Boulevard Rye-on-Rye SA, TX?

Rye on Rye has been here for a long time.

It's never been one to sell out. I honestly thought it was a year round. BBQ always sells out fast, but RoR and SB are there whenever you need it.

BBXXIV sold out in about a week except for a few places and they only had it for like 2 weeks. Most places got multiple cases.

We get a boatload more quantity on Boulevard limited releases than Deschutes.

 

Similar story in SATX. RoR and SB aren't always available, but they generally stay on shelves longer than BBQ.

 

Same distributor here in Dallas, BEK... vomit!

I'm not "up to date" with all the happenings in Houston. However I will tell you that BBXXIV was around long after two weeks. I went to the Specs that is closest to the Smith Street Specs, across from a Burger King is all I can remember, a month after the release. They had 6 bottles out on the shelf and more in the back. I bought 4 that day,a buddy of mine bought 4 the following week.

I am just comparing DFW vs Houston. I don't know jack about Houston, though I believe us to be equal in size and probably pretty close on our "beer nerd" count. For the life of me I can't understand skipping Houston on any type of release. I can't understand Ballast Point and other breweries starting their Texas distribution in DFW and never Houston. I can understand skipping Austin because of all the drink local, eat local, be local they have down there.

They only thing I can see as a difference is beer hits and sits on shelves down there that doesn't even think about hitting shelves here. Rye on Rye sold out in days everywhere in DFW except Specs Dallas where it sold out in 2 weeks. BBXXIV sold out day of release almost everywhere in DFW.

 

I'm wrong about this, Boulevard is Andrews up here. oops

 

There will be outliers, but most places sold out of BBXXIV in about 2 weeks. I found a few bottles after that, but not like it was everywhere.

Some of it is honestly due to it sitting in a case and not put out right away. Sometimes even forgotten by the employees.

The store you went to is the outlet store. You found some that another location didn't put out and it got sent to them. Might have even been at a store that doesn't do much craft sales (in the ghetto perhaps).

 

Not any better.

RoR was perhaps my favorite accessible draft this past year..Confluence was second (although accessible is not the correct word for Allagash anymore). Hopefully more than Hall's gets this this year.

 

With the exception of Deschutes, I've actually been pretty impressed with the way BEK manages their craft brands in the Austin/SA market considering they're the only craft distributer that I'm aware of that has to cover the entire state. I actually wish they carried Boulevard so that maybe we'd see some more consistency with the special releases.

Granted, things may be different in DFW since BEK also carries InBud products up there.

 

Bud controls their ass up here.

 

Not to change the conversation here, but just an FYI for anyone in Austin that 2013 RoR is now available. It didn't stay long on the shelves here last year, and with 6 months aging on it it was markedly improved over fresh.

I picked up a bottle today at CM Westgate for $11.99

 

Having dealt with the distributor side of things a good bit, BEK is honestly one of, if not the best, craft beer distributors in the country. Ask anyone in the industry who's dealt with distributors in this market and others, and the opinion is generally the same. BEK is an awesome distro that knows their stuff, takes care of the product they sell, and makes sure that we as consumers get the products we're looking for. The craft beer side and domestic side are part of the same company, but different internal teams at BEK run these departments. They really don't have too much overlap.

 

They may be different internal teams but there's a bottom line with how their products are distributed. Watch what Bud, ABInbev, is pushing with the Goose Island beers. You want Goose Island, you're buying an assortment of Bud products in order to get GI. Everyone needs to enjoy the inital taste of GI, in 2013 things will be different.

We can talk more about this privately. I know where you're coming from for the most part, you know where I'm coming from for the most part.

 

Petrol and Hay Merchant will not buy Bud to have GI. They may be able to push that on Specs and such, but it's just not going to fly with craft beer bars.

 

It was BB XXIII that sat around, XXIV flew off shelves pretty quick. I think BBQ was much more limited than RoR. RoR seemed like we got tons of it. I saw some the other day, but now wonder if maybe it was a new batch?

 

BBXXIV is still around in Austin if you know where to look. I just bought another bottle this week

Rye on Rye was around for about a month at Spec's and Central Market.

 

DFW sightings yet? This is one of my favorites. Hope it shows up before I head out of state for the holidays.

 

Picked up 2 bottles from CM Westgate today. Yay!

 

Off topic... it was bothering me that your avatar reminded me of something and I just realized it's this:

 

waiting on Brandon at d&q to get some 2013 ROR in...

 

haha, I've never noticed that!