Central Waters 15th Anniversary Party

The beer line was a shitshow, but the rest of the party went much better than I expected.

 

I was the second person in line when they announced that 15 was sold out. This event was extremely unorganized and I really hope CW handles it better in the future. There were numerous people who I saw jumping into the line and saw quite a few people who had well over 4 bottles. We waited in line for over 2 hours to also have the male employee at the bottle area be an a** to those of us in the front of the line. The person in front asked what they had left and his response was "beer" with a smirk on his face. After that point I said screw it and left for the day, stopped at a beer store and picked up Lakefront's 25th anniversary stout and a Nightstalker.

Hopefully next year they will go to a ticket system so that people know if it's worth waiting around to get the bottles.

 

So did Lansman and others "make yourselves known" to BreakingBad ???

lol I'd love to see a youtube clip.

It's a shame this event didn't work out the way you guys had hoped....I'm sure they realize it and are making the proper changes to ensure next years event will be smoother.

I still think they should have a two day event, with one day being more dedicated to the bottle release, and the other towards a gathering of people to celebrate beer.

What do I know, doesn't really matter anyways...One hour drive to downtown Chi is about as far as I'll trek for beer.

 

Sorry we missed you Playa. Your not being there really made the party for the rest of us.

Pretty sure Marshall is more than an hour away from Chicago.

 

Did people get more than the limit? Was the limit 6 and they bought 12? Or did each person get 6? Cause people CAN do whatever they want with their beer once it THEIRS

 

Limit was 4....

 

Isn't there a read like this about every beer release? People still don't get and think they will be able to show up when they want to get beer. If you showed up when you think it was early enough and didn't get beer, it wasn't early enough and now you know for next time.

 

all i know is, i had a great time at the event.

people line jumping, being shady, muling etc aint exactly something new to these types of events so you knew it was gonna happen yesterday too.

i drank some awesome CW beers, 15 on tap was phenomenal, paul is one of the coolest brewers ive EVER met, the food was great (or so i heard!), the bottle share was great, and i had a great time.

i feel bad for those who missed out on 15, hopefully you stuck around to get some on tap cause it was superb. if you left, then i guess i dont feel that bad.

 

Wasn't there, so can't speak to the "issues" at this event, but I don't disagree with you. The way releases have gone this year, take whatever time you think you need to get there, and then subtract 2 or 3 hours. Shit is crazy these days, and people are willing to travel farther and farther for good beer. Proper organization is a must though. Founders learned, others will too as I don't see the craziness slowing down any time soon....

 

Food was awesome!! Urban Street Bistro and their Risotto balls?! God damn those things were amazing.

 

Ya I have to agree bud, this is why I didn't go last year and didn't go this year. 2010 was my last visit and I could tell things were different. Its just gotten to be too many people in too small of a space. Also with these "special" releases it causes undue stress on everyone which makes the event less fun. I would have loved to get a taste of 1414 or 15 but I knew I didn't stand a chance of it so I didn't even bother to try. I refuse to sit in line for 2 hours for ANYTHING let alone beer, even as good as this stuff is so I stayed away.

I seriously hope CW considers an alternate event such as a summer open house with a band OUTSIDE so people can spread out and mingle without being on top of each other all night. I can't stand being pressed and pushed around which is another reason I have stopped going to the party. If you do an outside event it would be more relaxed and not everyone and their brothers would need to squeeze into the small brewery to try and stay warm.

In regards to the VIP access, I believe this should have been done at a different time or event. I received a VIP invite through my employer (local liquor store) however I still did not make the trip out to pick up my 15. I think its an unfair advantage to everyone else. Yes distributors, retail stores etc. are important to your business but I have found that most of these people, especially distributors will only take advantage of these type of events. If anything a small allotment should have been set aside for VIP's and the rest for visitors to the event.

I hope CW takes my suggestion seriously about having a more open event in better weather conditions. If not I guess I won't be visiting the brewery any time soon. However I will always buy their beer and support them. I just don't like the way these events have been held the past few years. With that I'll leave you with a sip of 2013 BB Barleywine. Yumm Yumm!

