Victory Hop Ranch

I know a thread like this could be made for pretty much any of the original bigger craft breweries. With that being said Victory has the most meaning and relevant to me.

It makes me sad to think about the beers that used to be brewed vs the beers they brew now. I can’t say I’m mad about it because this isn’t the same beer world as it was when Victory was so relevant to me. It’s a different time and place now…

I will focus on the positives of our current beer world. There is quite a lot of well made variety these days around here. Something for everyone…unless you’re looking for Yakima Glory…

 

PS you may be in luck, depending on where in PA you are, according to untappd there are recent hop ranch check ins at the brewery in Parkesburg.

 

Hop Ranch was dangerously drinkable for the abv if I remember correctly. Wasn’t it like 9%? One of many Victory beers I miss.

 

Yeah I enjoyed Hop Ranch a little better than Dirt Wolf but I like Dirt Wolf as well.

 

Yeah I haven’t had Dirt Wolf in like 3 years at least. Even Prima Pils is hard to find, that used to be a staple in most stores.

 

Yeah Victory is a shadow of its former self and I miss Yakima Glory and a few others. I still enjoy visiting their breweries from time to time but they rarely have anything that special anymore and that I can't find on shelves.

That's interesting and DW and PP are still everywhere here, so much so that they age out on shelves and in the case of Prima Pils, a few places have stopped carrying it.

 

FWIW a week or so ago there was fresh Dirt Wolf (Best By Feb. 04 23) in the mix a six section of the KoP Giant supermarket. I bought a couple bottles as part of my mix.

Cheers!

 

Yes, it is 9% ABV and it appears that the batch they are serving at the taproom is been ‘kicked up a notch’:

“Hop Ranch IPA - Imperial / Double

9% ABV

80 IBU

Victory Brewing Company

Downingtown, PA

Our most heavy dry-hopping ever! We tripled our standing rate and then added a little bit more to blt…”

Cheers!

 

This makes me want to go out and grab a six of hop devil while I still can

 

How is that mix a six section these days? I haven't been to that store in a while but the last time I was there it was pretty poor in comparison to some of the other Giants in the area (which I've found are actually better than Wegmans' mix section in many ways).

 

Sometimes very good and sometimes not. In my recent purchase last week I also placed a bottle of Dogfish Head Wake Up World Wide Stout in my six-pack holder.

To quote Dirty Harry:



Cheers!

P.S. Just a 'generic' quote above, I am not saying that you are a "punk".

 

Nice! That's the good thing about the Giants, as many times they just move the poor sellers to this section...and some of the poor sellers are very good beers.

 

FWIW my theory is that the person who stocks the mix-a-six is not a 'beer' person and they just willy nilly stock stuff there with little thought; sorta like a 'random number generator'. I have at times found the section full of very good craft beers and other times it seemed almost like a macro thing.

I celebrate the good times!

Cheers!

P.S. I have on more than one occasion 'lucked out' at the Wegmans mix-a-six. My last purchase there (months ago) they had several bottles of Saison Dupont and I purchased them (along with some other very good craft beers).

 

Yep this could be it. But someone with at least some knowledge seems to be doing the ordering, as I'm surprised at times with what is on the shelf.

 

Yeah, I wonder about that. How much do you think it is a 'pull' aspect (the Giant store person deciding on the order) or the 'push' aspect (the Wholesale Distributor influencing which beers to buy)?

I often times see outside beer sales people at my local Wegmans with a clipboard in hand discussing beer stuff with the Wegmans employees. I have in the past thought about eavesdropping on the conversations but I haven't done so.

Cheers!

 

Tough call. I think they get someone who has some knowledge which starts the relationship with the wholesaler but then even after that person(s) departs the relationship just continues on. They have to be taking a bath on product, though, as I see so much that just doesn't move at all. It's unfortunate, as it is convenient to have these products at Giant but they aren't super well known as a craft beer spot like some others are so unless they shift their marketing I don't know how much variety will remain (which does seem to be dwindling a bit already).

 

In contrast Wegmans seems to move product quickly it seems to me. There is still old product there but my guess is that it comes in old. I would like to purchase Sierra Nevada Dankful IPA but those beers are always old which I am pretty darn sure is an Origlio (Wholesale Distributor) issue - those beers come in old.

Cheers!

P.S. For completeness all of the beers I bought at Giant in my recent mix-a-six were non-old but I did pick up a few that were too old for me that I put back into that section. As for all places - check before you buy.