Tap Takeovers

Nonsense, they are a great way to drink only one brewery's beer when going to a bar

I like them to a certain degree but depends on the brewery. It can sometimes be great exposure for a lesser known brewery. Brouhaha here in Montreal does it on a semi-regular basis and sometimes they feature a brewery in the sticks that has zero distribution so it's good for them and good for us to discover local brewers in our own back yard that we wouldn't have access to otherwise.

 

Okay.

 

If a bar is having a brewery X tap takeover, and I like that brewery, then it's a great way to try beers you otherwise come across in dribs and drabs

If I don't like the brewery, I go to a different bar. Eaaassyy

 

If they are bringing one offs or pins, it's still pretty cool. What gets old is a "tap takeover" where it's just the 4 or 5 beers that are always on tap (seemingly) plus maybe one sixtel of something unique that gets kicked within minutes of tapping. Looking at you GI rep........

Last great tap takeover I got to was Allagash. Must have had at least 10 beers, with no less than 4 being one off variants of already great beers.

 

Agree. Too often I see these for a mediocre brewery whose products are readily available. I see no point in that.

 

I love takeover events. Especially for a brewery like Pipeworks, where they only have bomber releases and they run $10-$12 on average. Great way to try some of the more "out there" beers without having to fully commit to, what could end up being, a drainpour.

 

It obviously all depends on the brewery and quality of the beer. There was a monstter Stone tap takeover by me a couple years ago, and it was incredible..about 25 beers...they had a number of different beers and was well worth it. And yes, it can be a great advertising tool for a new brewery.

I've noticed they're becoming less and less frequent at least by me..or at least not the massive takeovers I've seen in the past, but instead just 3-4 beers from a given brewery (and I hardly think 4 taps out of 30 at a bar constitutes a 'takeover'). My guess is there are few breweries who can take up 15-20 lines and sell out within a reasonable time..no doubt a bar doesn't want half its lines tied up for two weeks after an event.

 

How many places set up a tap takeover like our local liquor store. Ours gets 20+ different beers, almost always kegs. They charge admission and for two hours you can sample all you want. I like those as they usually bring in a couple of staples and a lot of one offs and esoteric stuff. It is my main ticking venue.

 

I've never been to one where every single tap is taken up...do those really happen?

 

To the OP: Everything gets old. If it's getting old for you, don't go. Or don't go to so many of them.

 

Yes, once. But there were only 8 taps.

 

He's got it. I personally love them. Tap takeovers with a couple of hard to find or draft only beers are the only ones I attend. If I don't like the beers or the brewery I just go don't go

 

Tap takeovers at my local beer store introduce beers that wouldn't otherwise be readily available or easy to obtain. They are great.

 

This was my thought. Generally when I see these 'events', at least a solid portion of the taps are still available for other breweries.

Having said that, I like these events. As others have already stated (more than once), it's nice to get exposure to a larger portion of a breweries portfolio than you would otherwise see at a given bar. I can easily see the annoyance with a mediocre brewery taking over otherwise-liked handle space. Just have to do some homework before choosing the bar if that's an issue.

 

I enjoyed them a long time ago. They have now become a very tired exercise that breweries "have" to do. I believe that most places want to do them so their beers get on tap and stay on tap. The customer experience doesn't really matter. Just part of the landscape and I now avoid them. Whatever knocks your hair back though.

 

Im definitely a fan of them. Once had a trip planned to visit the Brooklyn Brewery only to have plans fall through at the last minute. Then, by some kind of act of the beer gods, found out there was Brooklyn Brewery tap takeover at a local bar down the street. Ended up trying more beers for less money, and in my opinion, in a better (less crowded) atmosphere then if i had went to the brewery itself.

Not hating on the brewery, just happy that these tap takeovers happen and provide an alternative way of finding and trying a lot of good beers from a brewery.

 

The quality of beer will always dictate whether or not it's "worth it." I generally like them! It saves me gas to drive to different locations.

 

Here in fl, a cigar city tap takeover is the best news ever since we have bad distribution of good beers from elsewhere.

 

Not that often, but I've seen it in NYC a few times. Not at those 100 tap places (that I never go to anyway), but I've seen every tap taken at a 20-30 tap place