 

Great time last night... The beer was phenomenal, food was very good, and the people were great too. I didnt notice the problems others are mentioning, but I got there early. 15 is a world class BA Stout.

 

I also had a good time, thanks to CW for hosting such a great party. 15 was fantastic, Exodus was great and much better than expected, and it was awesome to drink the BB Petite Mort as well.

 

I thought this release seemed pretty tame compared to others I've been to lately. I got there at around 1:45pm and when I got through the line there were roughly 30 cases of 15 left. That is probably the latest I've gotten to a release in 2 years. It sounds like if you got there before 3, when the doors opened, you left with some bottles of 15. That is way better than pretty much every release I've ever been to. The game has changed people, if you don't get to these releases early you're not going to get any. Either own up to that or don't waste your time going.

I do have three recommendations for improvement though. As others have said there were way too many people taking advantage of the VIP thing and jumping in line multiple times with friends. They should have given everyone a ticket/wristband and punched it once you got your allotment. Secondly, the line was very unorganized when we were let in. It would have been nice if they had the line roped off and signs or people directing you where to go. Lastly, They should have had enough 15 on tap for everyone. Sure it would have reduced the bottle count but if you are throwing an anniversary party your anniversary beer shouldn't be difficult to obtain on tap. I got in line for it at 5:45pm when it was tapping at 6pm and it was tapped out before I even got half way through the line.

Thanks to the CW guys for putting on the party. It was a solid effort and I hope they make it even better for next year. It should probably be a ticketed event in the future.

 

Truths.

 

Let's cut CW some slack here. From what I understand, last year was nowhere near this big and people could grab cases of 1414 all night. They knew it would be bigger this year, but didn't realize it would get as crazy as it did. Giving out tickets as you get in would've been a good idea and controlling the VIPs access to extra Fifteen would also be nice, but I'm sure they'll make some changes for next year to help make it a better event. Just as they re-evaluate things every year, I'm sure. They should've been ready for a bigger crowd that last year and I think to some extent they were, just not totally prepared for what ensued. But we shouldn't expect them to be able to see into the future.

 

Before you get your pitch forks out and torches lit why don't you gather some information before accusing people and pointing fingers.

1) I was a guest of an invited retail store so i did not "sneak" into the VIP event as stated above
2) I purchased the 2 bottle limit for the VIP allotment
3) I purchased the 4 bottle limit which was allowed by Central Waters at 3 pm
4) I picked up 7 bottles for the Infected Peruvian Morning Swap (I had 7 credits) I believe this came from a different allocation as they crossed your name off a list and pulled the CW15 from a different pile for the Infected Peruvian Morning Swap
5) I traded for 4 additional bottles

2 + 4 + 7 + 4 = 17

I DID NOT PURCHASE 17 BOTTLES nor did i go through the line multiple times to purchase CW15 after my two allowed times for the VIP and regular allotment. I did however make several trips to my car as i purchased other items that were for sale, just because i'm carrying a box does not mean it's full of CW15 let alone full at all and that it's all mine. I grabbed some La Petite Mort and Wet Hopped Ale along with multiple four packs.

ok now it's safe to light your torches and grab your pitch forks if you want.

As for the party itself. I agree with others. There did seem to be a crap ton of VIP guests. Whether people snuck in or not is beyond me, all i know is i went in with an invited guest as one of the plus 2. After attending Darkness Day 2012 i believe more brewery releases should be done in this manner. Give everyone wrist bands for their allocations with a time allowed to pick them up before the 3 pm opening. Maybe make one line just for the CW15 allocations and another for all the other beer and merchandise for sale. With wristbands and times set in place for pickup customers can feel free to walk around the brewery, order drinks and not have to wait in line to get their allocations. The line snaking through the brewery was super long, i had many other friends stand in line for 2+ hours.

I don't know any other brewery that will allow its patrons to bring bottles in from outside. Much appreciated. I wished there was more light in the tasting room so i could see what i was drinking.

Bring back that food truck! The food was amazing!

I was kinda surprised that i never had to wait in line to use the restroom. With only 6ish portable toilets and building facilities there was never really a line.

Overall i had a great time. Thanks for putting on the party and i look forward to going again next year.

