Introducing Jester King 2016 SPON — Méthode Gueuze

Anyone know what the bottle count is going to be?

 

Yes. 1 million. and it will be sold out before you can show up.

 

Thank you. So to be clear, 3400 bottles * 3 packaging runs = 10,200 (roughly)?

 

That quote was from February so I'm thinking they only have around 3000+ bottles at this time. I would bet they will only release a portion of those maybe 1000 of each size. The remaining packaging runs will be done sometime this winter and since it takes 9 months or so to condition, they'll be released sometime next summer.

 

There was still a month and a half left in winter when that was said. I am pretty sure all three bottling runs were done earlier this year around the Feb/Mar timeframe so they should all be ready now. The question will be how many bottles are they going to hold back from the Nov release. I am guessing in the multiples of thousands.

 

I could use some advice with the release. We did four 2016 SPON -- Methode Gueuze blends. From those blends, we have about 7,000 bottles (750ml) and 4,500 bottles (375ml). We'll have a proper bottle release the weekend of 11/18. But, my goal is to hold enough back so that it's on our onsite menu for the next ~12 months until 2017 SPON -- Methode Gueuze is released. Maybe this is wishful thinking. But again, my goal is to always have SPON -- Methode Gueuze on our onsite menu, even if you can only get one bottle. Any suggestions/guidance would be appreciated. -- Jeff

*Full Disclosure -- I made a duplicate post on *.

 

I'm no expert, but I don't think it's going to be possible (keeping it onsite for an entire year). It breaks down to roughly 80 bottles a day given the numbers that you mentioned, and that isn't even including whatever amount you are selling to go on November 18th.

Everyone and their brother and sister and grandmother and great grandmother are going to be there on the 18th. It's going to be insane with this kind of advance notice.

 

Sell 1/2 upon release and retain 1/2 for yearly menu or sell the 750's on release day and hold back the 375's for y'alls menu. Or sell all but 2600 bottles and retain 100 bottles for y'alls menu per weekend to sell.

 

As far as I know, you haven't had a fruited sour on your onsite menu yet long-term. (Meaning, priced so it's meant to stay long-term). I don't think one could reasonably guess the demand year-round for onsite consumption without some other precedent. I'm sure you're asking other brewers. My most similar experience is Side Project. $25/375ml or $40/750ml is what I've seen for fruited sours or other similar things. I have no idea how long a single release lasts on their menu, but I've had things that were several months old. Year round seems pretty ambitious unless you price it high enough that you're not getting a lot of takers for 52 weekends.

 

Ahhh. That makes sense. Of course here in Texas winter is pretty much over by the beginning of February, so you can understand my error. And after reading Jeff's post, I'm encouraged by the prospects of snagging a bottle.

 

How about releasing 1/2 the bottles on the 1st weekend with the staggered release you did with the Atrial? I thought that went relatively well despite the 100 degree weather. November weather should be nice. I understand it allows the hoarders to maximize their bottle numbers, but it also allows folks that can't make it on Friday to have a chance on the weekend. I would love to see some of the remaining bottles available on random non-fruited sour release/non-holiday weekends. That's my favorite time to come out due to the smaller crowds. Just my 2 cents...

 

Just want to say that I really enjoyed reading the "story" behind this beer. And reading it made me want to drink it even more! Not only was that press release informative, but it seems like good marketing too!

 

I would be interested to know what Side Project does for their on-site menu. It does seem that they keep some great beers on the menu for a decent amount of time. I figured based on my one trip there that it has more to do with the price then the quantity available, but I could be wrong. Not a lot of people were drinking cellared bottles while I was there.

It would make sense to me if you sold SPON at X price for To Go, but at X + $10 or some mark up on site only. I'm guessing the point is not to allow idiots like me who live super close to be able to show up each day and drink one, but to ensure that those who make a special trip out while on vacation or from far away are able to try something when there.

No matter what, I'm excited for the possibility of a cellar list.

