Advice for all breweries...

ugh that's one ugly ass protectionist law for whatever state(s) that pertains to. It does illustrate how state-by-state, the rules and laws are so different from each other that there's no way to keep track of everything.

 

I get it that small breweries also have small staffs. But, like it or not, social media is a thing that's not going to just disappear. People above a certain age may rail against facebook/twitter/instagram/social media du jour, but if a business wants to draw the younger generation that grew up in the internet environment, then they need to find those extra resources. A crappy website, no readily available info regarding food/taplist, and no social media presence is a great way to lose out on new customers. You never know who's looking to try somewhere new - places need to put their best foot forward. And it doesn't take a ton of effort to update a taplist once a week and toss out a couple of posts about new releases or events.

 

I'll occasionally do a flight, if I have no previous knowledge of a brewery just to discern what they are good at (lagers? stouts? pales? IPA?) then make a choice from there for a full pint. I also typically do one when my wife is with me and she wants a small thing of a dark, boozy beer.
If there's a black IPA, however, I'll just go for the pint immediately.

 

I recently visited a newly opened brewpub and asked if they served flights or small pours. The bartender responded that they don't and have no plans to do so, but "C'mon, man, you know what you want!" (encouragingly, not rudely). Yes, I do know what I want: I want variety. I ended up ordering a pilsner, which was great -- though, like almost all pints, boring by about halfway through to me -- but I will not be a regular customer of that place despite its apparently good beer and convenient location because it refuses to let me imbibe the way I intend.

 

try http://www.seekabrew.com/distro/index.html

 

Seekabrew was indicated in post #2 along with the caveat that the information on the site is not always reliable (accurate).

Cheers!

 

As a fellow Texas, if you're driving across state lines for beer, that's impressive. That's quite the drive.
This may be less common in other states, but I know in TX, breweries will often be in the state, but not in all cities. i.e. Epic is in Dallas, but not Houston.
Live Oak pulled out of Dallas, but continues to distro to Houston.

 

My advice for all breweries: Figure out how to lower the noise level! That's my number one complaint that I experience in just about all breweries, bars, etc.

 

I just came across a large stock of New Trail Brewing cans in a local distributor in PA. Not only does this brewery not use canning dates on their products, but they also do not list the ABV% on their cans and bottles, nor is it listed on their website, and they also hide it in their Instagram posts where they are promoting a new release.

Nothing screams “don’t purchase this product” worse than hiding the ABV% and canning dates from the customer.

 

This is a good one for sure. Aucoustic foam on walls and ceilings would help a lot. Or some dividers if it’s a big open warehouse type a place that has that awful echo / wall of sound that keeps me from hearing any conversation going on.

 

Wait, are you trying to make my argument for me?

 

The bare, industrial aesthetic with hard surfaces that reflect every bit of noise is rampant in modern design, way beyond just breweries, and I hate it too. If I can't hear and talk to the person next to me, then I'll save my money and just drink a beer at home.

If anyone is interested here's a great podcast about this trend and how we got here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/diningondecibels (It also discusses new sound-dampening materials coming to market that give some hope for a quieter future.)

 

NYS law pretty much mirrors what you posted except the state carved out a craft beer exception to their distribution rules.
A craft brewery can drop a distributor without showing “good cause” by paying the distributor the “fair market value of the distribution rights lost or diminished by reason of the termination.” Which can be a chunk of change for a small brewery.

 

Do you have any idea who and how this "market value" is determined? Do the distributors do this?

And thereby this separation clause can be more of an academic clause vs. something that can genuinely be exercised by a typical craft brewery.

Cheers!

 

Never done a flight. I can’t think of a brewery other than maybe Hill Farmstead that would have interested me back in the day you get samples obviously, but most of the beers I like I’ve had already. Seems useless to me to buy a flight when the guy will give you a few oz to see if you want a pint. Then buy the pint.

 

Here's the link I got the info from
http://www.hoppylawyers.com/tale-tw...ew-york-california-mean-breweries-everywhere/

The law is vaguely worded so I'm guessing that the parties either negotiate the amount or it ended up in court/arbitration.

Not as good as California, but better than average

 

Well the places I go offer flights, which is fine. But when I see something I might like I simply ask for a sample, sometimes I’ve asked for multiples, then I order what I like. I can make up my mind based off a 2 oz sample. I’ve never ever been refused a sample, and if I was I’d leave and never go back. For my money a flight is a waste of time and said money.

 

I, along with -- I think -- most other people who regularly order flights, am not trying to determine which beer I like most in order to get a pint of it. I don't want a pint of any single beer. I want a small amount each of a variety of beers. At a brewery, I typically get one flight, and that's it; no second flight and certainly no follow-up pint. I really do get bored of most beers, even good ones, after a few ounces, and, when my only option is a pint, I often don't finish it. To me, one of the big advantages of drinking at breweries, along with festivals, tastings, and bottle shares, is the ability to get that variety instead of being stuck with 12 or more ounces of the same thing as at most bars or when drinking at home. Again, I think the pint serves a social function (to provide a single beer to drink in quantity without thinking much about it while focusing on conversation or the like) and can quench thirst -- two legitimate advantages and in keeping with the way most people drink -- but it's an inefficiently large serving size if you want to concentrate on flavors and maximize understanding of beer.

 

How can you do those things with 4oz of beer?

 

I agree to an extent. However a lighter beer like a pilsner, saison or pale ale....a 3-4oz flight glass just doesn't do the beer drinking experience anything close to full beer drinking experience. However anything over 10% and barrel aged (quads, wee heavy, old ales, stouts etc), I am perfectly fine with only a 3-4oz serving. In fact that really is all I want in a serving anyway. I'll go full pour (or 1/2 pour if available) of <8% beer and a flight size of one of the big beers if I'm intrigued.

Flights I complete reserve now to out-of-area brewery visits where there are lots of beers on their menu that intrigue me and I want to try (either to give an unproven brewer a proper evaluation or fear of missing out on something good and never to be back there again to try them).