Shangy's hopslam thread

Anyone who says they like knowing that they can drive to Shangy's to get their Hopslam should ponder this: What if you could get Hopslam at your local distributer instead? Or even your local bottle shop if you wanted less than a case? If Shangy's has enough inventory to last into April, then I think there's enough to distribute it properly. I'll also point out that customers in western PA aren't complaining about how Westy's handles their Hopslam, so clearly there is an alternative.

If you think I am exaggerating how poorly Shangy's distributes the beer, here's a story for you. A couple years ago I was lucky enough to be able to reserve a case of Hopslam from my local distributer. The owner told me I received one of only two cases they were allotted for the year. (Mind you this distributer moves a lot of craft beer in an affluent Philly suburb.) Later on, I read later on these forums that Shangy's didn't run out of Hopslam until almost May.

A wholesale distributer should distribute to their region, not hoard beer for a few extra bucks. It's a manipulation of PA beer distribution system, it's capitalism gone wrong, it hurts the businesses of the dependant distributers, bars and restaurants, it hurts consumers, and it hurts the beer.

 

My question was about Westy's. My statement was about Shangy's.

Just got off the phone with Shangy's. Policy is as follows:
Shangy's sells Hopslam to all the retail distributors in line with that distibutors annual sales of Bells.
The more Bells you sell = more Hopslam you get.
What could be more fair? If a retail distributor could buy up all the Hopslam , mark it up by $25 a case and put it out a week later would that make everyone happy? Then Shangy's would get beat up for allowing someone else to gouge them. They are in a no win situation. Except for the fact that they make tons of $$$ and for all the bitching about them they are doing very well.

In addition, last year they got a SECOND shipment of Hopslam 3-4 weeks after the first shipment. Thats why some people saw it there, heard about it, or were able to buy it long after they were told it was sold out.

 

This will be my last post on the subject this year. The bottom line: only Shangy's employees know exactly how much of it gets allocated and how much they keep. What we do know is that they supply a ton of accounts in a very big market filled with beer geeks. The place where I got my case of NN is relatively under the radar and they said they had tons of calls for NN and have had almost as many for HopSlam. If they got 5 or even 10 more cases, it would not make much of a difference. I can't pretend to know how much they would get if Shangy's shipped every last case, but the fact of the matter is that demand greatly outstrips the supply of this beer in this area.

As far as getting less than a case, you're looking at approximately $30 six packs by the time you get to the 4th tier except maybe at Whole Foods (I've never heard of a local Wegman's getting HopSlam in the past) and you know the second they hit the floor at a WF, it will be posted about on BA, RB, twitter, FB causing a sellout in a few hours.

I was comically yelled at last year by someone from BV because I quoted another user who stated that they were charging ~$95 for a case and they did say that they paid the same that people were at retail. I do not know if everybody pays the retail price or just specific places.

It seems to me like a no-win situation unless we get a considerably bigger allotment of HopSlam, and I wouldn't bet on that happening.

 

“ …the fact of the matter is that demand greatly outstrips the supply of this beer in this area.” That’s a fact, Jack!

The ‘problem’ is that the way that Shangy’s has historically managed the distribution of Hopslam is poor; there should not be cases of Hopslam remaining at the Shangy’s retail beer distributor come April/May. The fact that this beer is still remaining at Shangy’s is a disservice to beer drinkers and to the beer (hoppy beer should not ‘sit’ for months).

I might be naïve but the solution to this quandary is pretty simple. If Shangy’s managed their distribution of their allotment of Hopslam the same way that Westy’s does it there will be less angst among beer drinkers (and BAs). There will indeed be some disappointed beer consumers since there is not enough Hopslam to meet the demand for this product, but the level of vitriol will be lower.

Cheers!

 

umm so anyone know when is westy getting hopslam?

 

I have been to the Shangy’s retail beer distributor a number of times (a half dozen?). It is too far away for me just to go there but I try to stop by if I am in the area for another reason.

There is a big neon sign in the store that proclaims “Beer Heaven”. From a selection of beers perspective it is indeed Beer Heaven; I have never been to a retailer which has a wider selection of beers. Needless to say but you need to purchase by the case.

A word of caution though, there is a fair amount of out of date beers in the store. I have probably 20-30 times lifted a case to evaluate the purchase of that beer (i.e., I was interested in buying that beer) to just place it back since it was near the end of the best by date or even past due. Because of these experiences I refuse to but any cases which are not dated (but in all fairness I follow this particular practice at other retailers).

Last fall I was real interested in getting a case of Flying Dog The Fear Imperial Pumpkin Ale. That beer is OUTSTANDING. It is now my favorite Pumpkin beer (I like it ‘better’ that Dogfishead Punkin Ale and the various Elysian Pumpkin beers). I went to several local to me beer distributors and I could not find this beer. I happened to stop at Shangy’s in early October and there was a BIG pyramid of The Fear cases stacked up. I bought one. As I was paying for that case of beer an evil thought flashed through my mind: I wondered if Shangy’s kept those beers for themselves vs. distributing them to other retailers!?!