 

Jeff, thanks so much for the thoughtful post and for the opportunity to buy a local beer like this that so closely emulates the greats over in Belgium. From my perspective, with just having a kid in July, I prefer the non staggered Friday release so that I can almost guarantee a shot at showing up after work and getting some bottles. If you do the staggered release it might mean you have to show up before opening each day just to get a shot at them. Who knows, maybe with this high of a bottle count it won't be so bad.

I would also love to see you offer something to locals that might allow them to reserve a bottle with proof of a Austin area driver license since you plan on keeping some bottles on-site anyways. I love your beer and spend a lot of money each year buying it but the lines are making it harder and harder for me to get out there for the beer that I really want.

Just my two cents. Ultimately I support whatever you choose because you're making world class beer so close to my home and that's amazing to me.

Cheers Jeff, really looking forward to trying this.

 

My initial though is to only sell bottles to go that first weekend. Whatever is left, stays on site. But I doubt what's left after the weekend would last a year (nor should it really have to). To be honest, it should last until summer when the fruit beers hit. Think of it at the JK winter whalez option.

Or (and not my favorite option at all)

Just sell the small bottles to go and keep the 750s on site only for pours. But this is a horrible option, so don't do that.

 

What if you did a lottery every weekend for 100 or so bottles that you allocate for that respective weekend (similar to what you do for Zwanze)? If those lottery winners don't retrieve those bottles, you allow those to be either bought and consumed on site or sold at Bottles to go first come, first served. This way if, and a big IF, any are left over you can just add to the reserve for the following weekends. This is all after the initial release of course.

 

This, but don't offer any lottery leftover bottles to-go. Have them available as on-site only, priced around $40 per 750ml, (which is not far off from the current fruited sour pricing considering they're $20 per 500ml, and this beer takes longer to make/costs more) and they may last the better part of a year.

An unintended but positive spin to this is it also increases the interest and prestige of the beer if bottles to go are lottery only.

 

Full disclosure: I made an account just to post this. Wall of text incoming but I really want to voice my opinion on this very exciting release. This is just my 2 cents so please don't take it as anything more than that.

While I can see how a lottery process would be most effective, and that if JK legitimately wants to make this beer last year round, it will probably be necessary to resort to measures like that, I also can't help but feel like it's also kind of a shame to go that route.

One of the best things about Jester King is how chill the experience always is of going out there. This summer in particular has been amazing, the only really painful drop has been Atrial. Everything else has been like a forty minute wait max, and it's heaven to pick up some world class beer for the fridge and just enjoy yourself out there. I would rather all of us get to take advantage of the surplus of this beer than make it some super limited prize to be trickled out via contest. More people from out of state might get to try it, but something else is lost.

It's like, the hoarding/snobby aspects beer culture are awful, and I love that at JK you don't get much of it, but idk, something just feels off about having this complex lottery system where the beer is made impossible to get, and which will encourage everyone in a six hour driving distance to submit every week to play the game. I understand that it's important for locals not to eat it all up, but at a certain point, locals will always benefit by having the brewery be something distinct to the city, and it's true of most breweries these days. At the risk of sounding like a hoarder, I don't think that's really a bad thing, and it makes each brewery (and limited release) more special.

Personally, and this is just me, I think the best option is a reasonably high price point to dissuade flipping/trading/hoarding and probably reserving whatever number you guys want for the taproom. The initial weekend is going to be nuts, but depending on the limit, this beer has the potential to last a good while, and for everybody who wants to get it to be able to get it in a relatively stress free fashion. For me, that is preferable to a system that inflates rarity and makes the whole thing a contest, because beyond being kind of a headache (a fair headache, though, I'll give you that), it just doesn't feel like it would mesh with all of my experiences at the brewery. Maybe you could sell it by the bottle on random days/weekends, if you wanted, to spread it out and discourage hoarding. Then it's just a nice prize if you're there. I bolded bc I haven't seen it suggested!

