Limited release beers

Maybe it's dumb but I like the fact they are limited/seasonal, this way I don't get burned out on them and it's keep the brew exciting each time I have it. I look forward to things like Odell's St. Lupulin each spring/summer and then so many of the big BA stouts in the fall/winter and things like Nugget Nectar or Celebration Ale (even though it's fresh hop and that's hop seasonal). I'm sure so many of these breweries could capitalize on their big boys and popular beers but then we wouldn't be able to bitch about price, tasting better last year and our city/retailer getting screwed on allocations...and that's no fun.

 

Nah I'm totally with you - and my example was semi-facetious/jokey. But I guess in a lot of cases (at least with the larger breweries), they may not be making the one-offs into regulars, because it doesn't make financial sense. As for the smaller local breweries, it's hard to know without examples, but if regular IPA isn't selling and one-off IPA is selling like hotcakes with no additional production cost, then who knows what their thought process is.

I'm totally with you, that, as a general point (irrespective of what one-offs are or aren't being made, that do or don't sell well), a lot of breweries need to focus on perfecting their core line-up.

 

IMO, a Limited Release makes them special and something to look forward to.

 

I didn't see it touched on but typically breweries smaller than macro only have a limited amount of beers they can brew at a time. They have to make the stuff they know they can put a 12 pack out and sell. That is almost their entire cashflow. If they are not putting out the beers that the mass amount of people will drink, they lose cash. If they are too busy making the limited beers (which there is a reason why they are not as mainstream as the flagship beers, no matter what that reason is) and not the flagships, they don't have the abilities to actually make the flagships. Those beers do not just materialize.They only have so much space, so many tanks and whatever. For example the barrel aged beers. How much of your resources and space do you want to devote to storing the barrels properly and taking out room for what you want to do with other beers? This is a very huge cost that is not accounted for when most think about it. There is also the fact that many ingredients are seasonal and the best quality are only around for a limited amount of time.

 

Semi-stupid question : does the seasonal availability of certain varieties of fresh hops affect availability of some of the limited release beers as well ?

 

Oh, without a doubt. Witness the prices of BCBS variants in Chicago. They will sell at prices double, if not more than are currently being charged by GI. Think Heady Topper would sit on the shelves if cases went up by $10 or 20?

To the original question:

I think there are breweries that brew the way they do partially to build hype, and partially because they don't want to brew the same beers year-round, but I think the majority of the big-time limited releases (meaning the ones that would sell even if they were less limited) are limited simply because they take more time to brew.

 

Some breweries do it to create hype around certain beers ... i.e. toppling goliath...to get people excited about things from time to time

 

I have all of the 120 you need if you want set up a trade.

 

The craft beer commmunity seems to obssess a little too much over limited release beers. My message to the OP is to stop worrying about it and drink good beer. Its not that hard.

 

Agreed, everyone is guilty of it but there is so much quality beer that gets passed over cause it is not rare or a special release.

 

OR it doesn't have a cult following.

There are beers that are year round releases that are sought after (Heady, Pliny, etc). At $15 a bottle you have enough people who will buy a limited release. At $30 you lose people. People aren't going to pay the markup on beer as they do other wine and spirits. There are plenty of beers out there that are GREAT but since they don't have the hefty review or cult following they get passed over.

 

I agree with this but I also think there's something that goes right along with that - distribution/regional availability. I live in a state where we don't get Russian River or Alchemist and the only reason I've tried Pliny and Heady is because of one really generous and enthusiastic friend. Both have a cult following and are great, but also can't be had in VA unless you trade or travel for them.

I don't think 120 would move off the shelves any faster than 90 minute if they had the same footprint just like I bet there are people who would prefer something like DoubleJack to Heady if they shared the same availability. Take a good/great beer with a following, add the appeal that we can't have it all year, then add that you can't get it everywhere (or if so it's crazy limited) and that's pretty much how you end up with sensations like KBS/Hopslam/BCBS. I enjoy all those beers, but I think I enjoy drinking them a bit more because I can't always have them and even have to put in some honest effort to find them. I think this is probably true for a lot of folks and also a part of why they stay limited.

 

We as people place a value on things we cannot have definitely.