Monkish Brewing

i don't think you made a convincing argument for how it's difficult for the brewery. every point that's been brought up has had a valid counterpoint in favor of online sales. if online sales were so hard for them why do they already do them?

BAs already regularly participate in online sales that sell out quickly. it's either a "cool got my bottles!" or "damn, that sold out fast, bummer" situation. but that only takes 1 minute of your time. i think most people (besides you) prefer that situation to waiting in line for hours

obviously it's up to Monkish and they may just keep it the way it is. but it's not accurate to say that online sales wouldn't work


since you like arguing for standing in lines though, i did think of one positive for that, that you can add to your arsenal. in case you are ever part of a public speaking panel on the benefits of lines..

from an environmental standpoint it's probably better for the overall carbon footprint of the earth. the time you spend standing in a parking lot for 3 hours is time that you'd likely otherwise be driving around somewhere to do something more worthwhile. thus, you are helping to preserve the environment. so kudos for that

 

A counter to this is that during those 3 hours you spend standing in line, the likelihood of eating a burrito increases. Odds are the burrito will contain beans. You will likely fart at some point after consumption of this burrito...potentially hurting the environment.

Hehehehe =P

OK, now it is time for a burrito.

 

You make a good point about the decreased carbon emissions from standing in line, but those decreased emissions are cancelled out by the amount of trash left over from BT verticals. In addition to the increase of landfill waste, the volume of carne asada burritos consumed while waiting in line have contributed to a spike in CH4 and H2S emissions which have led to a compromised ozone layer. Lastly, the increased vaping activity has decreased visibility levels from the excess strawberry melon exhale.

 

fuck. i did not consider that. and it's true. especially with Fantastic Cafe right there.

i still think the benefits would outweight the negative. we'd need scientist to weigh in, but we'd have to determine natural gas emissions from 1 Fantastic Cafe burrito vs driving a car for, let's say, 20 miles

 

you and Reap. on it

 

I've read this thread, and there are benefits to both methods. Don't forget though, most positives still come with their negative reactions.

I don't prefer to stand in line, and have been a loud anti-line advocate, but every situation is different. In this case we're talking about a limited run of beer...A sub 100-case offering of hoppy cans from Monkish that they like to keep cool until the consumer receives them. AND It would appear that a huge reason why Monkish doesn't host can sales online is the cold storage issue.

The rebuttal to the cold storage issue is to have a 1-day pickup. Well, yeah, but this often turns into a standing in line thing again right?

So then there's the whole Lost Abbey online sale, 1-day, 2-session pickup to spread out pickups argument. This appears to work, but it's not an easy task in managing this from the breweries end. Potential negatives for the brewery using Lost Abbey sale/pickup method:

- Must staff dedicated people overseeing the list and keeping things organized
- People unhappy getting shutout online for various reasons.
- Answering calls/emails from people who want refunds cause they end up not being able to attend
- Answering calls/email to switch their session time from one session to other.
- Make sure nobody is trying to work the system with buying double allocations etc.
- etc, etc

With all of this said, I understand why Monkish conducts these can release the way they do. Cash and carry would appear to minimize the headache on the breweries end, while still getting the beer into the hands of the most dedicated. What's wrong with this? Does this always fit into my ideal situation? No. But, if the stars align and I can make it happen, I go.

One improvement I could see instituted right away with Monkish's current can-selling platform would be if they charged you for the beer as they were handing out wristbands!! Each wristband returned would allow you up to a full allocation if wanted, all the while cutting back on the time standing in line after the bay doors go up. I was 200th in line, and it took me 40 minutes to get my beer, largely because of the time it takes to swipe cards/accept cash. I could see this cut by at least 20 minutes if each person was pre-paid, and it was merely a pickup situation once you reached the bay door. In 20 minutes you could eat a burrito

In closing, we will bitch about whatever doesn't work for us specifically because it's human nature. Cheers.

 

Well said. The pre-pay option seemed like it might have some issues but maybe there's a way to execute this and a great way to speed up the process once the doors roll up. I'll talk to Henry about this. I'll say that non-exact cash actually takes a little longer than swiping a card successfully. Every transaction delay adds up to longer overall wait times.

 

Ok. New idea. Dudes who have nothing better to do with their Saturday than stand in line buy the beer. Guys who want to pay a mark up buy it from them, problem solved....

 

FC's burritos is a deal breaker. Gut buster for sure.

 

My family was out of town and I actually had the time to wait 2 hours in line and get the beers a couple of weeks back. I got the dreaded number on the hand treatment. Though it was a little annoying, I still got a half allotment of cans. Despite it all, the experience actually turned out to be a lot of fun. Met new people, experienced the whole scene, and got to sample a lot of great beers. Would I be up for it every release? No. I would still highly prefer to spend a couple of minutes on a computer and miss out, then drive from San Diego for 2 hours, wait in line 2 hours, then drive back another 2 hours with the possibility of missing out on cans. It's about respecting someones time and with the technology we have now a days, that shouldn't be an issue.

 

That cat has given me the evil eye every time I've gone in there. He then falls asleep under the foudre.

 

I feel like I might stand alone, but I'm a bit bummed that the line between "part of the tasting flight" and "not part of the tasting flight" seems to slowly be moving upwards. None of the newer beers are being included in flights, which kinda bums me out. I like getting a flight of the new ones I haven't had, followed by full pours of my favorites.


Older pic



From yesterday

https://www.instagram.com/p/BH7yajQDAi5

 

You can still get the "not tasting flight" ones in 4oz and make your own flight though.

 

While I'm not a huge fan of single day pickup window, at least I know if I'm getting in my car and driving there I am 100% getting beer and not going to travel for nothing.

I keep telling myself that one day all this will die down and I can just mozey into Monkish on IPA Can Day and get some, hopefully that dream comes true soon.

 

I think if and when Monkish expands, then they'll be able to crank out more cans

 

I know it goes against their original beer plan, but seriously, if they increased production 10 fold, these cans would sell out in a single day at local shops. Seems like a good idea to me.

 

Until the trend dies down and Monkish has years of payments left on the expensive equipment bought to scale up production.

 

In talking to Henry he says he has no plans of scaling up the IPA production. He wants to have full control of what's going on. Right now he has a 15 bbl brew system and 15 and 30bbl fermenters. He said he might go up to two 30bbl fermenters but that's about it.

[Edited for clarity]

 

I politely disagree. It's equipment that literally pays for itself the more you use it. The hazy beer tend, if you want to call it that, and the current demand, isn't going anywhere soon...I'd even argue it's largely replacing the demand of West Coast style with many beer drinkers.

If you want to talk about cost of production, I know there are people that know a hell of a lot more about this stuff than me, but knowing what I know, producing hoppy cans must be more profitable than the BA stuff right? The repetition and speed at which you can turn these hoppy cans over is crazy when compared to the BA stuff. For BA stuff, I know that cost of adjuncts, and time required in barrels (which creates a storage cost issue by nature) is an expensive endeavor.

I support whatever they do. However, sometimes what you want to do, or what you want to be known for, may or may not be the most fiscally responsible decision. It all in the end comes down to the brewers intent and passion.