I'm curious how people feel about well established out of town breweries opening remote taprooms where you live. Living near the plentiful Ballard breweries, it's great to have various options. Though it seems like just when you'd have a huge tv cable package, you find yourself going back to the same few favorites. When Lagunitas took over Hilliard's location, I thought it was neat at first, however I continued to spend my money with the locals. I still haven't been to Lagunitas, Great Notion nor Aslan's Seattle spots. Bale Breaker sounds interesting too, I might stop by. Part of visiting breweries is akin to a pilgrimage, and to me these remote taprooms are like buying a souvenir shirt at the airport terminal during a layover. I like to spend my dollar at a spot that may be the underdog or have a real solid flagship that you'd like to pass your compliments to the owner. Back when you could sit at the bar, it was always great to talk to the owners and brewers as they have their shift beer, and sometimes they share a taste of what's forthcoming. I wonder if the remote locations are willing to share similar stories. Do you feel that these remote locations limit the creativity of a unique small brewery that may be down the street?
Yeah, the secondary spots don't hold as much of a draw for me as the home does. What's the difference between going to a non-brewing secondary location vs going to a bar that has the beer on tap? I'll probably hit the Bale Breaker spot, because I'm a fanboy, but otherwise......
I think it kind of depends on how you define out-of-town. Living in the Portland metro I love having Deschutes downtown and I like that Rogue has a presence. I've been to the Oakshire many times, mostly because it's my favorite brewery from Eugene. I'm ambivalent about Backwoods, Hop Capital and Modern Times - mostly because they don't do things I'm that interested in. Then it gets gray when you consider non-brewing satellite pubs, like Ex Novo or Great Notion in Beaverton, the Breakside pubs coming to Beaverton and Lake Oswego, or Upright's new spot coming to north Portland. Then there is the Migration example, who (I believe) doesn't brew much at the original location but does at the new one out in Gresham. Those are all in the same metro area, but you definitely won't be talking to a brewer/owner at them. I like that some are closer to me and have the same drinking/package options as the main brewery but that's all about convenience for me, which I think is the reasoning behind opening them in the first place.
It's not really a phenomenon here in the Spokane area, except for an outpost of Jeremiah Johnson Brewing (I think they're a Montana brewery) that is in Coeur d'Alene. Only JJ beer that I've had didn't do much for me, so I haven't bothered to go there.
i've been to a number of mikkellers, each one unique and awesome. same goes for modern times. and i love aslan, having gone there religiously on my way to/from Whistler. i'm now happy to have their depot walking distance from home. honestly i love i the idea from a craft perspective. you don't have to rely on 3rd parties to distribute your beer, which very often can drive your brew schedule and limit creativity.
I guess the advantage would be that you know that you're getting a quality product versus a bar where you don't know how old the keg is. Since I've started this thread, Stoup has opened their Kenmore location.
