Jester King to release Atrial Rubicite

Pretty sure JK is expanding their production. Last time I went (Nocturn) they just added a second story to their barrel room and plan on expanding more.

 

RR makes lots more beer though... I get the idea, but numbers are quite different.

I'm sure JK could expand production of whatever they wanted. The question is do they want to.

I'd assume they most definitely would, but it'll take time.

I do agree with @Dicers that you should cater to your customers
somewhat. Not bow down exactly, but at least hear the folks and don't just say we do whatever we like. That ends up giving you a reputation eventually.

 

I would love more Atrial whether JK chooses to brew more or not.

 

Gah all I demand is a cloudberry lambic! 7,000 750's, no limit soldiers.

Seriously though...sourcing cloudberries must be a nightmare.

 

I wish @jesterkingbeer would address this purely out of curiosity. They have always stated their main goal is to make money so I assume increasing production would be part of that. I guess what I'm asking is what their future plans are in relation to future production, expansion, etc.

Do they plan on keeping it below 10,000 barrels or whatever it is before TABC makes the three tier system mandatory or keep it below that number?

There's no doubt they have the demand and room to expand.

 

Boy, was I wrong.

 

LOL!!! Yup.

 

Pure speculation: I think they expanded their barrel room in large part due to having lots of spontaneously fermented beer patiently waiting to be blended into a delicious beer.

 

I forgot about that...business owners should run their business at the direction of their customers..that's how success is made right...for a farmhouse brewery...in Austin...that made themselves who they are by doing what they want to do????

 

Unless you've had the finished product isn't this speculation as well?

 

Okay?

 

We blend various barrels of similar base beer (Das Uberkind) to make all of our fruit beers. Mixed culture fermentation is highly variable, and as such sometimes there are greater quantities of barrel stock that are better suited for certain projects. Sometimes the fermentation character of those base barrels is appropriate for straight up Das Uberkind, and sometimes it's better suited for peaches, or raspberries, or grapes etc. Sometimes we're just especially enthusiastic about the quality of a particular fruit and that takes priority over what will be more desirable, popular, profitable etc. Agriculture is as variable as mixed culture fermentation so when an opportunity presents quality fruit, we certainly take advantage of that. If you had the peaches we got from Fredericksburg this year, perhaps you'd agree! Sometimes that means less quantity of another beer as a result.

We could kettle sour some wort, ferment it in 3 days, add raspberry "flavoring", call it Atrial Rubicite, and provide enough of that beer to maybe satisfy the demand of our customer base. But, that would be a huge compromise on our philosophy, and an even bigger compromise on the quality of what we believe our beer should be.

 

That makes total sense. It's certainly a better answer than "We didn't make more Atrial because it's not as good as a bunch of our other beers." It's insulting to a large portion of a devoted customer base.

 

Thank you Garrett. This is great insight and makes a lot of sense. echoing what @quietdomino said, this is a better answer

 

When was that Fen Tao bottled? I'm looking forward to that release!

 

This is a good response.

I feel the same.

 

I don't think they ever said it wasn't good. They just said they like other beers more. Having a different opinion isn't an insult.

 

I didn't say they said it wasn't good. And, of course, it's not an insult to have a different opinion. But the response did come with a bit of condescension in stating how Nocturn lasted a long time and it's better anyway, so why didn't you come and buy that?

I don't hold it against them for making the decisions they do. It has certainly worked out wonderfully for them. And none of their decisions will affect how much I love their beer or how often I try to make it by the brewery. But I can't deny the frustration I feel to hear a brewery say "You know that beer that everyone loves? That gets national recognition? That a ton of people say is our best? Yeah, it's really not as great as you think, so we decided not to make that much of it."

 

That is a straight-up misinterpretation of what they have said.

 

By making more Nocturn, because as stated Jester King staff thinks it's very good and drinkable (which it is), but perhaps to also satisfy demand, it has made Nocturn less desirable to other people.
This is Beer in 2015