Surly’s Falling To Pieces is phenominal

Count me in on Bender as well. I miss that beer..

That said, I just picked up my first thaw pack yesterday. Probably my first Surly mixed 12 ever tbh. The Scrillionaire was a very nice surprise. I think that may be the star of the show even over Falling to Pieces for me. Having come from Bauhaus Many Pack, I really enjoyed their Stargazer and this Scrillionaire is somewhat similar.. But a bit more robust in flavor and body and at 8% it should be! I really enjoyed that one a lot.

But back to the original topic - Falling to Pieces was also very good. Hope it comes out in stand alone 6ers. But if not, oh well. Pompeii kind of sets the standard on that hop for me anyway.

I think I'll buy a few more of these sample packs. Hope the Furious is as dank as others say.. It seems to have gotten "soft" as of late.

 

I would say that Bender has a better-than-decent chance of returning in something like a variety pack. It likely won't be released on its own at any point in the near future. Sales volume on that brand dropped below a sustainable level in recent years and it's tough to support.

As a tangent, and in no way directed to you...I was getting a spate of emails from consumers in October and November last year saying "I noticed that Bender is no longer being produced...brink it back" which struck me as funny, and the brand was discontinued the previous January. If it took 10 months to realize it was gone, it speaks volumes about why it had to go in the first place.

We get this a lot. "Why did you discontinue my favorite beer?" Well, if you bought it often while it was still available, it might not have been discontinued! These days, there are so many brands in the world, getting shelf placement is harder than ever. If there is a package that simply isn't doing well, it's often better to replace it with something that may do better. It's always sad to see something we love go by the wayside, but this business is getting tougher by the minute. Overrated! is a good example. A lot of people, myself included, really like that beer, but sales were declining double-digits year over year. We made the choice to not release it in 2019. Accounts were angry, distributors were angry, consumers were angry, but the hard truth didn't play out in the market. Due to the outcry, we're bringing back as a one-time-drop later this month. We'll see if people like the idea of Overrated! more than the beer Overrated! If it does well, and seems sustainable, we'll do it again. If not, we'll have plenty of other beer but voting at the store is the surest way to continue a brand's production.

 

Sadly no, Michigan did not get any Thaw Pack this year. We're still in the tiptoe portion of distribution in that market so the full lineup doesn't always go. Michigan is on-track to get some of the next Variety Pack (Thaw Pack) in April.

 

I think Bender is special because 1) it was Surly's first beer, 2) there's not much else like it out on the market (not nearly as many brown ales or even porters as there used to be, let alone "oatmeal brown porters," obviously in large part because so many breweries have discontinued beers of that sort), and 3) it's particularly outstanding by the standards of the type of beer it is. Overrated is a good beer, but it debuted seven years into Surly's existence, and there always were a lot of good WCIPAs available (certainly far fewer today than in 2013, but still a fairly large amount). Plus, Axe Man stole a lot of its thunder as a more modern West Coast IPA. I think for long-time Surly fans like me, it's frustrating to see Surly stray so far from its roots as evidenced by the discontinuation of Bender. Yes, that frustration ultimately lies more with the consumer than the producer. You can't force people to drink Bender, and I believe you that Bender wasn't selling well enough to justify canning, at least on a year-round basis. I think "Bring back Bender!" is as much aimed at craft beer drinkers as it is at Surly (i.e., "Learn to appreciate great beers like Bender!").

 

From your lips to God's ears. (or more to the point, the market's tastes.)

 

Not to hop on, but this seemed like the best place - blond ambition is also phenomenal. Keep it up! Cheers bill.

 

Thanks for the update Bill, (of course I was having some fun at your expense trying to recruit the masses w/ a chant & possible wave)! I think all Bender lovers would be perfectly fine w/ the beer coming back in a variety pack, (limited cans would be better than nothing).
I understand completely the companies's stand on pulling Bender from the line up, supply/demand is a real thing and we only have ourselves to blame. I will say in my defense, I am not in the MN area nearly as much anymore, so my weekly purchases of MN beer has fallen off greatly. With that said, anytime I was back home I would buy a boat load of Bender, often times muling it to Georgia & passing it out to the folks down south, who by the way loved the stuff!
Thanks again for the update. I'll be patiently waiting for a good news story on that beer

 

Could we be lucky enough for a throw back pack w furious, bender, bit brewer and cynic? Those and abrasive, were always in my fridge. Still would be.

Currently, I do enjoy getting lots of fresh furious at Costco for $16/12pk. Kinda wish the 12pks came in 16oz cans though. Makes it easier to tell the wife I only had three beers, lol.

Bill, can’t u keep up w all of our legitimate demands? - keep it up man, I’m still a fan.

 

Throw back pack...what a great name for a square of those beers!!!

 

Ha, I'll take a free case.

 

As you should brother!

 

Bill- Sure appreciate you taking the time to type these responses out.

 

Damn you guys weren't lying. This is one of the best beers I've had in a while.

 

It's a possibility for sure. It might get another trial run in a VP before it sees prime time, though. Maybe in place of Xtra for the Winter Pack?

 

STOP! You're going to kill 3/4 of the members on this forum with that statement

 

Yeah, I collapsed Today at 2:11 PM and just came to. First thing I did was reply to this thread.

 

Well it will have a great couple of canning runs in 6pks,then the latest/other IPA’S will hit shelves. This will be available on the rack and slow down ,better off keeping it limited.

 

This beer is obviously based on another single hop mosaic beer from the state below it..... That beer always seems to stay fresh with monthly visits back down to Wisconsin, so if Surly could put this in a sixer and get it to Michigan, I would keep it fresh.... Just saying.