Are Non-Ticketed Cali Brewery Releases No Longer Worth It?

If a brewery doesn't do a release like Alesmith, they can go straight to hell.

 

More online sales, more first-come first-serve distribution, less waiting in lines please

 

Russian River does it right.

 

No they are not. Too many unemployed losers getting in line at 6 am in the middle of nowhere to get 6 bottles of an ipa. People with families and lives cannot compete with folks who are willing to sleep in their cars or a sleeping bag in front of a brewery. Releases like alesmith make the beers available to everyone and not just the "black friday" folks.

And no i was not trying to get any Citra the past few days. I just think beer releases have become utterly ridiculous. I mean come on. This kind of nonsense for a Citra ipa? Every brewery and their mother makes a Citra ipa or pale ale these days. It is a solid beer for sure but nothing worth the time, effort and money expended to pick it up.

 

Then why do you care? I don't understand why people get so worked up about these sorts of things. If it's not worth it to you, then don't do it/buy it/etc. It's clearly worth it to others though, and bitching about how awful it is isn't going to change that. The vitrol in your post is rather astounding. Relax, have a beer.

 

poor people gonna poor and/or get in line at 3 am.

 

Try focusing more on breweries that don't get fucktons of hype and you can avoid these problems.

 

I actually think that Russian River is one of the biggest offenders of what everyone else is complaining about. PtY is a limited release that keeps building in hype by the year. Instead of mitigating it by either producing more or charging more - they instead create a scene where people are lining up outside their brewpub hours before it opens for the better part of two weeks.

As I said in my previous post, I don't particularly care - it's obviously working for them, and everyone that cares to stand in line to get the beer. But I certainly don't think they can be pointed to as a poster boy for limited releases.

Personally, I prefer The Bruery's method the most, outside of what I think is their ill-advised handling of the HS this year. It guarantees them sales on beers besides their super limited ones, while preserving some of the hype that's great marketing for them. As a consumer, it's super easy to order from them, and with shipping this year- that'll get even easier.

 

The lines are here to stay. The Pokemon generation is all grown up and need something new to hoard.

 

Your attempt to not mention Exponential Hoppiness (GASP!) is as useful as saying "he-who-must-not-be-named' instead of Voldemort.

As for me, it's easier to trade for Citra than having to wait there. I showed up at 6:30 and was in the first 50. I know #70 showed up around 7:30. In past releases, that same show-up time would have netted you about 10th in line.

I think I'm done with Citra releases unless they do something else - but then again, what? Online sales and same-name pick up? Who knows what would actually work well.

 

I like how everybody assumes because people can go wait in line they must be unemployed or something. I work 4-10's I have every Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Worked great for Citra releases in the past, but on Friday I missed out, but I was staying the night at the Lodge and got 6 bottles and I am happy. I talked to Eric about http://www.brownpapertickets.com/ and he seemed very receptive to that. That would be perfect. Sure the sales will happen at a time where someone might be working or sleeping or whatever, but you can't make everyone happy.

Edit -
To add to my conversation with Eric he said that in the past it had been a good time had by all, come out drink eat and get your bottles, not many people where turned away, but Friday was an eye opener that they will have to change plans. The whole point was to have a huge get together of beer nerds, but now more people where getting turned away then getting bottles and they didn't like it. They are in the early stages of an expansion with the whole point being year round Citra to avoid clusters like Friday. Hope it goes through!

 

younger is not a "beer release" and it's mainstream which is why the lines are so bad. what are they supposed to do about it? "make more or charge more" is not a good solution lol

their bottle releases are done well and the only line to get the bottles is the normal wait for a table.

hopefully the alesmith method catches on though

 

fail

 

Can't wait for the Alpine Great release! Shitshow of the century!

 

Good becomes Great in a barrel, then it turns into Garbage once everyone realizes it is infected... or at least that is how it will go if it is like every other beer Alpine has put into a barrel the last few years.

 

There's room for all sorts of limited beer releases, and I have no desire to see all breweries move towards one template. Some people have flexible schedules and enjoy BA camaraderie, other people have intractable schedules and appreciate ease of access, others enjoy the chase.

What's worth it for you may not be worth it for everybody. A fun release for me may not be a fun release for everybody. The release format I'm in the mood for today may not be the release format I'm in the mood for next month.

 

True, the Younger madness is out of hand but they ration it out for 2 weeks so lots of people get to try it. Nobody has to line up for the first few days, they choose to do so. They do this with all their special releases and I like it, but I see your point.

 

OP - I know exactly what release you are talking about. I will be there even if it means getting up at a horrible hour in LA and schlepping my ass down to SD. Unfortunately, you gotta pay to play.