Surly Coffee Bender becoming difficult to find?

Discussion in 'Great Lakes' started by PolskaKielbasia, Jun 8, 2019.

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  1. PolskaKielbasia

    PolskaKielbasia Zealot (509) Dec 24, 2018 Minnesota

    I recently noticed that Target liquor stores in the Twin Cities area have stopped carrying Surly Coffee Bender. I didn't think much of it until a local place near me also stopped carrying it. When I asked, apparently it was one of their slower sellers. In fact, both of these places had about 5-6 Surly IPAs and Hell, that's it.

    Is this beer going away? If it does, it will seriously affect my quality of life as I have been drinking about 4-8 pints a month of this stuff for the last 5 years or so.
     
    #1 PolskaKielbasia, Jun 8, 2019
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  2. morimech

    morimech Grand Pooh-Bah (3,803) Nov 6, 2006 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah

    The Surly website still lists Coffee Bender as a year round beer available in cans. Unlike regular Bender which became draft only. Maybe those stores just have chosen not to carry it any longer.
     
    #2 morimech, Jun 8, 2019
  3. MNPikey

    MNPikey Pooh-Bah (1,693) Feb 27, 2011 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    So you're saying that if it goes away you're quality of life will increase (less alcohol consumption)?
     
    #3 MNPikey, Jun 8, 2019
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  4. Xanthophhyll

    Xanthophhyll Initiate (171) Sep 25, 2017 Minnesota

    Target has a liquor store? How am I just finding out about this?

    We surely don't have a Target liquor store down here in Mankato. But wish we did, would save me some time since my wife seems to live the better part of her life there.
     
    #4 Xanthophhyll, Jun 9, 2019
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  5. gatornation

    gatornation Grand High Pooh-Bah (10,388) Apr 18, 2007 Arizona
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    They sell alcohol in about 70% of stores nationwide except in MN where they have around a dozen.
     
    #5 gatornation, Jun 9, 2019
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  6. Chaz

    Chaz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,668) Feb 3, 2002 Minnesota
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I’d be surprised if it did, since it’s the last vestige I one of their original packaged-for-retail brands, and I’ve actually been seeing a significant number of more retail placements over the course of the past few years.

    Maybe you need a “dedicated retailer” that can score you a case in the regular?

    That reminds me: I need to get to own my regular for a special order case of import Pils...
     
    #6 Chaz, Jun 9, 2019
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  7. PolskaKielbasia

    PolskaKielbasia Zealot (509) Dec 24, 2018 Minnesota

    Plenty of stores around me still stock it, I was just caught a bit off guard that at two Targets and one local store I frequent stopped selling it within the last month. IIRC there is a liquor store owner on these forums that mentioned Coffee Bender being a pretty marginal seller, but I can't find the thread now. Worst part is if they did eliminate it but still kept it on tap at the brewpub (like Bender, Cynic Ale, etc.) I wouldn't even be able to pick up growlers of it !
     
    #7 PolskaKielbasia, Jun 10, 2019
  8. BillManley

    BillManley Pundit (954) Jul 2, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    Coffee Bender is still a year-round release for us. It's not a fast mover by any means, but it does Okay. (For reference, Coffee Bender sells about twice what Bender on its own did.) Summer is always the slowest season for that beer.
    As someone above mentioned, Coffee Bender is a legacy beer for us, so we have no plans to remove it from the lineup in the near future. It's a personal favorite of mine (especially when in-need of a breakfast beer) and it's nice to have when the weather turns crappy.
     
    #8 BillManley, Jun 10, 2019
    chrisjws, PolskaKielbasia, DogfishRyan and 5 others like this.
  9. Windvaner

    Windvaner Crusader (467) Nov 7, 2014 Minnesota

    Probably my favorite canned Surly and the one I buy most often , and not particularly difficult to find in cans if you are anywhere near a liquor store in St. Paul
     
    #9 Windvaner, Jun 10, 2019
  10. Chaz

    Chaz Grand Pooh-Bah (3,668) Feb 3, 2002 Minnesota
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    As @BillManley mentioned, it’s a slow but steady seller from Surly’s portfolio.

    Yesterday I checked my neighborhood selection (one shop, less than 1/3 of the beer SKUs available in greater Twin Cities metro) and Coffee Bender is the “oldest” (most long-running) of their coffee beer selection. What surprised me is that they had five other coffee beers: This style is not going away!

    This thread is as good as any when it comes to finding a secondary go-to, locally, when you can’t find Surly Coffee Bender.
     
    #10 Chaz, Jun 15, 2019
  11. PolskaKielbasia

    PolskaKielbasia Zealot (509) Dec 24, 2018 Minnesota

    Great to hear this directly from the source. Losing Bender was a real downer, and if Coffee Bender went away, life would suck.
     
    #11 PolskaKielbasia, Jun 27, 2019
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