Do (successful) breweries give a damn?

I don't think its fair to throw a blanket statement over all breweries that are successful. Some do and some don't. It is just based on personality and how the organization is run - has nothing to do with success.

 

Lost Abbey was pretty notorious for having bottling line issues in the past that might have contributed to infections. Does this continue? I don't know. I don't buy their beer any more.

And you should look up the "Angel's Share controversy" from a few years back if you want to know how they handle perceived quality control issues.

 

http://surlybrewing.com/surly-gives-a-damn/

 

The good ones do, but I don't know if responsiveness to social media inquiries is necessarily a strong indicator.

 

I have sent emails to Revolution, Goose Island, 3Floyds, Hill Farmstead and im sure others that I can't think of. All emails have been returned in a timley manner with any and all issues resolved.

 

I had an issue with a brew and the brewery politely talked about the issue over Social Media. They offered me to come back to the brewery and get another bottle that wasn't the same beer, but didn't have an issue. I declined because it's just beer to me. Yet having them talk about the issue was enough for me to go back and buy more of their brands.

 

Some take social media more seriously than others.

 

Success and size can be issues but in more ways than you are expressing. Big or successful breweries might not respond to such inquiries because they can afford not to. (True or not, I imagine that that's what you are insinuating... the volume of communication can be a factor too.) Some small or struggling breweries might not respond to such inquiries because they do not have the resources to dedicate to this. You'll probably find varying levels of customer service amongst various breweries.

 

I think Sierra Nevada does a great job. If you ask them a question on Twitter you will get an answer. I asked a question to their distributor here and I got an answer back from SN. I appreciated that.

 

social media channels do not constitute a serious enough attempt at communication. Maybe you're younger than me, but, sending back the bottle in a box with a letter would probably have gotten a response. Too often the people running social media accounts aren't able to watch all the communications-there's too much, or they aren't the main brewery contact, or it's someone else's twitter handle, etc. etc. Facebook private messages for non-friends get dumped into an other folder, and you have to click there to see it and nobody does.

 

I know with my brewery, we aren't great at social media messages. I think it is because so many people are page managers that it is easy to see a message and think "Brewer will respond" or "That's a question for the owner", but once the notification has been clicked on, it doesn't pop up for other managers to see. It is also easy to think, "I'll get to that after I empty out the mash tun" and then forget about it completely. I recommend email.

 

I would send an email to their listed email address at their websites over social media comments/questions. On Facebook and Twitter they could have hundreds if not thousands of questions.

Personally I'd rather they spend time making beer then replying to every social media question.

 

If I had an issue with a brewery, I would call or email them.....social media is not the best way to contact many breweries....they likely get literally flooded with shit / questions / comments....an email would be a better option....or a phone call if they have dedicated phones

 

The breweries that ultimately succeed give a damn. The ones that don't end up getting jobs as greeters at Walmart (or should). I usually start with the retailer if I get a bad beer and the retailers that I frequent take care of the problem.

BMC gives a damn big time. At A&B they used to sit around at least once a week and make sure that the beer from each plant tasted exactly the same and the distributors went around making sure that their beer was fresh.

When I am buying direct from the brewer it is usually growlers and those are hard to screw up. Many breweries such as Boulevard have had bad batches and have recalled them.

What most impresses me about craft beer is how they give a damn in a broader sense. A couple of years ago I was biking on the Midtown greenway when I came upon a bunch of folks wearing Surly T-Shirts picking up litter. I don't know how many charity events that Summit has hosted. Most off the 65 or so microbreweries in the state get involved in some way with the local community. The Freehouse here in town makes bread out of their spent grains. Many breweries such as Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, Great Lakes, Bells have sustainability plans and also give back to the community in many ways.

People from breweries monitor this site and we need to make it clear in no uncertain terms that it is important to us that they give a damn. And if they don't, we will let everyone under the sun know. They can become the next Schlitz - or perhaps Rogue.

 

When responding to a legit customer service issue, I'd hope all these breweries did right by the customer.

But the irreverence and surly nature of some of these brands is part of their appeal (to a certain segment). I have no problem with them keeping these attitudes on social media etc. The American consumer is coddled and entitled by too many industries. This comes from years of corporate retail policies, of which I spent many years shackled to.

 

I live on the west coast, so I do not get over to 3 Floyds very often. When I did get some 3 floyds, it was an infected mess on a close to $40 bottle of BA moloko. I contacted the brewery and they never gave a damn or contacted me back. For a $40 bottle, you would think they would give a damn. And a business charging $40 for a product that is defective that and doesnt give a f--k that it is, is basically ripping off consumers. So needless to say I haven't drank or repped 3 floyds again. The hype will die down, only good business lasts. Support and give your money to better breweries and better business and someone that cares what we think.

 

Any chance a few successful breweries can chime in on the handling of complaints or concerns, the life cycle of a complaint and finally, preference of social media v. email? The OP may need a little faith restored in the industry!

@sierranevadabill
@Sixpoint
@StoneBrewingCo
@DogTown

I'm probably missing a few other really good folks that can respond, but this is a start, right? @honkey chimed in with some pretty good insight as well.

 

FFF unfortunately will never die off i think. the way they handled Dark Lord day for this year is a total joke, and the reason that they won't change and don't care is cause people still want it and will still pay.