my 2 cents which doesn't matter at the end of the day

 

I was at the Fermentaria yesterday for lunch. I had an 8 ounce glass of Lightful; the server told me this is the first time they brewed a Hefeweizen. I thought this beer was very good! It has a very pleasant balance of banana and clove for my palate. I would encourage others who are fans of the Hefeweizen style to try this beer.

Cheers!

“Lightful:

Hefeweizen 5.6% Brewed with a 60/40 wheat-to-barley ratio, and a mash schedule aimed at promoting those bright, peppery notes we find in our favorite Weissbiers. Lightly hopped with Crystal and fermented cool with a classic Weissbier strain. A study in simplicity.

-Notes of cracked pepper, Asian pear, honeysuckle, and healthy breakfast smoothie.”

 

I agree with this. A big thing at Tree House as well is that they sell by single cans, which is pretty big when you they have so much beer available. Especially with experimental stuff. If I go to Tree House I am likely to at least get one can of everything and then 4 packs and such on stuff I really like. With Tired Hands, it's like, man I want to try that Pudding Only Void... but do I really need 4 pack of it (especially at $26)?

But, they're clearly doing well which is awesome. It's just not particularly hard to see why the beer lasts longer now than it used to. Especially since the market is much more saturated with great choices than it was 5-6 years ago.

 

Or even 1-2 years ago.

 

I think as well as a product of more great beer being available I also think juicy IPAs are on the decline. I've got crap for saying this before but I think were seeing signs of this happening more and more. I do not think the style will ever go away for good but its popularity is diminishing. I've reverted back to all the beers and styles that got me into this whole thing to begin with and I think more people are doing/will do the same. Anyone else feel this way or in the same boat? Cheers.

 

Nope. I recently had a Lagunitas IPA (which used to be one of my staples) and could barely get through it. I do still like some of the hoppy Stone stuff, but that never left me.

 

I agree that the popularity of the NEIPA will overall diminish somewhat, but only because its star is burning so bright right now. I still think it will have a place on most local brewery's taplists.

 

The only way to know if the ‘NEIPA’ beer style is in decline is via sales data. Given that much of this beer style is purchased on premise (at the Tired Hands brewery for example) these sales are not captured via sales and marketing data – for example IRI data:

https://www.iriworldwide.com/en-US/solutions/market-performance-and-strategy/market-measurement

Do you have any source data for thinking that the “NEIPA’ is in decline?

Cheers!

 

Personally/anecdotally (ie based on what I buy and what I see here in NYC - I’m sure it’s different for other people in other parts of the country) I think the NEIPA is on the “decline” in terms of it no longer being a rabidly sought after shiny/new/limited alternative to other IPA subtypes (with the prior king being the WCIPA). But that’s only because it seems to have replaced all those to become the norm for IPAs. If I go into a good beer bar in NYC and pick a hoppy beer at random, chances are it’s soft/hazy. WCIPAs are becoming more of a rarity. East coast IPAs / English style IPAs are now like whales.

 

I agree rozzom. I mean, trends come and go in all industries. Of course when something is new to the scene, it's going to be extremely popular. And that hype will simmer off resulting in a comparative "decline".

A lot of casual craft beer drinkers couldn't even tell you what a NE IPA is. And classics like Two Hearted and 60/90 Minute aren't going anywhere. There's certainly room for both styles to exist in the market.

 

I try to go to Suarez when I can and buy a ton of stuff. Still like the NEIPA but also like the pilsners/lagers again.