Cheers!

 

Hopefully they get some in next week, going to make the drive up there. Had a good time driving up there and getting a case last year.

 

I think really comes down to the fact those who live somewhat close or don't mind a little drive find it painless and those who have to drive 1.5+ hours each way to land a case find it a huge pain in the ass and just wished Shangy's would distribute a lot more of the beer to their area. For those who make a long drive, they probably would like to go up with a few friends to make the ride less painful and the one case per car rule makes that less worth it.

I drove about an hour and 15 minutes each way after work last year to get my case, walked in and walked out within a few minutes (after going up and down the aisles real quick). It definitely WAS painless and I was happy to get my case, but I won't be doing it again.

 

So.is it there yet?

 

The bottle shop in PA I go to gets it in on Monday and Shangys gives them hopslam. I assume Shangys either has it now or will have it this weekend.

 

Any idea when shangys will get it????

 

I called at 3. thy said its not in

 

Some one else should call now to double check

 

Monday. Check their Facebook page for the details.

 

Hello BA's,
I don't know where to start. First and foremost: Bell's Hopslam is due to arrive on Monday (weather pending), and we couldn't be more excited. While we sincerly appreciate your love for Hopslam, we really don't understand all of the hate towards Shangy's during the release of Hopslam on BA, year after year?! And what's more troubling is that it is the same 10-20 BA members every single year.

Here are a few facts for your review, just to make sure everyone is well informed.

1. Shangy's is both a retailer and wholesaler. We have received less than 1,100 cases annually since our very first order with Bell's (10 years).

2. Shangy's performs ranking reports for its wholesale customers (other beer retailers, restaurants, bottle shops, grocery stores, etc...) in order to allot Bell's Hopslam to its top wholesale Bell's customers through out our entire distribution territories. That means if you are a retailer and support Bell's brands of beer throughout the year, you will receive an allotment of Bell's Hopslam, and other tremendous Bell's offerings through out the year. If you do not support Bell's year round beers, or have minimal support for Bell's beers, you will not receive highly allotted and sought after offerings. It is our opinion that is the only way to both thank and reward wholesale customers who are supporting Bell's through out the year.

3. Shangy's retail. YES, we do sell Bell's Hopslam and other very rare offerings in our retail store. Our retail store is a customer of Shangy's wholesale division and is also included in the wholesale customer ranking, and is allotted a certain number of cases, based on our own store's sales of Bell's through out the year. With that, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU, our retail store was the largest volume Bell's retailer, and sold 9 x more Bell's beer than the second runner up. Thus, Shangy's retail store will receive more Hopslam than other retailers.

4. Why does Shangy's retail limit Hopslam to one case per car? So we can offer it to more of you, our valued customers. Again, I stress we receive 1,000 cases for over 3,000 wholesale accounts. It is impossible to allow unlimited quantities to consumers as otherwise we would be sold out in less than 30 minutes, and most all of you would be Hopslam-less. This is done only to give more consumers the opportunity to try this incredible brew. Doing this adds A LOT OF PAIN to our company, however, we think it's only fair that we give more consumers who support Bell's beers through out the year, the opportunity to buy this incredible brew (same concept as our wholesale division). We are doing this as a service to our customers, not a disservice.

5. Shangy's has Hopslam on it's floor in March and April? That has never happened. In years past we have received Hopslam on (2) shipments, and thus we may have run out of stock, then received another very small order. Bell's Hopslam has NEVER BEEN ON OUR FLOOR IN MARCH AND APRIL.

6. Shangy's sells out of code beer? While every retailer does its best not to sell anything out of code, there are times that it does happens. PLEASE NOTE: Shangy's retail store is Pennsylvania's largest volume beer retailer. That means we actually sell more craft and specialty imported brands than any other retailer in the state. That topped with the fact that we distribute craft and specialty imports to over 3,000 accounts, we have incredible rotation of our brands. Further, we have implemented daily retail code checks with our employees, and created a new "discount/clearance section" that sells through any close to code packages at a HUGE DISCOUNT in order to sell through any code issues. Lastly, we now have a 100% PRODUCT SATISFACTION GUARANTEE, thus if anyone is unhappy with a beer, they can simply return it for a refund.

The reason for this post was to give you the facts. We are growing tired of some of the false posts on this site. Please feel free to call me anytime with any concerns, issues, or comments. Let's keep beer fun and support those who make beer fun.

Nima Hadian, President
Shangy's...Wholesalers & Retailers for the World's Finest Brewers
Telephone: 610-967-1701

 

Well said Nima

 

Just in! Miracles do happen :-)