Seems like Austin beer scene continues to grow! I came across an article this past week that another bottle shop store is coming soon to the Austin beer scene. Very exciting news, I think Central Market, Whip In and Witchcraft are all great places to buy beer but we can certainly have more specialty beer shops to find those hard unique beers. I wish them the best! http://communityimpact.com/2015/12/02/austin-couple-plans-craft-beer-taproom-and-store-concept-on-w-hwy-290/
I was able to dig up another article on Hedgehog Bottle shop & Barrlehouse, 400+ plus beers and 40 on tap that sounds awsome! Support your local beer shop! http://austin.eater.com/2015/12/3/9841932/hedgehog-bottle-shop-400-beers-austin
I'd honestly say the opposite. Limited release beers (bottles) are spread so thin these days with all the HEBs, etc. getting a case or so. We don't really need more options for bottles, IMO. I can go to 3 or 4 HEBs, a Whole Foods and a Spec's in very close proximity to my house or work. That's just a small section of the city and I can get virtually anything that is released at those places. Those are even Austin or Texas based businesses. For smaller options, there are a ton of convenience stores that have great selections. Don't get me wrong, keep the beer related businesses coming, but I'm not really a fan of Kickstarter for starting up businesses either, which seems to be a major point of both of those articles.
True to some extent all depends on the beer your trying to find, not true for those really hard to find special release beers which is where specialty beer stores come to play. Go try and find a Pliny the younger beer or something from Cigar City or Hair of the Dog, those are the beers I hope we can someday find here in ATX and if Hedgehog can swing that then I'll be a loyal customer for life. And to top it off your able to sit and enjoy a nice beer on tap as you shop for a beer or two or six then even better, I'm sure you can't do that at your local HEB and Specs maybe at Whole Foods. Kickstarter can go either way but that shouldn't stop people from ATX area to support their local beer bottle shop!
I didn't bother reading the articles, are you saying they can bring Russian River, Cigar City and HotD? 'Cause that's not how it works.
Your correct that is not how it works or at least it ain't as easy but its doable, you have to have good contacts with those distributors that handle those hard to find beers and plead with them to save you a case or two. You also have to deal with the state laws and see if those beers are allowed into the state but they are also ways around that. So is it impossible not at all. I really hope HedgeHog Bottleshop can achieve those goals, WitchCraft has done pretty good bringing on occasion some very good finds so we know its doable.
That's so confusing and wrong, but I'll just move on. More bottles shops are great, but don't expect anything new to show up.
I happen to know that a certain place in TX with beers on tap has tried contacting Treehouse about sending them kegs. I can't wait for that to happen! As easy as getting PtY, right?
They would still need label approval for the kegs. Unless they're doing stuff on the dl, in which case only their friends will get hooked up because there wouldn't be enough to go around and they can't advertise it (Instagram, etc...)
I realized this. Texas ABC laws are so strict that you more or less will find the same beer at each beer store in the area. I really hope that TABC can be brought down a couple notches in intensity soon.
They can't bring any of those in. They can't pull strings. They can't deal with distributors to convince them to get a case. WhichCraft can't either. Not have they ever sold anything that is an only WhichCraft thing due to pulling strings. Well, I guess I shouldn't say no way. Unless Hedgehog decides to pay $7k+ per brewery to have some limited number of cases along with finding a distributor that would only supply them, and then oh for label approvals, then, it won't happen. It is pretty much impossible. And if they did start selling Pliny, it would be illegal. Let alone being able to get RR to even send one off cases because they pulled some strings...pretty much every bottle shop in the U.S. would be trying to pull these so called strings. It isn't a new concept and doesn't really work that way for states where that would be legal.
I don't know if you know the people starting this shop, but if they are promising those things to you, then they do not know anything about running a shop here. I hope that you did not hear any of those things from them.
I guess this post got a bit mis understood, it was meant to show support for local beer businesses nothing else. All negativity aside, I hope that one day Texas laws improve because its a shame how many good beer Texans are missing out on all because of some antique laws. Lucky for us though we got some amazing brewerys in our own state that are really brewing award winning beers. And cool beer bottleshops like Hedgehog starting up to serve them up! Got to Love the Texas beer scene!
I appreciate your enthusiasm for local beer related businesses, if that's what's going on here, but your examples were more than a little insane. PtY is draft only and if you're not in very select areas of California, you're not getting it, period. Not ever. Furthermore, I'd venture to guess that RR will never set foot in Texas ever and none of that has anything to do with any laws.
Perhaps the OP focused on the wrong thing with regards to Hedgehog by focusing on impossible beers to get in Texas. Considering Hedgehogs planned location off 290 (booming area off Austin), close to Jester King and Thirsty Planet. If they can manage to develop a good relationship with local Texas breweries, and get some very exclusive stuff you can only get in the brewery into Hedgehog both in bottles/cans or on draft, then it will be worth a visit. I know I'd much rather (and mostly do) support a local family place to get my beer than going shopping to HEB or Specs. They should focus on hard to find Texan beers, which we all know there are plenty of. Also, the concept of being able to browse around their selection while having a freshly poured draft in my hand will make it a lot more enjoyable.