I don't know, but I feel that if the only way to make it a year around option at the brewery is to make it exponentially more difficult to get, then it's not worth the trade off. It kills me to miss a fruited sour drop, but I would prefer to miss some then be constantly playing luck games to always have a fair shot at any given time. I know this comparison doesn't translate 100%, but you get the drift.

But hey, I have full confidence that Jeff and the guys at JK will do what's best. This post is cluttered but I hope something in it is valuable for thinking about how to proceed. I find JK to be exceptional in so many ways, from the beer to the setting, but what's blown me away most over and over again in my time there is the atmosphere. They are truly good people and that brewery is literally the best thing about living in Austin for me. It is distinct from any other brewery I've been to.

 

How about releasing it for onsite consumption only? Get rid of the mules in one fell swoop, and make it last throughout the year.

 

The release weekend is going to be ridiculous either way, given this advanced notice, but I do agree with @starkmarvelo in that only bottles-to-go should be sold that weekend. How many will be the question though. One month is way too much time for hoarders and traders to gather their mules and be ready to buy by the the case, so low limits/pp will probably be the only way to go at this point. Would have been nice to have bottles available to go for more than a single weekend.

I love the idea of spacing this release out for onsite consumption and would definitely take advantage of that as much as possible. As for the onsite bottles, they could be allocated at JK's discretion and made clear on the menu for that weekend. Bottles could even be allocated per day for onsite. This could be based on remaining inventory, holiday weekend, coincinding with another release, whatever. So there could be 100, 50 or zero, Jeff's call. That way the patron knows how many bottles there are available for that day/weekend and can plan accordingly if that interests them.

The lottery deal is a good idea in general, but could become a huge headache over time for the JK crew to keep up with. And what about the local who goes out there 3 weekends a month, but never hits the lottery? You can't make everyone happy in the end, but spacing the bottles out as much as possible will ensure that (most) everyone gets a slice.

 

This goes entirely against my own self-interest, but if you want the bottles to last a year, do not sell any of them to-go.

Btw, had a few pours of Spon 1 at GABF...and y'all hit this one out of the park.

 

Yeah this was really good at GABF. Can't wait to get a bottle. Hopefully the weather will be much cooler in a few weeks.

 

Just don't do a lottery. I think it's unrealistic to have it for 12 months, however, you could buy a bell and whenever you want to open a few bottles, ring the SPON bell, on random days at random times.
The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning to "sell all the small bottles that first weekend, 2 per. Keep the 7000 large bottles for on site as long as you have the space (I'm a ok buying big bottles for the record). Pouring out of small bottles seems like a waste of bottles.

 

Make sure you have it thru the first weekend of December, going to be there for the first time

 

If Jeff allocates 60 bottles per weekend for onsite consumption, that's approximately 3100 bottles, or a bit more than 1/4 of the entire allotment. That certainly makes his goal of having it on the menu for a year feasible. Some weekends the SPON may sell out on Friday night and they'll be no more till next Friday, but it still comes back to the menu the following week.

 

I don't plan on responding to a cow bell for beer; but I wholeheartedly agree with selling all of the small bottles up-front; I'd like to get *that* storm out of the way.

I also like the idea of on-site-only 750mL bottles. I think it enhances the experience; having the beer at the place it was made helps bind the connection. Much like getting to sample Gueuze _at_ Cantillon is something much greater than just having tasted Cantillon thousands of miles from the brewery. If you've been there, then you can't help but notice that the *beer* captures the smell of the brewery and the surrounding area.

 

I would suggest holding dancing competitions every day at the brewery. Whoever dances the best without being ridiculous gets the chance to purchase a bottle. Hula hoops and similar props will warrant automatic disqualification. The winner would be decided by the public's applause.
This is the best idea because of several factors: A. It helps keeping Austin weird; 2. It will encourage hoarders to bring mules disguised as general public to applaud for them when they dance. This will highlight the absurdity of the muleing practices, and eventually will make them ashamed of themselves, and thus discouraging mules in the future; and 4. Because dancing for beer.

