Beer release line control?

The problem is simply one check out point for Beat and they are mixing in other beer sales. If this was cash only (makes an issue of getting robbed though) and just Beat we'd be gone.

 

You turn my beer into a commodity..

I hate to break the news but.. beer like a bar of soap.. coffee.. is a commodity at this point...

There is nothing they can do.. basic economics.. you either have higher prices reflecting the demand.. or you make the product more available...

All this stuff is all a great case of kumbaya but the reality is people aren't lining up for other beers.. and I know people aren't even drinking this beer.

The reality is if people on this site want to complain about what they can't get... go look in the mirror. There's always more beer.

No matter what these guys do.. it seems nobody will be happy.. special things are nice once in awhile.. but they aren't a be all to end all... just because someone wants to horde 20 bottles in a closet in their parents basement at 65 degrees, just so they can try to get one bottle of something else.

Best idea for crowd control.. ask yourself how long or what is it "really" worth it to stand in line for? 30 minutes 1... hour? More than that.. dont think so for me.. this is to just get one beer...

Like i like to say sometimes..

People like to hate what they become.

 

I'm also in line for beat and it's ridiculously slow. I love & respect RR but they've gotta figure out a better system. Just like Costco can go through your cart and scan all your items while in line before u get to the register I think they could do this here too. Then they could have 10-12 people who are runners who get the beers and pack your box so it's ready when u get to the cashier. While they're selling out the back door they could send 1/2 the people who get to the front of the line inside (at least they could've before they open at 11:00 anyway) to their store where they regularly sell bottled beers. It could reduce wait time significantly.

 

You make good points. I think what it all comes down to is FOMO, at least as far as the drinkers, not the profiteers, are concerned. When someone has that taste of an excellent BA stout, sour, IPA, whatever that really strikes a chord in their taste buds, they sometimes have the tendency to become obsessed with recapturing that experience. Hence people waiting in line to get a beer that they think will do that for them or that they think they can trade to get a beer that will do that for them. When presented with the thought that they might not be able to get that beer, intense FOMO ensues and that drinker feels a panic. This drinker loses sight of the notion that "it's just beer." And, as long as there are drinkers out there who let the thrill of the hunt and the thrill of the sublime flavors they're seeking get the best of them, then the long lines and cutthroat black market will exist. I just feel that, even though it's a constant uphill battle, it's our responsibility to promote a better attitude toward beer that is, yes, all "kumbaya." The love of drinking and brewing good beer can create camaraderie, expression of ideas and a feeling of community. All that goes out the window when you start acting like a mother trampling some other mother for a Tickle Me Elmo. I just think people need to take the motto of this site to heart: Respect Beer. And respect others for crying out loud. And I don't mean to make it a whole "Us VS. Them" scenario because no one's perfect and I certainly have let FOMO get the best of me in the past, but I'm at least making an effort to stop looking at beer like they're Pokemon cards. I really wish more people would make that same effort in their mind.

Sorry if this could be considered a thread derailment

 

Fisticuffs. Easily fisticuffs.

 

As it turns out they were checking people out as they were in line just before reaching the front. So I was mistaken about that. It just took too damn long. 7 1/2 hours but we only got there an hour before they started selling.

 

I don't necessarily think this would be a good idea, but it would make it easier to get the beer if you had the money.

 

Easy---

I wait in NO line for beer.

 

I don't think that would make a difference at all. KBBS would sell out just as quickly at $100 a bottle. I'd imagine it would have to get to $250+ for it to slow down at all and it's still not going to sit.

 

@smakawhat makes some good points. The best answer to this problem is to increase production but then increased production could result in less desire for the beer. I've been to Russian River once, waited 45 minutes to get in, and they seemed to have everything under control.

 

Sell tickets online and keep a good chunk for on site consumption only to give a chance to your faithful customers to drink it in case they miss the online sale.

 

It would still sell out fast but the tickets to the release would be easier to get than it is now.

