Dovetail (2021)

Have you shipped beer before? It’s expensive

 

Yes, frequently.
Thanks for the helpful post.

 

I ship beer to friends in NY and Boston all the time. $15-$18 for flat rate boxes depending on where it’s going.

Now yes a brewery can’t just stick a flat rate box in the mail, but these prices seem extreme.

@Kozaka, you’re probably better off finding someone that lives near DT that can buy and ship it for you

 

Shipping rates are determined by Bevv, the e-commerce platform that DT is using. I checked 4-5 different breweries on Bevv (search here https://bevv.com/consumers/) and they're all charging the same amount for 4 4-packs going across 5 UPS zones. Two other breweries had $15 flat rate shipping and the same "FLAT15" code. I took a quick look at Seller Terms and it seems like all breweries on the platform are required to ship using Bevv's UPS account. It also looks like breweries have to cover any overages if the actual shipping cost is higher than what Bevv charges the consumer (presumably due to heavier boxes, additional packing materials, etc).

 

Thanks @CB_Michigan!
Appreciate the research.
Still surprising as I’ve shipped to Chi for less, similar to what @FleskBrewFan mentioned above.

 

And before I go, if it came down to their Hefe vs Kolsch, which would you include as a final 4 pack?

 

seconded, kolsch is one of their best offerings

 

A person shipping beer surreptitiously and a brewery shipping beer legally are not likely equal comparisons. Direct to consumer sales is an awesome option and one I hope continues to become more prevalent. But yeah, it does seem to be a pricey option at this time (relative to other craft beer purchasing options anyway).

 

Burial in NC, for example, is about $15 through Fedex, and often they will have deals where it's $10 shipping if you spend $50 on beer, and sometimes free is you spend $100. It's legal too, Fedex knows it's beer & requires an adult signature.

 

Nice, so there is potential for more reasonable shipping prices. Hopefully their approach can be replicated by other breweries then. It might be NC regulations are different than IL thus requiring different sales & shipping strategies. No idea. All of these different state regulations are a mess from a consumer (and likely brewery) standpoint. That I do know.

 

I am admittedly a fan of their hefe, and Kolsch is still the correct choice.

I am big fan of hefe’s in general, and theirs is definitely better than most local breweries, but it’s not close to its European counterparts. Kolsch on the other hand is quite literally world class, and I’d take it above most European options.

 

Hey all -- thanks for our interest in our limited out-of-state shipping. I really don't have much involvement in that part of the brewery, but I talked to our shipping lead and he confirmed as mentioned above, shipping prices are determined by UPS thru Bevv, and not us.

For full transparency, we do add a $5 handling fee to pay for material and labor costs, and beer pricing is slightly higher as to not compete with other retailers (whose relationships are paramount to us).

Our intention was never to become a brewery that ships (or delivers) -- but the past year kind of demanded it. We hope that one day you can come to our taproom, visit one of the bars or restaurants in the Chicago area that pours our beers, or one of the bottle shops that sells our cans.

 

Another new canned offering potentially down the road.

 

Just to add another data point. Out here several breweries offer free shipping on orders over $100, and most offer case shipping for ~$20. It isn't crossing state lines which probably saves some money but those rates have held on breweries that are 10-12 hours drive from my house. So probably comparable shipping distance as chi to east coast

 

I just came here to say that I'm very excited about Helles Lager canned 3/2 being on the floor at my Binny's this morning. It's beautiful out, I have the day off, and am going to go find something to do in my yard just to justify opening one. @OleWorm keep the cans coming downstate please!

 

Rauchdopplebock.

That is all.

 

Dammit. I only get Dovetail when I visit my sister, who lives Chicago, or she brings me a couple of cases that I order and she picks up. Now I have to see this thread in the Midwest forum and get updates on all Dovetail beers I can't get.? Ugh.