Other Half Brewing May 2017

Damn some of you guys act like someone buying, on average, 3 cases of beer a week is possibly drinking it all. As someone who has bought 1 case of an OH beer (Like Woah), I would love to see OH sell out of more of their beers around 5-6pm. I'm sure that the current system works very well for them, however, and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

 

It's comical that some of you believe OH doesn't want their cans getting into boxes and getting shipped nationally/internationally. They've embraced the trade community and have said so in several video interviews (Like Whoa). Get with it, it's not going away. Let alone the fact that they don't want these cans sitting in their cold box eating up space for days after the release.

 

I only get 1 or 2 - 4 packs of each beer every time I go.

I think they should limit it to 3 4 packs of each beer from opening to noon (or after the line dies down) and then open it up to the case limits.

Would not prevent traders from still doing their thing, more people would get their beer, and if you want a case of 1 specific beer hope it makes past the initial push.

 

Folks keep commenting on how they should have lower limits so the traders get less and the beer gets into more hands. Doesn't trading, by definition, get their beer in more hands?

 

Yeah like it or not this is the truth. From OH's standpoint they are doing everything right. Lines, collaborations with other hot breweries, acknowledging traders etc - all brings lots of free publicity.

You don't see headlines about Threes - "Brooklyn brewery quietly sells beer to local beer nerds via efficient online preallocation ordering system; one man found in line but later found to have been there by accident".

From my personal standpoint I would love lower limits and tons of other changes. But I'm me not Other Half. There's something specific to the craft beer scene where there's an expectation on breweries to put their business behind every other possible consumer consideration.

 

I think this hits the nail on the head.

 

Quote of the month! Folks would be singing a different tune if they owned the brewery..

 

Yeah, I was scalded here for saying OH should have lowered limits for the Green Down to the Socks/Daydream In Green release because they had less cases then usual. This months thread is interesting

 

A middle ground would be nice. They're already an established brewery. They're in business because of us consumers after all. Customer service exists at companies for a reason. By having limits of 1 case, they limit amount of people (especially locally) who aren't able to make it to a release on a Saturday morning between a 2-3 hour period. Look at Treehouse/Trillium who adjust limits based on the level of hype of the release. They do this, to get beer into the most hands they can. An effort to try to accommodate people who cant make it on a Saturday morning would go a long way.

Threes, Interboro, etc don't sell out because their beer isn't as good and they don't have the same rep as Otherhalf. Plain and simple.

I'm not against trading (or even buy/selling) and do it myself occasionally, but the point is if Other half had the capacity to distribute to other regions, they would do so themselves. People also abuse the system. Walking out of the brewery with 4 cases on a handcart is ridiculous and obvious that you have no intention of drinking all of it.

 

What good do headlines do for OH? They're already selling out their max production every week and they recently said they have no plans to drastically increase production. There aren't headlines about Threes because their beer isn't as good and their taproom is a daycare center.

I don't really care if they lower limits, I just want to know before Saturday if I'm going to get beer and I want to reduce the time it takes to get that beer. Apparently standing in line for 2 hours staring at an oil depot in gowanus is the week's highlight for some people, but I got better shit to do like rewatching Deadwood for the 5th time.

Preordering isn't just good for customers, it could help them as well. If they setup preorders a few weeks out they could maybe adjust production based on demand (e.g. if no one is interested in an experimental new beer, they could make less of it) or know ahead of time how much staff they need for a release.

 

The point is, knocking down the limits a couple of 4 packs, they absolutely are not having cans "sit there for days." This is the biggest exaggeration on this forum. A NORMAL case count on a hyped beer has been selling out by 11:15, a NORMAL case count of a decently hyped beer lasts until noon to 1, and a NORMAL case count of beer people aren't a big fan of last until Sunday.

Lowering to 3-4 four packs, versus the case where doofs walk out with a cart with $400 worth of beer to sell for $10 a can, is going to push those times back two hours, let's be honest. The lines are still massive when a hyped beer gets closed out.

As for trading, I don't mind it. I trade beer. We all do. I do mind it when people are reselling it for money. I do mind it when I see cans for sale for $11. I do mind it when people are going up and down the line during a release trying to make $10-$15. That's pathetic. Lowering limits might steer these people away, and gives the people who love OH a bit more access.

