Ordering specific brands

Well these are out of order, but people who post here are not always as informed as they think. The beer could not be in that area, or it sold out already or the y didn't get it yet. Of course it could be available but the store just doesn't carry it. Craft sales can really widely vary from store to store even in a small geographic area

I worked at a distributor, it happened very often, and in talking with other retailers and sales reps, it happened there too. This site is really not reflective of the actual beer market at all.

Usually it was situations like yours, either stuff we just didn't bring in, or stuff that didn't sell so we stopped regularly stocking it. Not always for craft either, and even the craft people mostly didn't use this site.

 

Yup, but those are all things that can also be determined in most cases by checking with the retailer rather than driving all over checking numerous stores hoping to find a locally distributed beer.

 

Well I'm seeing a bit of a gap between your view that it happens a lot (which I'm not disagreeing with) and what many customers know is possible.

There's a number of folks I've met in "the real world" of PA who seem unaware of the idea that they might be able to order a case of some particular beer that they really want. So next time you talk to some of the distributors, retailers, etc. that you know you might want to mention to them they might be able to generate even more customer loyalty in at least some customers by letting them know that they can and will place orders for what they can get (and what the conditions and limitations are, of course).

 

Currently a virtual tie (25 to 26). I thought it would be heavily in favor of the noes.... I guess that shows how little I know!

 

I've had a store order beers just for me but it's understood if no one else buys any I have to buy it all.

 

Yup... but I've also had the reverse happen when I ask about a beer (rather than really "order" it) and the store says, "Oh, we'll order it..." and when I show up to buy the case, they say: "Ahhh..there's only a sixpack (OR NONE! ) left..."

Thus my suggestion that quantity be agreed upon at the time.

 

Make 2 trips to the same store for beer? No thanks.
Also, considering I drink mostly hoppy beers, the last thing I want is to be given old beer. Even if I could get a refund, then I'd either have to order something else (and make a 3rd trip)or go to another store.

 

Oh I'll absolutely agree many people don't know. Beer laws and distro are hard to keep track of. I think the good retailers already do this, but the customer has to ask for it. if someone just walks in finds a beer and buys it, it doesn't necessarily make sense to say "hey there's some beers we can order but don't have. But there's also thousands more you may want we can't get."

Usually it'll be along the lines of someone's looking around, you say "help you find something?" And it goes from there. It can also be someone walking in and asking about a specific beer.

 

I've never gotten burned. If he has to order more than one case of the beer he lets me know before ordering it. The first beer he got for me was Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. I picked up a 6 pack and he put the other 3 on the shelf. They were gone before I got back to buy another it was GWTW.

 

"The shelf life of craft beer is a complicated topic. [Brand x] beer will never “spoil,” however, all beer does change over time, and the rate of change is influenced by things such as temperature and handling practices.

Furthermore, some styles of beer change more rapidly and more dramatically than others, even under ideal storage conditions. For example, flavors and aromas derived from hops tend to change most dramatically, so hop-centric beers typically age less gracefully than malt centric beers. However, some people prefer older beer to fresh beer, and some people can’t tell the difference at all.

Most [brand x] beers have a shelf life of 6 months. This means that, ideally, they should not be sold more than 6 months after their bottling date, which is printed on each bottle below and parallel with the label. We feel that while these brands may still meet our quality standards after 6 months, they become less and less reliable as they get older.

Some [brand x] beers hold up better over time. Most of these brands, in fact, can be aged for years and still maintain what most people see as positive aroma and flavor development. The 12 month shelf life for these brands is simply to indicate that once they get older than 12 months, they should be clearly marked as “vintage” so that the consumer can differentiate between vintage and fresh beer.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me."

I pulled this directly from the shelf life guide of a reputable mid-size craft brewery I distribute. I omitted the name so as not to single out one brewery, but be assured that many breweries adopt similar policies. Listed on the sheet were many IPAs and hop forward brands that many of you would not buy outside of 2-3 months. I post it to give you guys an idea of the attitude many breweries (and consequently their distributors) adopt concerning beer freshness. These beers are not considered out of code until they reach 6 months is age, and as a result the distributor will not pull them from the warehouse until then, and often won't pull from retail until then either.

If your idea of "fresh" differs from this, then it's your prerogative to seek beer within your preferences. Communicate well with your retailer and hope that they in turn communicate your desires to the distributor. Realize that a distributor may have pallets of beer that is not within your freshness preferences, but well within code. They will not restock until that supply runs out. That means it could take quite a bit longer than 1-2 weeks to special order a case that suits your preferences.

I don't expect the average craft consumer to jump through all these hoops. They will likely take the easy route; walking into a store and walking out with an impulse purchase. Remember that those of us on BA are a very small subset of Craft consumers. even if all of us responding to this thread would order in this manner, it's a drop in the bucket.

 

I find this funny. Often I will call on multiple stores in my territory and retailers will ask me for the same order of an obscure beer. Obviously the same person is driving all over asking for it. People just don't know how distribution works. Often the retailer simply doesn't know if I might carry brand x or not, so they don't know what to tell the customer until they consult me first. Thus the customer might drive around for days before they figure out the brand isn't even distributed in state. A couple of phone calls or a bit of research could've saved all the hassle.