 

My .02. Mista is a top notch BA. I was able to walk away with more than the 4 allotment, but it took work to do it. Everyone likes to go after the one guy that is named.
Now as far as the event. I thought it was very well done. The V.I.P. party was interesting, the lines to get the beers were long, the porta potties were perfect amount, the food was amazing for what I had. The tasting tables were in the perfect position.
Now, could there be improvements? yes, I think maybe a couple more staff would of helped, who knows. Now for my biggest irritation. At the tasting tables, it is proper etiquette that if a bottle is open than it is fair game. If it's not open, the owner is not ready to have it opened. So don't grab it like it's yours and start pouring. Other than that, I had a great time with great people and drak some great beer.
So, Thank you CW, you put on one hell of a show.

 

Ah....so you bought thirteen bottles when the limit per person was four. Plus you used seven credits despite the polite signs imploring you to not cash these in so they could have more Fifteen for the rest of the line. All this despite your own acknowledgement that there were a "crap ton of VIP guests" and obviously lengthy lines within the brewery. I can understand why you'd feel the need to defend yourself!

 

Having just gotten back safely from the event this afternoon, I just wanted to record some thoughts about the event while still fresh in mind.

First off, big thanks to the amazing CW staff for putting on a great event. There were far too many people being served by a very small number of dedicated individuals, and everyone working whom we met and talked with handled the crowds with poise and grace.

Before hitting the highlights, our group arrived early enough to be in the front of the 'general population' line that was allowed in at 3. We were all able to get our 4 bottle allocation of Fifteen (not being VIPs we were limited to the 4 bottles each, save the BA with PM noted below), and we agreed that the icing on the cake was being able to buy an unlimited amount of the other specialty offerings. With many of us from Chicago, there would otherwise be no way to get more than a couple four-packs of BBBW or Cherry Stout in our area, and we were happy as can be with being able to get enough to hopefully last until next year's party. Thanks to CW for having more than enough on hand to take care of everyone!

Highlights:
- One BA we were with had two cases of PM to exchange. When asked if he wanted an additional 12 bottles of Fifteen for the two cases (they handed him a full case as the question was being asked) he graciously declined and said that an additional two bottles would be fine to 'allow for more people to get Fifteen.' The rest he exchanged for this year's PM.
- We were shut out of 1414, and a fellow party goer saw us get shut out, and handed over an extra glass of 1414 that he had gotten just as it was running out. (We returned the favor when Fifteen tapped and he was shut out later in the night).
- Several people offering the individual who broke the Fifteen bottle at the beginning of the night one of the bottles from their allocation - awesome.
- Bottle share was crowded, dark, but fun. With the music facing away from the bottle share area, it wasn't loud to the point where you couldn't talk, etc., and that was great.
- Once the line died down for the To Go area, the place really opened up and you could walk around with impunity.
- Thanks to the random VIP who walked out and handed our group a full pour of Fifteen before the event started. Right on.

Additional thoughts:
- Nothing CW can do, but not having a bottle share in the parking lot before the event started felt a bit odd. Perhaps we have been conditioned to think otherwise - the event took on a different tone of sorts as the VIPs were coming in and out with full pours while we were left outside (and thirsty).
- 2011 BBBW (and Exodus) being on tap for several hours was amazing, and very tasty.
- I felt that the Rye Bourbon Stout was a miss. It was very flat and I couldn't finish half of the 8 oz. pour.
- Fifteen is delicious, if a bit hot right now. Perhaps it will age well.
- The Coffeehouse offering available with no wait at the main bar was absolutely delicious.
- From a CW employee: Exodus is currently sitting in a warehouse bottle-conditioning. Limited distro will be in place as the total amount produced was small this time around. (In other words, Vav will reject the one case that he will be offered, so the Castle will likely not be getting this release - please don't call/text/tweet/BM and ask)
- Good story from a guy in line lamenting standing behind a woman at last year's 1414 party who ordered 7 cases of 1414 for her bar/restaurant. (And the stuff was still around to get the next day!)

Thanks again to CW for a great event, and looking forward to making a trip up to Amherst when the weather is a bit better, and the place is a little less crowded. Cheers.