Half Acre (2019)

I'm not sure I agree. This reminds me of something out of the playbook of "big beer". I realize Half Acre is a business with a bottom line to look out for, but this doesn't say "craft" to me.

Don't get me wrong, I love Half Acre and hit their shop frequently. This one does sound promising and I'll definitely try it!

 

Vallejo and Gone Away have held steady around $10 for many years. They probably want to get those closer in price to their one-offs around $15, yet have an option for their more price sensitive consumers.

 

Nothing about this says "big beer" to me. It's more in line with what @HouseofWortship said IMO. They have done a lot of $18-20 4 packs of beers in the past year or so, many of which trended towards the hazy style. This seems like a way to price into some of their customers that don't want to pay those high prices but would like a taste of the hazy style. It's not Big Beer to me, it's a company trying to allow it's customers to have something at a certain price point...while not having HA lose a bunch of money (I presume, at least).

 

I dunno, I've gotten tired of paying for $15-20 4-packs that inevitably taste similar to a bunch of other beers out there, so I'm okay with them saying that this particular beer is meant to be a good balance of taste and price point. People have complained about some of the packs in the past ($20 DIPAs, and Fader if we're being specific), so I think it's cool if they just say "this one is meant to be mainstream and compete with the other 'cheap' craft options."

(and frankly, if it's a "big beer" move, I'm okay with it. I'd rather HA release that sort of thing than decide whether I want to buy Goose Island, Lagunitas, etc. cans at Whole Foods)

 

If this is good I really hope it sees its way to mainstream venues like Wrigley or Thalia Hall and such

 

sounds like Dungeons to me, and if they can sell a beer approaching that level for $10, then it's a fantastic entry point for just about any consumer.

 

There had to be some sort of cost savings in making one flagship IPA instead of either A. continuing to rotate every six months or B. making Vallejo or Gone Away year round. If it results in a delicious beer then fine. And if Vallejo and Gone Away still pop up once a year then I'm fine with that as well.

 

Cost savings and marketability. They are going to want to push the new IPA to mass market consumers and it's easier to promote one beer than two. Imagine if Inbev spent all that money on adds to promote Budweiser and then said "Only available 6 months of the year." You're paying to increase the demand, you'd better have an available product to offset those costs.

 

I'm not sure Half Acre has a huge marketing budget if at all to promote Vallejo/Gone Away. But I see what you're saying. Hammer one IPA home to consumers.

 

I must be the only person who was never a bit Gone Away or Vallejo fan. They're both very solid IPAs, but not something I ever really sought out. Always loved DC and Najava when it was a regular was one I bought all the time.

 

Seems more complicated than just "pull the plug" for something as huge a new year-round beer. Never worked in/for a brewery but I imagine there are a ton contractual obligations for raw materials, packaging and marketing. Lotta fixed costs (at least initially). Everyone knows the sunk cost fallacy but it's tough to accept when you're facing a situation involving one.

I'm sure the beer is be great though. Half Acre rules.

 

Do you consider any brewery speaking candidly about the business end of their product and COGS to be a non-craft thing?

 

I always liked Gone Away and Vallejo (I prefer both to DC), but I never seek them out. Navaja was the only one of the 4 I'd actually go out of my way to grab a 4-pack of, the other 3 were "I'm at a party/bar, and this is the best of what they've got" picks.

 

Not arbitrarily a non-craft thing, and regardless I don't think there's anything wrong with it. In this case it came across to me as "let's design a beer and start with a price point". I just meant that I didn't agree that imposing a limit on hops to reach a certain cost necessarily had a "nice ring to it". That struck me as a big change of pace from how Half Acre (and many/most independent breweries) has publicly presented themselves in the past. As I said, I realize there's a bottom line, it just ruins the illusion a bit. A lot of the industry seems to propagate the myths of Master Brewer and an unwillingness to compromise on quality.

It is a bit of a shame that the operational limitations small (and large) breweries have to deal with (financial resources, manpower, ingredient availability, packaging and distribution logistics, etc.) are too often not fully appreciated.

And I should be clear I'm not even against big beer. I buy GI, Lagunitas, Founder's, and others - though I'd be surprised if they made up even 10% of my beer expenditures. Taste ultimately governs most of my decisions. If some of my favorite locals use some of their tactics to provide better, more widely available products (and maybe subsidize some innovation elsewhere) I'm all for it.

 

grow up, Peter Pan.

 

After passing on the last batch, and walking by it a few times in the past few weeks, I finally pulled the trigger on Now & Then due to the praise in this thread. What a great beer. That is all.

 

HA getting into the sour milkshake IPA game. I never thought I'd live to see it. Also... Sabro and Mosaic hops!

 

Guys, who has had Bodem?!?

 

I'm stopping by after work to give it a try