On a more serious note, I would sell the small bottles on site and use the larger bottles to go. Personal preference on this one I guess, but if I purchase some Spon to go, I will certainly be sharing it with other friends.

 

Thanks for all of these replies! I look forward to digging into them and coming up with our plan. Your feedback is much appreciated.

 

You just really want bottles lol

 

Am I the only one reading this as they did four blends of spontan (4 separate releases) and the total of all four blends are the 7k and 4.5k bottles?

"We did four 2016 SPON -- Methode Gueuze blends. From those blends, we have about 7,000 bottles (750ml) and 4,500 bottles (375ml). "

So each spontan release count would be around 1,100 375ml and 1,750 750 ml if they're all pretty equal?

 

Hey, that's a fair statement, thanks for reading my giant post!

My post was overblown and I don't really know what I was getting at exactly, but basically I just really don't like lotteries. A lottery not only has to be regulated with a bunch of rules etc. but the worst thing about it is that games of chance become a constant headache/stress factor because let's be real, you have no control and there's a chance you won't get any ever. And everyone can play without any commitment. Lines suck but at least there's a clear reward/commitment involved.

I know there's no solution that makes everyone happy and people will always bitch, so I def don't want to be that guy, and I know that JK will figure out what's best for them, but I think limits/allotments or other alternatives are always preferable to lottery/on site consumption only for me and I just wanted to voice that. There are tons of desirable beers released every year and I think one of the reasons we don't see too much lottery/on site only is because getting to take away bottles/cans is one of the best parts, and it sucks to lose that.

I don't have the answers though. I think 1 person limit is pretty effective, honestly. I have no clue how people get their mules (my gf is not willing to wait in line for two hours so I can buy beer, and my friends would want to keep theirs) but 1 pp seems like a pretty good deterrent. 900 bottles of Aurelian lasted the whole weekend with 1pp (granted that was partially summer over saturation).

Although yeah, to be fair, you're def right, I do really want a couple bottles of this for my fridge lol.

 

I think the 60 bottles per week for onsite is a great idea. Also allows for adjusting on the fly the first couple of months. $45 bucks a bottle selling out mid day Saturday week in-week out? Up it to $55. Wait a few weeks and see how the increase changes purchasing trends.

 

I don't think those are absurd price points. SPON should be priced more like wine, because in the time, method and resources used to make it, it is indeed more like wine.

 

The real reason it would be priced that high is demand. That's several times the price of traditional lambic at the source.

 

IMO, Previous multiple day releases like Atrial where less chaotic than the single day releases. But this was announced 1 month in advance and I have seen online a large amount of people making their travel arrangements around the release and driving from out of state. I think this will be the craziest release in terms of how the people are going to behave. As you guys have seen in Gin Nocturn, Sherry Atrial releases people where early and waiting in line for 3hrs +. I agree with the wristband with the beer logo. I think with 2pp (1x750mL) and keep small ones for on site consuption, price always make a big impact but I dont think it will with SPON. Keeping the friday release at 4pm was way better than the noon release. So holding 60 monthly for 1 year, this will be sold faster than Ginturn and Shatrial, keeping everyone on sync through twitter has worked great, it will end up on how JK will handle the thousands of people on a friday evening. IMO silent releases are better it has worked perfectly for Side Project, Perennial, Toppling Goliath etc. Dont do online ticketing, being part of other limited beer releases this year with eventbrite, bpt and others it has been bad because they cant handle the traffic and lottery is always horrible.

 

I have been confused by that as well

 

Its a blend of all years.

 

Being local, it's certainly my preference as well. It's good to see that other breweries with in-demand beer have been doing similar things as well.

I've always felt that the silent release rewards the dedicated JK drinkers who show up weekend after weekend because it's a great place to be to drink great beer.