Firestone Walker distribution

When Costco gets the mixed 24 it's usually a few weeks fresh.

 

Living about 30 minutes from the brewery itself and traveling weekly to Paso I don't find that it is that much better here. I consider it a win if I find the hoppy stuff less than four weeks old. Granted, I can always go to the brewery but it is definitely more expensive there.

Speaking to Double Jack it seems that they might not be making that at the same pace as the other hoppy beers. (Union Jack, Pale 31 and seasonally Easy Jack) Seems like that is mostly 4+ weeks old. To be fair I am mostly looking at local small grocery stores but even then they are running sales for six packs all the time and on weekends are routinely out of said offerings. I have to think they have the turn over but maybe not as much as the local SLO Bevmo etc that I don't go to more than every 6 weeks.

 

Really? What Costco are you referring to? My inlaws would buy the mixed 24s at the SLO Costco the last few years and often bottles were MONTHS old. I admittedly don't buy the mixed 24s as I'm not big on DBA so I haven't really looked when I'm at that store.

 

Orange County. They're available occasionally, maybe once a quarter. Perhaps the infrequent availability helps since when I pick one up I know it's been there maybe a week at most.

I'm with you on the DBA. It goes to guests.

 

Probably has something to do with them brewing too much of their beer, forcing the fresh shit to have to wait it's turn at a warehouse for it's turn to reach the shelf. That's what I've always thought was their issue.

Then again, I could be full of shit.

 

I had the same idea on why they're always a bit old - too much product on the shelf that isn't getting turned around fast enough.

 

FW cans already appeared outside of California, yet, they're nowhere to be found in LA. I'd like to get some Easy Jack cans.

 

I saw Easy Jack cans were arriving in Chicago like 2-3 weeks ago. Can't even get it here in the LA area. That is ridiculous.

 

I'm 15 minutes from Buellton and freshness is an issue here. Sometimes freshness is an issue even when buying at FW....

 

My theory is that moving product to other states is a priority for them since it obviously takes longer to get there. So California is probably last in line for whatever beer is coming out of their production line.

 

I'd love to buy fresh Union Jack, since I think it's a great sixer for the price, but the thing that always turns me away from it is that it's just very noticeably not as good after a while. It's like drinking a completely different beer.

 

I wonder if this is on purpose. I read an interview recently with the owner and he said he doesn't understand this whole fresh beer movement and he personally thinks his union jack is at the prime at 45 days. I wonder if they sit on them for a few weeks on purpose because that's how they think they taste the best.

 

I don't think they sit on beer as I have bought week old uj and double jack many times at the brewery and Matt is a very big proponent of the freshest beer on tap is the best beer on tap. It does seem like when they roll out a seasonal(velvet merlin/easy jack, etc.) and other things do affect the flow of when UJ/DJ/WJ is made, where I won't see a new dated batch for almost a month at the brewery. There have been times at the brewery store I see older stuff on the shelf and I just open up the cases on the floor or stacked up that are fresher.