Hill Farmstead (2019)

The $100 price point on Ann seems fair.

Four years ago, the price tag on a bottle of Ann was $45. Of those who won, about half of the crowd ended up drinking their bottles, while the rest traded their bottles away in exchange for bulk packages of barrel aged stouts and/or lambic. Eventually, though, a few bottles of Ann made their way onto the secondary market for (dollar figures that we are not allowed to discuss on Beer Advocate.)

This type of behavior was upsetting to the staff at Hill Farmstead. They felt that it was wrong for patrons to be profiting off of their own beer. In a conversation I shared with Shaun Hill, he expressed his displeasure for paid mules and beer resellers. He told me that (and I paraphrase) he did not agree with their actions.

Since the aforementioned release in 2015, there have been an increased number of beer flippers/resellers who have profited generously off of Hill Farmstead releases. We saw this most recently with Samuel, a beer that has been sold more often than it has been checked-in on Untappd. With each such occurrence, the brewery undoubtedly feels a greater reluctance to release highly-sought-after limited release bottles at competitive prices.

The way I see it, the price increase for a bottle of Ann can be attributed to what I like to call the Secondary Market Tax. In essence, lottery winners are being asked to pay an extra fee to account for the possibility that a small number of bottles may end up on the secondary market. In exchange for the privilege of being able to take home a very rare bottle of beer, you are agreeing to pay a fine for the collective mistakes of the craft beer community.

 

So ultimately we're all paying for some morons in the beer scene trying to make a buck on beer so they can buy more beer...

 

I would just like to point out, that Ann is $106 dollars after tax!

*rabble rabble rabble*

 

There's few things people are more stubbornly irrational about than What Stuff Should Cost.

 

O shit, that's it, I'm out then

 

don't forget about the .05 bottle deposit!

 

All this does is increase the prices people will get on secondary markets. People who want to acquire multiple bottles will figure out how to contact people who win the lottery, and will just pay a higher price in the end to get the beer.

If this really bothered HF, they would put Ann on tap and make it brewery-only. Instead, they merely express displeasure but release the beer anyway, and at a very significant markup. The justification for doing so doesn't make much sense.

 

They already do this with a good chunk or on-site only bottles. CW gets them with the option (sometimes) to buy extras if they go unclaimed. I am guessing with a fairly large yield, what else are you going to do? Give it all to CW and On Site? There will be backlash either way, damned if you do, damned if you don't. The butthurt HF causes is laughable. Shit, the HF group I admin in is a fucking joke with shit like this. Get over yourselves people, it's just beer.

 

If HF wants to charge more money for their beer because people are willing to pay for it then there's no problem. But don't trot out some bullshit about "oh well they're only charging more because it uh, people on the secondary sell it for more and that bothers HF so this will help better people get the beer".

Please. Cantillon could easily charge three times or more what they charge for direct brewery to consumer sales. To them it's a priority that their beer remain more affordable. Alchemist could charge $20 for packs of Heady instead of $12.50.

Don't bitch about HF charging what they do for their beer, and don't try to act like their higher prices are due to some benevolent aesthetic to keep the evil beer black market at bay.

 

Honestly, beer prices do not surprise me anymore. If I win the Ann lottery, it's a reason to make the trek out east that I've been talking about for 3 years. Procuring a bottle will just be icing on the cake.

 

Do they do BOGO on CD Citrus and Crabapple?

 

I've been chugging them nightly, I am done with this world.

 

You, I fucking like you.

 

I know this isn’t a lottery complaint, but I was wondering if the taproom is open normal hours the days leading up to FoFa? I saw that it is going to be the first weekend in August and my wife and I had already planned on visiting that Thursday/Friday beforehand, but now I am second guessing the timing. . .

 

normal hours the week before hand, limited hours day of. You may find they limit the onsite offerings on the Friday as it will be mobbed.

 

I was just going to ask, is it going to be a shit show those days? Any type of other events around the area? Special releases at the brewery?

 

Most peoplecome up early for FOFA so it does get busy on the Friday and Saturday. Last year very few other things going on, some years they have had releases that week last year none. same crap shoot really.

 

Yeah the Friday before FoFA is pretty busy. Last year showed up around 1:30 and there were two lines crossing over each other (taproom, Retail). Better than the 3 hr wait til closing for growlers in '15 before the taproom was officially open day before FoFA. Other Events: Parker Pie usually has a weekend of special bottle releases, draft pours (HF, Cantillon, 3F). Special releases: they had great onsite beers last year. Let's hope for Vera Mae again

 

Was at HF the morning of FoFa 2 years ago to grab some bottles and kill a little time before my friends wedding. Saturday was limited but the previous day was normal. Not overly crowded so if you are up a Friday you are fine.

 

Like I said though last year Friday was pretty nuts and NOT normal. You had to get two pours cause otherwise you'd spend an hour in line. Probably better closer to close though.