Regarding Limited Release/Rare Beer Events

Unpopular solution: raise the price. Someone mentioned bringing it to equilibrium. Exactly.
I don't want to pay more for beer. But I will pay what I feel is fair for limited availability brews.

I have another hobby of collecting thingies. Back in the late 90's a boom took place and what normally fetched $100-150 started to command $300+ thanks to one producer. Competitors said it was crazy and wouldn't last. But everyone wanted that new thingy even if cost more because all the big names were using it. Now all the competitors have thingies in that range (with self proclaimed equivalent quality) as well to keep up with the Joneses and hipsters.

Its going to happen. $25 bombers and 4packs will be the norm.

 

I don't expect micros to do some kind of corporate market analysis. I'm talking, take 20 minutes out of your day and read a couple threads about releases in the Midwest. These Dark Horse guys aren't stupid. They know what's going on in the craft world today. If you're not motivated to run your business well then why not just stick to home brewing. I would like to add that this isn't really just directed at Dark Horse. They are just an example. I enjoyed myself at the party and found all the employees I interacted with to be nice and helpful. I'm glad they actually do run a business.

Fortunately, I didn't trust the times in the thread and therefore got a whole allotment. Just because most of us knew those times to be false that doesn't excuse the hypocrisy.

 

If you knew it to be false, why didn't you say so in any of the threads related to the event? I don't recall anyone really saying much about it. Quite honestly, I had no intention of being there prior to 9am until I got a call around 6am saying to get there ASAP. The folks I stayed with almost refused to get up and go because they didn't believe it.

Generally speaking, NO ONE knows what time you have to show up to get the beer you want. That's why we stayed two minutes from DH the night before. We were ready to do what we had to do in order to not get caught in line all day. Many of our friends that didn't stay in the area ended up with rather high numbers because we were all clearly way off on the time we thought would be necessary.

 

I didn't say I knew it to be false. I said I didn't trust it. I know myself to be a fallible human being so I left it to the 4elf vets to advise on the event. Don't try to turn this on me.

 

OK, so we are complaining about people who complain about people who complain now?

 

The trouble with raising prices for limited release beers is that not many of us are rational actors when it comes to actually reviewing and/or discussing the beer. If a beer that previously sold for $20 had its price increase (justifiably, because it was a highly sought after BA release by an acclaimed brewer) to $40 a bottle, people tend to factor that in to their review. Fewer people pop it open and think "Well, $40 is a lot of money but me and plenty of other people paid it so it was obviously appropriate." Rather, more will pop it open and think "$40? This better be worth it!" And if it's not twice as tasty as the previous year, regard will plummet.

And brewers know this. Limited release and BA beers are fun for them to create and experiment with, but they're rarely the high margin items that fuel the operation (that would be the less exciting, everyday flagships), and they've become used to making little money on them. Raising the price significantly would rock the boat and risk degrading their brand name, with word of mouth potentially turning negative but not due to any drop in quality, which is a tough pill for a small craft brewer to swallow.

 

Sure, if that is what you mean by me saying people have a right to complain.

 

I'm just asking a question, not trying to turn anything on you at all. I'm sorry if that upset you as it was not my intent. KBS day and this years 4 elf definitely proved that event veterans must be as clueless as the breweries as far as expected attendance goes.

 

Bring back ebay...

 

I'll take the golf 100 times out a 100.

 

I remember the same thing happened in October for Darkness Day - except on facebook. People posting at 9pm in the Darkness Day thread about how 'the line is already to where it was last year at 5am' to deter people from coming early. In the end, if you showed up at 9am you got a wrist band (ie: one of the first 1500 in line), compared to 5am'ish the year prior. I'm betting the crowd stayed away simply due to it being friggen cold as shit, but still...

 

Ticketed release for bottles with a draft party works well for me.
Just recently Alesmith BASS and BA Wee Heavy went well.

 

Still heard of people with lots of tickets bought by family and friends. Easier to game buying tickets than if you got to get someone to physically stand in line for you. If you want fair distribution it still isnt the answer. But it does make the abuses less visible.

 

I think this is what you will see with Rasp Eis at Kuhnhenns this year....