The Alchemist: "Expand! Brew More!"

Some can do both:

http://weihenstephaner.de/site.php?lang=eng

 

Well to be fair, they had about a thousand year head start

 

Well, this thread says Duvel's looking to buy, so how 'bout buying Alchemist and then bumping up production and distribution of Heady Topper?

 

Did you read the article linked?
It has nothing to do with desire and money (or at least, not much) and everything to do with the limits of their property, more so limits on the amount of hops they can get hold of, and their desire to be a 'green' company.
I for one applaud The Alchemist for doing what they do extremely well, and not being willing to compromise their product for a temporary bump in the bottom line

 

Oh, sure - but I'm just thinking, here's a company (Alchemist) that has a product that more people want than can get; meanwhile, here's a very respectable company (Duvel) looking to buy, and (possibly) with the ability to bring more beer to the people - maybe not as "green," no, but nothing (necessarily) temporary about it either.

 

Great post by Alchemist. That should be a must read for the armchair BA businessman who demand breweries expand just because they cant get their beer.

 

The Alchemist brewer's post mentions people having offered investment capital and explains why the brewery hasn't taken it.

I wish Heady were easier to come by but I certainly can't fault a single thing the brewer says here. He's got good reasons for not just seeking to expand willy nilly and he lays them out clearly. I can only wish the Alchemist the best knowing that my access to their beer will be very rare but very special.

 

Yah - hope I'm not being misconstrued here - I'm not faulting anything on The Alchemist's end - just "fantasizing," such as it were, a scenario that brings together two great breweries and expands the distribution of great beer...

 

If you read the post, the Alchemist did expand! and brew more! Just not fast enough to satisfy the entire beer world. They are being reasonable about the future. Anyone who doesn't appreciate their 'attitude' should consider that it's that attitude that makes the beer what it is.

 

They're smart not to. Hype driven by scarcity has benefitted businesses in all industries. I guarantee a lot of people who drive hours to score a few cans couldn't be bothered should it be available in Wegmans, at the same quality.

It's status/rarity is what really sells. And good on them for capitalizing off of it. Just a brilliant business.

 

I'm not saying you're completely wrong, but my point is that, besides the part about not wanting to sell out a company, regardless of if you (Kimmich) are still nominally in charge of it. The big limitation right now is the scarcity of the hops used in the recipe. To increase the production enough for national distribution, or even limited regional and select markets, they would need to either change the hop mixture (not great) or use less hops per barrel of beer made. The second option would be the more likely, and would result in a short term bump, as those people who have not previously had access to HT get it, but over time, they will then be disappointed in the beer, and move on to something else, and even the locals who have been loyal customers for years will complain about the beer changing and shift allegiances.
I mean, if they were to sell out at all, of course Duvel would be the best option, showing that they leave the existing company pretty much alone to do their thing, though with the backing and distribution channels of the big company.

 

note: freshness is of the utmost importance for this beer. demand exceeding supply benefits everyone; no old product.

 

True also. However, IMO, this is an IPA/DIPA that does last longer than other. Pliny, for example has a very steep and drastic drop-off of hop flavor and aroma; I had a chance a while back to try some that was less than a week old versus some about 3 weeks old. The difference was extremely apparant. HT, IMO, takes a couple months or more (depending on storage) to really change over, and even then all hops do not fade out. It goes from a DIPA, to an IPA, to maybe 6 months plus something else entirely.

 

i stopped by around noon yesterday and there was a line wrapping around the back of the brewery. there was an hour wait at that point. obviously a lot of vacationers grabbing beer on their way out of town. i passed.

 

I think the best part of this post is this:

It's nice to a brewer--especially one with such local leanings--see expansion and "principles" as not mutually exclusive.

 

Agreed. Heady lasts longer than many other DIPA's. I held some to try and at 4 months they were still drinking nicely. Another top DIPA that I saved was garbage at 3 months.

 

For those HeadyWhores out there, these should be pleasant words to read when compared to those coming from Vinnie and Natalie on the other coast who basically say (and I have no problem with) "We're making what we planned to make and we don't plan on making anymore."

Heady fans should be excited that expansion is in Kimmich's vocabulary (again...no disrespect toward RR intended).