Heading up that way this weekend for multiple brewery stops. I was just wondering what to expect...i.e. crazy lines like Alchemist tent sales, limits, etc. Anyone been to one of their releases before and anyone going this weekend?
I went to the first second fiddle release this year after the alchemist truck sale in december, got there early afternoon, about 3 people at the bar, walked out with 2 cases in about 5 minutes. I think they sold out that day around 2-3pm.
Great news.....planning on heading straight over to 4 Quarters after for their anniversary party/bottle release. It's going to be a long day
Is Second Fiddle currently available anywhere in cans? I'm having trouble finding where their stuff is sold since they only have that draft map on their site.
They sell all of the Second Fiddle at the brewery on the day of the release or the following day. I was able to get a few four packs from the 05/16 release yesterday afternoon, but you will probably be out of luck trying to find it at retail. Occasionally they will release a few cases to retail accounts in the Burlington area, but it only seems to happen every few releases. They update the dates of can sales on their website: http://www.fiddleheadbrewing.com/
I was there Saturday March 21st around 11:00 am and it was a total madhouse. Line all the way around the building, no parking spots at all, and it took 2 hours to get our beer. We got 2 of the last 4-packs of Second Fiddle and they sold out right afterwards, leaving a huge line of unhappy people. It's not easy any more, not like it used to be. But this was also the last time before they stopped doing growler fills at can releases so things do move more quickly now.
I was there in early April and it was quite chill. Showed up about 30 min before they started selling, was maybe 30th in line, and was in and out within an hour. I got to caught up with the hype though and bought a case which was too much for me. Compared to the Heady I also picked up on the trip in my humble opinion it was a distant second.
I walked right in this past Saturday (May 16th) at 11:15am. No wait. Tasting. Out with three cases in 10 minutes. And this canning is really good. Not getting any off flavors as suggested in other posts with regard to previous batches in the NE Forum.
was there on sunday in early april (day after the can release) and found one person in line in front of us. Got samplers + case of 2nd fiddle + plus a growler filled of their red IPA and we were on our way. But there was a line of maybe 6-7 parties by the time we left. Got home to southern VT to find out the local beer store had received a bunch of cases too. Decent distro...must be thanks to the big 90bbl fermenters Matt bought! Paying dividends...that was my first time trying 2nd Fiddle, definitely thought it lived up to the hype, love for some more Mastermind though.
Anyone have any idea about whether Mastermind is typically available the day after the release? Any chance it stays around that long? It's being released on 10/31 and I will be in Burlington on 11/1... just wondering if I have a shot at trying it. Thanks.
I would not imagine Mastermind cans will stick around past the first day. Second Fiddle releases sometimes do, but Mastermind is not brewed nearly as often and people go wild over it. They will most likely have it available for growler fills and/or tasters, though. Cans go way faster than the kegs, so you should be able to get a taste
A few weeks ago I was up in VT and we called on a Sunday morning and they still had second fiddle cans, so if you call them, I'm sure they will let you know what they have. Might even be able to call towards the end of their hours on Saturday to find out what would be available on Sunday. They are very nice people up that way.
Awesome, thanks. I will probably go anyway, as I would like to check out the brewery, but you're right that it can't hurt to call.
Yea definitely go, the connecting pizza place is worth the trip! get a growler fill and a pizza for a great lunch
