Bruery 2015 RS/HS Allocations

It's not a matter of keeping it hidden, they sent a press release to TheFullPint. There's a huge difference between information leaking out and willfully sending it out.

The reason I care is because I'm basing my renewal on whether I think they're headed in the right direction. Renewing in October means two more months have happened and we've seen more of the trajectory of 2015 and whether they've caught up to the projections or if everything is woefully behind schedule.

That was actually a good beer, but I still wish they'd focus on producing the best beer than can produce, rather than needing to shoehorn a cocktail-inspired beer into the release schedule. I will reserve judgment since the beer actually could be good, but considering how burnt out people got on that concept last year, it doesn't seem like something to advertise.

Renewals went on sale for HS on 09/22/14, I just checked my email. Moving it up two full months is a pretty big shift.

 

While I fully expect to renew, I wouldn't say I don't care when renewals are.

Let's face it, renewal fees are no interest loans to the Bruery. So we are being asked to extend that loan for a few more months. For people on the fence, they have less time to evaluate the current year's performance. For PS members, they need to join in Q3 rather than Q4.

Membership is in high demand, so The Bruery can afford to do this. But for some people, it does matter.

To me its a minor ding, not all that different than a price increase.

I just hope its not a trend. Or should we expect a March renewal for 2017?

 

There has to be a good reason for them moving it up. I can't see them moving it up just to fuck with people.

 

More cash for Terreux available now maybe?

 

More cash for R & D on Bruery-branded tiki mugs.

 

I stand corrected, wow I really felt like the email went out much earlier last year than Sept. Concerning the full pint, I wouldn't be shocked if we got an email in the next 24 hours. I have no idea how TFP works but I'd guess it is like free advertising for The Bruery so it would make business sense to get them the 'scoop' and email the members shortly after.

As for seeing how the remainder of this year goes/speculating if it is worth it, I have this argument every year. The entry price is a such a small fraction compared to the litany of beers they will be selling so I have no problem blindly throwing them $3-700 for guaranteed no hassle allocations + cool events. No matter what there will be quite a few "shut up and take my money" beers allocated which makes the decision that much easier.

It is pretty clear the last year and a half have been rough for some releases but with all the expansion going on to separate the contamination risks, I would think it is just be a matter of time to work those issues out (use the remainder of at risk barrels). Couldn't hurt that they have a Master Cicerone heading the ship as well.

 

does this mean hs invites will go out in the next few weeks? couldnt that backfire on the bruery? maybe some of the people who are purchasing everything in hopes of an invite will slow down if they know they aren't getting in hs.

 

Speaking of Bruery Tiki Mugs ... Does anyone know how much those bad boys cost??? Thank you in advance!

 

18.50 for the mug, $23 for the pour + mug

 

My main concern is HS. I'd like to get an invite but I thought I'd have until later in the year to spend more money...

 

The fact that the new Director of Brewery Ops is from Sierra Nevada is probably the single most encouraging thing they said in that press release. They've had no shortage of creativity and crazy ideas, but it's pretty clear that execution and attention to detail have been lacking. If the new DOBO can harness the creativity and re-focus on doing the little things right, they'll be in good shape.

Considering the formula is proprietary and supposedly takes several factors into account, one could safely assume that multi-year spending plays a part, so spending a lot the rest of the year could help for an invite in 2016 (for the 2017 society). Or maybe not, who knows. The fact that people are concerned that they didn't have time to spend enough money is a clear sign that The Bruery doesn't really need to worry about losing a chunk of members every year.

 

Anyone notice Chrono 12 has been highlighted on the release calendar? This may have already been brought up here. Looks like we will be getting at the very least sans pagaie and chrono 12 for july.

I posted that missing all this fullpint news. Shit, renewing now is def better then doing it in october with all the BT goodness but still....seems a bit soon. We still haven't heard an official anything on hottenroth with peaches either right? Seems like at least a few people have reported issues with their bottles.

 

This is definitely strange hearing this renewal news through The Full Pint first as opposed to by a Society email. I wonder if we'll see an e-mail come as early as tomorrow since the cat is out of the bag. @mattolesh could you shed some light on why TFP got this news before Society members? Renewals starting a full 2 months earlier than last year and only halfway thru the year of releases seems rather early to me. I will renew of course but the timing just seems very odd.

 

This is from the 2015 Society info page on The Bruery's website:

"When can I join?

Priority re-enrollment for the 2015 membership year will run September 22, 2014 through October 20, 2014. Reserve Society priority registration for Preservation Society members will start on October 21, 2014 and end on October 28, on first come-first served basis. General registration for Reserve Society will begin on October 29, 2014. Specific dates are subject to change. We regret that we cannot guarantee any spots after priority periods have passed."

 

So not happy with this. This is a lot of dough to come up with super quick.

 

oh yeah they sent out an email to former PS members yesterday suggesting that now is a good time to sign up again because the RS upgrade window starts in August.

"Starting in August, a limited number of spots will open to upgrade into our Reserve Society. As a Preservation Society member, you'll get a two week window to join the Reserve Society on a first come, first-served basis - before open spots (if any) are available to the general public. "

 

What does a 2015 RS or HS member spend in a year? I was RS in 2012 and dropped out after that year. I didn't come close to maxing on allocations and still spent $1,000+ including membership. So many large format big beers. I rarely go to the Bruery these days since it seems the good pours are on the back of the menu and I don't have access. When I see and read about a beer like Kevin's Fuzzy Peaches it's a bummer but I take the $1k+ and try so many different beers it's a good trade off for me.

The Bruery will always have a special place in my gullet/stomach but it's too expensive and too exclusive.

 

dont forget casa agria

 

HS member here, when this year ends I might need to send the data off to NASA for them to calculate it... I really should cut back on how much I'm buying, but for some reason I can't seem to do it. I think I've only not maxed two beers this year and both were preservation series. But I've made up for not maxing those off of second chance sales and a silly amount of stuff purchased in the anniversary sale...

 

Total guesswork, but I imagine two factors are driving the timing and method of this press releases....
1) Trying to fill up Preservation Society for Q2/Q3 by letting people know the perk of a guaranteed RS invite is coming up quick. Probably particularly an issue because Q2 PS allocations likely ship soon (could be wrong on that). This is way more about driving new PS memberships and eventually new RS memberships than anything else.

2) I imagine we'll get an email in the next week, but if that press release hit our inboxes yesterday we'd all cry bullshit on the lack of an expected 2016 allocation list. When they have that to share, which is what most members want, they'll reach out.

Last thing - not trying to be an apologist, but there is a 6-7 week registration window for us. That's a huge bump over last year, so we can easily get through two more months of allocations before making the call / taking the wallet hit. Still not the best change - it is absolutely an extra 1-2 months of an interest free loan to them - but happy I get a few more months to get a sense of how things are going before making the call.