 

The taproom at Threes is a madhouse wrapped in total chaos, totally not worth it, especially with a large group.

 

Out of curiosity, how does inclement weather typically impact the line, if any? The forecast for tomorrow and into Saturday shows possible heavy rain but as we all know, that's always subject to change.

 

The brewery is running a business and a very successful one at that. There are so many armchair "brewery owners" that think they know what's best with their limited information about all the business expenses the brewery has to endure. You get the same on the Tree House thread and other threads where there is a line at the brewery.

Other Half hires extra staff just for the Saturday release days. It works out better for them that way so more cans can move WHILE they have the extra staffing. Why should they pay extra people to stand around waiting for customers all day when they can get most of their sales done in a limited amount of time? That's just good business practice for them. If you don't like it, you don't have to wait in line. Somebody else will take your place.

People who know how crowded the taproom gets, with lines out the door sometimes, will NOT want cans sold in the taproom and have the bartenders trying to do both. The place is currently too small and crowded for the double duty.

In an ideal beer world, you wouldn't have to wait in line for OH cans and they wouldn't sell out until you woke up, did your errands, and felt like going to the brewery. Maybe, they can change their business model and stock the shelves of the beer store near you? Maybe even offer delivery services to your door?

It's fine to wish that but it's not going to happen soon. Things, hopefully, will get better after their expansion, just like people wish at Tree House when their new brewery location finally opens. People finally (and thankfully) have reduced the number of posts telling Nate how to run his brewery. Most people are now hopeful that things will be better with the larger new brewery. Maybe we can do the same with the OH expansion. I'm sure they will want to improve the situation. Let's give them the chance.

People are venting on this thread but now it feels like beating a dead horse. Your points have been made and you don't really win anybody over by keep repeating them. If you really wanted to effect change, you'd try to talk/write to the owner's directly. Bitching here or to the employees does nothing. No need to continue with this all. I prefer to read about what are people's impressions of each beer since the number of reviews have fallen off on the site. Or at least less negativity. I get enough of this with our national news, lol.

 

What? When?

 

I don't know how to answer the headlines question. I don't think a business reaches a point where they're like "nah we don't want publicity".

As for preordering - I'm sure they've thought about other methods. But if you feel strongly about it you should suggest it to them. If you run a brewery, use a method like that, and it works well for you, then I'm sure it will carry extra weight.

 

Impressions: had a Double Mosaic Daydream and loved it. Was thinking their beer couldn't get any better than that, with what I thought was a perfect blend of hop fruits and bitterness, nice creamy body. But hours later I split a growler of DDH Double Mosaic Dream- the last batch- with a friend and the taste BLEW MY MIND. I'm not a DDH ***** either- my feeling is that DDH All Citra is an incremental improvement over an already incredible beer. But whatever happened, be it time to "mellow out" or a minor recipe tweak- that last DDH Double Mosaic Dream was out of this world.

Being that I can't typically wait on line Saturday mornings, I haven't had as much OH recently as I would normally; have been drinking lots of Greenpoint, or Barrier, and even some Kane from a while back. Between the two mosaic-centric IPA's alone, they are absolutely worthy of the passion and debate everyone on here puts forth. This is beer worth fighting for!

 

You know what the best part about Other Half is. You dont have to wait in line to try their new beers. You can go on a Sunday or weekday and get a growler or every single beer that was released in cans and the cost for 64oz is exactly the same, or pay a dollar more for 32oz. That can't be said for a lot of breweries.

 

Yeah, hype can never backfire...

They don't need me to tell them about the concept of online sales. Maybe they haven't done it because they're stretched thin with the expansion, or maybe it's way more expensive than I'm assuming it is, or maybe they just don't care. It could also be that they talked to the guys at Threes and were told it's more trouble than it's worth. Who knows.

What I do know is that the current system is eroding my interest in supporting them, and as a result I will be spending less at OH and more at places that have a more streamlined sales process. Not that I really matter, since the only difference without me is that they will sell out of beer at 11:33:39 AM instead of 11:32:47.

 

This. Thank you. I meant to mention that before and totally forgot. The fact that almost every release is available that day for growler fill should really be a decent partway compensation for the people (like me) who only wanted a 4-pack or two to begin with