 

There will always be problems with rare beer releases but you can't catch em all. There is a black market out there and always people looking to cash in on rarity. Don't let the beer run your life but the releases can be a wonderful time. I like how SP does things. The bottle share before hand shows me the good side of beer and the generosity of the community. Cheers!

 

I like the way Cory does it at Side Project, but I also think there are definite disadvantages. When he announces early, the number of people is huge. When he announces late, it usually works, but there is more chance for showing up right as the bottles are running out.

For the bigger SP releases, I think handing out a ticket so that line standing isn't required would work. Show up no earlier than X time, get a ticket, go home/stay/whatever you want, and then come back between times Y and Z. Can still determine allotments at the time of opening based on attendance and supply, and also reduces the congestion and disturbance to the neighborhood around Perennial. Might be harder to control the mule problem, but I have always been an advocate of the brewer using their best judgement to turn people away.

 

Razor wire fences and guards with cattle prods is the only solution.

Word will travel fast what will happen if you cut or put on a fake mustache.

I don't get to many (read: none) bottle releases in ND. However, I favor the lottery/raffle system that some breweries use. Put an entry in and if your number is drawn, you can buy up to XX bottles. The system repeats after first round draws, if there are left over bottles. In this scenario, it doesn't matter when you make your entry (could be over weeks). The random decision by a computer will be the best. Especially if it is based on the concepts at random.org.

The Alesmith system is like a lottery due to your connection with the BPT server, however I don't really like that approach.

Every brewery is going to do their release the way they like it and people will still stand in line to buy it. At least until the beer stops being worth the wait.

 

There's no perfect solution unfortunately. I will say I'm done with seeing people "join their friends" in line. Sorry, thats what I call line cutting and its BS and not fair to others.

Also, we all are familiar with the concept of dropping your chair or cooler in line to hold your place while you mingle/bottle share. How would you feel if a person went early to drop of their chair, then left the premises until release time? I'm not talking a quick trip to Walgreen's and back but going back to work or running errands. This has recently come up in the StL area and I'm wondering if its only a local thing?

 

That would anger me. The stress of these situations does come from what we feel is, or should be, fair. To me, I want fair to mean that someone who is in line ahead of me has been on the premises longer than me. If that person needs to walk around a bit or go talk to some friends behind us in line, then so be it. I know the person is still "suffering" through the wait like I am. However, once you leave the premises, you should lose your place in line. At that point, you're no longer waiting.

 

I have a question for you guys. 3 of us waited 7 1/2 hours for the Beatification at RR today. Would it have been OK if my two buddies, who got in line with me at 7:00 AM, went into the Brewery to eat (we were starving) and grab a drink for an 1-1 1/2 hours around 11-11:30 while I waited in line holding their/our spot. We had big plans to go and hit the brewery after we got our Beat and have a nice lunch and a beer or two but couldn't swing it because we didn't get to the front of the line until 2:30 to get our beer and we were simply quite exhausted and had to get back to our families.

 

If I ran a brewery, and I didn't decide to price the special releases in accordance with demand (as I get the flip side of the argument), then what I'd do is set up a schedule of special releases on a monthly basis.

Two months before a given release, people coming to the brewery and spending money on the regular beers / merchandise / whatever, would get one raffle ticket for the special beer in question for each $10 they spend.

One month before the release, the numbers would be drawn and the people notified. Raffle tickets being issued would now be for the following release.

I'm sure people can pick holes, but to me this would:

1. Have a higher chance of rewarding the best customers
2. Avoid lines

 

Just do what some have started and have a designated time to log on an buy tickets for a pickup window. I would rather gamble on getting something with brownpaper tickets than have to spend whole days waiting for a couple bottles.

Or do what goose island clyborn does for their releases.

You cannot show up before a certian time, usually 3 or 4 pm so no early morning garbage. As soon as you get there you get a ticket and the beer is release later that night. By far the easiest releases.