"Chairgate"

And yeah much as I hate the scene as a "beer advocate", and can't stand the behavior of some peers - from a business standpoint these breweries are doing it 100% right

 

100% though, really? There is no room for improvement? Does the random driver passing by these lines really care to find out what's going on or just have a passing curiosity? And do they ultimately decide to get involved in the extreme beer nerd craft beer scene just because of the "line hype" they just discovered?

One time in NYC I saw a giant line across from a spice shop I was going to, upon inquiring with a few passersby, I found out that it was a sale on ballet shoes with a lot of "starving artists" getting a deep discount on something they normally pay out the butt for. Am I now a diehard dance slipper purchaser for whatever brand that was? I mean I don't even know what brand it was, I barely even remembered what the specific item was lol.

 

Ok they're not doing it perfectly (trust me - I mentioned in the OH thread that brewery needs to take responsibility for the fact that their customers are lining up in a residential area, and drinking and pissing on the streets in the small hours). But I mean in terms of running a business it definitely makes sense to do it that way. Beer geeks answer to a popular brewery with limited production is always "they should expand". But no fuck that. If I ran a small brewery, I wouldn't want to take on the debt and the logistical nightmare of keeping my high standards in tact across a much larger organisation. No I'd have nerds lining up, making a larger margin, staying "hot" and selling through all my inventory every time. In that respect they're doing it right - right for them - not right for beer geeks or the world at large.

 

And I'll add to the "but no f that"... Raise my prices. Might lose a coupla nerds, but that's when you know they are high enough. If BCBS were priced to the point it could probably carry, wouldn't be any madness.

 

This is kind of nitpicky but I'm not sure this particular Trillium release is the best example for your point since both locations only started with 25 cases apiece.

 

Probably not, it was just handy and coincidental. It does take longer with the more "normal" can releases, for sure.

 

Seems like you might lose more than a few nerds. Wouldn't you also be discouraging new folks from giving your stuff a try when the nearly-as-good competition sells for less than you? Seems like after the one-and-done crowd move on there'd be nobody to replace them. IIRC isn't the whole of idea of afiguring out and setting a price point is to be that you not go higher than the demand will support but also don't go so high as to discourage new customers?

 

The real mitigating factor does seem to be the want or need of these places to sell out within a day. That requires stoking the hype fires on their part. But there are also places where you can just stroll in throughout the week without hassle of any line, because they aren't trying to sell out within hours.

 

True - hopefully nobody is selling below what the market will bear, and hopefully their bean counters are better at counting beans than me! I guess I'm more in the "limited" release thinking mode than the more normal "everyday" releases that are going on all the time. So I reckon in the example I may have misused, Trillium may have been able to set a higher price point (whatever it may be) and still sold out the limited release. That may not be so true when it comes to their "normal" canning runs/releases.

Then again, if there is a line at a brewery, how many non-beer nerds (and I don't like that term, but I guess it's appropriate) are going to join in that line? If I wasn't a beer drinker, I would not give it a second thought and pass right by. I almost think the limited stuff could be priced much higher while the every days could float the boat, so to speak. Then you could get some crossover - bring in new customers with the "normal" and they might show up to grab something more dear in terms of the dollar. I am amply displaying why I am in R&D/Engineering rather than marketing! To me it's like a puzzle.

But ya know, I've been watching some of the bourbon "releases" that have been going on and am amazed (maybe close to horrified) at how much people will spend to "get theirs". It appears that is nowhere near ending, so I got to wondering if the same would hold true for any "limited" release beer.

 

I hear you, I'd prefer to stay small too and I know a number of brewers that have intentionally kept their breweries a certain size, some of which are considered to be large, others not. Yet I also know one or two small ones that are rapidly expanding even without the kind of line culture following. All I'm pushing for is, if a brewery wants to keep it "small," yet are able to maintain such a high level of attendance for releases on a reliable basis, they've got to put more effort into making it a good experience for everyone involved--not just the consumer, but their neighbors, and even themselves as the brewery. There are endless situations, ranging from the slightly awkward to the potential illegal, that could be roundly avoided by guaranteeing attendees beer no matter when they show up, or some other solution we haven't thought of.

I'm inclined to agree on this point as I'm fine with higher prices, at least in that it might reduce everyone maxing their allotment. But then @drtth makes a great point as well.

 

I wholeheartedly agree. Don't want to duplicate the OH thread but I find it disgusting that people were urinating outside people's houses with seemingly zero care - that really fucks me off as a local resident and a supposed beer "advocate". And it frustrates me that OH don't seem to do anything beyond making the bare minimum number of right noises. But that will continue to be the case until something happens that actually affects their (or any brewery following this type of model's) bottom line. I'm not particularly informed about the law - but I take it they are not directly responsible for what people do off their premises, even if they're in the area because of their release.

 

Someone quoted earlier that Tired Hands cleared nearly $60,000 in one day from can sales. I'd say they realize who is making them stay in business just fine.

 

I guess I'm looking at it from a sustainability aspect. What happens when another hyped brewery enters town. Placing all your eggs in one basket for a huge turnaround seems really nice, and maybe these places have back up plans when they suddenly become "not so popular". 85% of these buyers are not loyal to you or your brand, but more so the quality and hype of the products. The second another hyped release or brewery comes to town, suddenly they are hanging out over there.

Now there is obviously room for more than one hyped brewery. But by and large, the breweries around me that have found long term success have core brands that sell massive quantities.

Definitely not hating. I loved the Tired Hands beer that I got to try awhile back. And I too would likely stand in lines once in awhile. It's funny when a local brewery around me has their annual DIPA/IPA releases. I hear many jokes about how the rats and roaches are coming out to play. Those fringe fans, much like what I see out of the GI BF lineup don't keep the lights on, It's actually the heavy quantity core products.

That is obviously not what Tired Hands is aiming for. So I may just be going off topic a bit. I will say though, many people do see the $60k in one day figures and want a piece of that pie too. So many breweries are still in their infancy. Maybe some get out ahead, or sell, or they figure out how to make things long term (if thats even their goal).

 

These breweries that have a predominantly keg-based business model, interspersed with on-premise only (ie not distro'd) can/bottle releases, don't really have a core line up in the traditional sense.

 

I guess in some way I would say yes but not as much for someone who can brew but to all of those Pennsylvanians tethered by such a strange law of a case at a time which I hear is changing???? Even if you find it fresh, you better drink fast.

We are a bit spoiled in my part of NC but then for so many things, the 2 week/4 week/2 month thing is a bit silly for a lot of IPAs (certainly not all) but not looking to poke that monster.

Cheers to you.

 

Yes, let's blame the breweries for wanting to create as much hype for as cheaply as possible, so as to sell the most beer as quickly as possible, so as to make the most profit as possible. I don't recall anyone mentioning the real problem is easy to identify by finding the nearest mirror, but if it has already been mentioned I give it a +1.

 

I agree with you here on the consumption in short order. I find it just a more manageable amount of one thing I want for myself than 64oz.

 

We get Grimm here growlers only though. I've yet to buy one though, any recommendations on their ipas.