Alpine, you have a problem

Did they screw over the blonde guy that has been there since DAY ONE kicking ass? Think Mike is his name? ( no not thinking of Mike Hess himself )

 

Guy on the left:

 

It's tricky with small, family-run businesses. Sometimes you have a legitimate reason, sometimes you just have differences that can't be worked out. A lot of people work their asses off for not a lot of money in the beer industry- at some point, there have to be differences of opinions and other opportunities. But I haven't even seen a confirmation yet. Just observations and a hunch.

 

Hoping it's just a rumor.

 

Wow - that guy is the heart and soul of Hess - at the least the "taproom". If he's gone, Hess lost a big chunk of what defined them.

 

Nope, unfortunately.

 

That's why we couldn't believe it. Unless he took a better offer from another brewery. I know he had some options on the table. Solid brewing experience, great taproom presence. Smart guy. Friendly guy. Have never really broken the ice with Mike Hess the times I've met him. Even when complimenting his beer.

 

Bummer. Any idea where he is headed?

 

Nope. And even if I did know, I probably wouldn’t feel at liberty to say.

 

This is just like when Jessica left Alesmith. She was the heart and soul of the tasting room.

 

Yeah- it's a tough business, and not everyone in it has a heart of gold. But you can usually tell the good ones when you meet them. I suppose we should get this thread back on track.

 

RE: Alpine being a nano.

Alpine is not a nano brewery. Where on earth did that nonsense come from?

Hess is a 2bbl nano (large scale homebrew, and it shows), but they're going to open a 30BBL big boy brewhouse and I really hope their beer gets better. I do not understand the hype surrounding their average beer. A year after they've been brewing on the North Park system, I'll be sure to hit them up.

Alpine will continue to kick ass.

 

That was so last week...

 

They sell everything they make and the system is maxed out. Sounds like they're doing just fine. It's still a small brewhouse, they make 1,500BBL a year and they will have downtime, hard to hire lots of extra hands to sit around and do nothing. Meanwhile, brewers who want to work fulltime have a hard time working parttime. Ya dig?

I'm sure they're getting their malts and hops from the same manufacturers/distributors that everyone else is getting. There aren't many sources. Like everyone else, they're on a hop contract that's delievered when it's been processed, everything is stored in their cold box, just like every other brewery. Grain is delievered on an as-needed basis.

Pat has said repeatedly in his emails that he brews for the town of Alpine. If you want some, drive there to get it. He could charge higher prices (and they did raise prices to generate more revenue for the new brewhouse), but he has a strong sense of community and doesn't feel the need to gouge Alpine residents who are his main buyers. Price isn't affecting quality.

Don't buy bottles, buy growler fills. Alpine isn't a Nano either. Hess also sells substandard beer, it's glorified homebrew.

Alpine makes great beer, but to say it's the best is a big statement. There are tons of highly qualified and great breweries in SD. I love Alpine as much as I do the Pizza Ports, Ballast Point, Lost Abbey, etc...

 

I'll support Hess when they make decent beer.

 

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Pat has said repeatedly in his emails that he brews for the town of Alpine. If you want some, drive there to get it. He could charge higher prices (and they did raise prices to generate more revenue for the new brewhouse), but he has a strong sense of community and doesn't feel the need to gouge Alpine residents who are his main buyers. Price isn't affecting quality.


Alpine makes great beer, but to say it's the best is a big statement. There are tons of highly qualified and great breweries in SD. I love Alpine as much as I do the Pizza Ports, Ballast Point, Lost Abbey, etc...[/quote]

Well said. And, in fact, most of Alpine Beer Co's customers are from outside Alpine. Alpinians (Alpiners?) tend to be BMC/Lite drinkers, and since ABC has never advertised, many locals still don't know they're there, even after 10 years. So "Local" is still SD County...

 

Since I don't work there I shouldn't comment on who their client base is. It's a very small town and everyone knows everyone, I'd have a hard time believing most people don't know about the little brewery with the little cafe.

They produce ~1,500BBL/yr, so that makes them a very small operation.

 

Solid point!

 

Matter of opinion. That's yours, but I very much do not agree, but that's my opinion & obviously others since they still sell beer & have not gone out of business.

MacNChees said :

Not sure what hype Hess has ever had, quite the opposite imo as they haven't exactly exploded in size, scale, or scop in their first two years. Just some of us enjoy their beers as they are, enjoy them quite a lot in fact, while others think its no better then an average homebrew, but that could be said about other breweries too, probably every day on this site. Different palates, different opinions, won't agree, but also don't have to either.

Anyway that's my piece, I've derailed/off topic to this Apline thread enough.

 

Yup I couldn't agree more. San Diego is getting tougher and tougher for start up breweries because there are so many others to compare to. Whether I like them or not I am glad they are able to expand and move to a larger building.