So the brewery officially stopped shipping to Missouri (and Kansas and Oklahoma) back in October 2011, though of course some of their kegs (particularly a few of Ryevalry) lingered, as did many some of their bottles. But it has probably been at least a month since I actually noticed any of their stuff. And now, according to TWCP, fresh bottles will be back in 4-6 weeks. So who else is marginally excited to get back product that will just linger on the shelves?
Well...... I do like Red Rocket, Racer 5, and Hop Rod Rye. Also a few of their less available beers like Racer X. But all in all, I wasn't crushed when they pulled out. It was hard to find fresh product here in CoMO over the course of 2011 - even before they blew town. The kegs in our local distribution market were priced way too high, causing a reluctance on the part of the watering holes to run their beers on tap. So they were a victim of pricing issues and the massive influx of other craft brew in the last few years. Do I welcome them back? Not so much, but I'd prefer BR took up some of our limited cooler and shelf space than, say, RJ Rockers, Napa Smith, Pyramid, Abita, and several others. My question, I guess, is "WHY are they back?"
I wish they wouldnt ship bottles. They just linger on the shelves in KC, but I would like to continue to get kegs. Its nice to have Hop Rod Rye every once in a while on tap.
