Otter Creek discussion

More like bad distro - which the brewery needs to take ownership of. Breweries can't just blow off distribution probs - I don't give a crap who caused the delay, my feelings go towards OC, they r ultimately responsible for getting fresh beer to me.

 

Well, you really don't know where the problem starts. Now it's the distro. Ok. Whatever you say.

 

Seriously OC can just brew beer & whatever happens in distro isn't their problem?

 

Unless a brewery self-distributes, what happens in distro is completely beyond their control. Furthermore if they end up with a bad distributor it is very difficult for a small brewery to get out of their contract and look for a better distributor. The good old 3 tier system at work.

 

Nonsense. They choose to distribute their beer in Boston, they own their subcontractor performance for delivery to customers. Blaming their partner for poor performance is bush league. I buy OC beer not Burke Distributing beer.

 

Let's try to settle this:

Should OC have a rep checking stock? Yes. But even huge breweries don't have enough staff to to do that with every store.

Should the distro rep check stock regularly? Yes, that is absolutely their job. When a brewery signs with a distro their own staff is somewhat subordinate to distro. Distro knows the market, knows the good and bad stores.

Are both equally to blame? Depends on the market.

Who should accept ultimate responsibility? The store.

 

The hoppy mixed 12 pack were a month old when they showed up in Burlington vt area. I enjoy the newish hoppy brews they r putting out but every time I see something new and check bottle dates they are at least a month old. This is at beverage warehouse, Pearl st and the like so it's not the shops. Not saying who's responsible but come on it should be hitting the shelves faster,

 

Never ever have seen their RIS anywhere. Weird.

 

The store should be calling the rep. Unless the distributor is dumping old stock on them no matter what, like you said, it ultimately is the stores fault. If they can't get it fresh then they shouldn't carry it.

 

Well, OC is only a 45 minute drive south of Burlington. I haven't been to the brewery in a while but I've got a friend down that way I visit sometimes and I try to stop in at OC. I still have not been to Drop-In.

 

Otter Creek's newer stuff has been awesome but...I wish they put everything in cans and a real problem is that we in NJ often end up with old beer. Their hopp stuff is great and CHEAP but I don't buy old hop forward beers.

 

$4 12oz bottles of 25th anniversary beer; no thanks

 

I live very close to OCB and know them well. They do not even brew a beer unless they have an order for it and they have a shelf life of 3 (or 4?) months. At this time the sales reps are supposed to pull the beer from the store. A beer bottled in July is within that range and it sounds like either the beer doesn't sell well there or the store does not rotate their beers. I agree I wouldn't want a pale ale from July but blaming the brewery without knowing half the story is a little unfair. Cheers!

 

Ohhhhhhhh snap. A pale ale that's six weeks old?????? What ever am I going to do? It's not a DIPA. When it hits four or five months we have a problem.

I'd still drink it.

 

It hurts me to think that shelf stable isn't a concept anymore.

 

Whatever Overgrown I bought last week was as good as I remember it from last year. Freshness Queens be damned. I really wish this were a year round beer...Cue the lines about my uncivilized palate, your overly sensitive ones and how after 48 hours beer turns into rotting septic death juice.

 

Part of my wants to chime in and say the freshness crusade is a bit out of control, but I cannot honestly say I would buy a hoppy beer from July these days, not when there are so so many other fresh options to be had. I wouldn't complain or send it back if I got a 2-month old IPA in a bar, but I wouldn't buy one given the other options.

 

If it's not right out the bright tank I don't want it....

Sorry, this trend really irks me

 

Obviously some people get a little crazy about it but really, the bar being raised on freshness is hardly the worst thing that could happen to the industry.

 

I couldn't agree more! I work in a shop and it's a blessing and a curse. Overall the products have gone uphill. But god forbid I have a beer that's dated a month and a half old, even if it's still in code. I've had customers bring it up to me telling me it's too old. If I have money I'll buy one, crack it and sample it with the customer. Very rarely does it taste bad.

The dating codes are the codes for a reason.