Piels Beer - coming back to NY

I think I drank this beer as a teenager and that's enough for me to say I won't be having it again. Too many good beers out there to drink swill.

Or am I thinking of Strohs?

Anyway, I'll pass.

 

At the end of the day this is your (and your family members) decision. I would just encourage all of you to make the 'best' decision regardless of which state the brewery is located (i.e., consider non-NY breweries). Selecting the 'proper' contract brewery is a multi-faceted decision based upon a large number of considerations. What I am about to state as an analogy is a bit extreme but ... selecting the 'right' contract brewery is somewhat like marrying someone. It is sometimes alluring to go with 'exciting' but you really need to think deeply here. Will this contract brewery really be willing to consider and accept my thoughts? Will this contract brewery expend as much effort and consideration in brewing my branded beers as they do their own branded beers? Will this contract brewery really not send out for distribution beer that experienced 'issues' during the brewing process? Will this contract brewery...

It is really not my place to tell you how to run your business, my apologies.

Best of luck here.

Cheers!

 

for alot of the reasons @JackHorzempa points out - I choose not to buy contract brewed beer. Do we really need another contract brewed beer? - especially in NY there are tons of forgettable beers by "beer companies" brewed in Utica, Saratoga, and Memphis. Are you going to heavily reference Piels Brooklyn history while you are having your brand brewed far way? What difference does it make if you contract brew in NY or not then? Even reasonably educated craft consumers to this day believe Sixpoint brews and packages in Red Hook. One of the many reasons I shun them is their constant reference to BK when they've been brewing out of state since forever and not accurately stating where they really brew. If Piels has a rich history worth redeveloping - I'm not sure a contract brewed beer is the way to go.

 

In all fairness starting up a brewing business by building/buying a brewery is a capital intensive proposition. Quality beer can indeed be produced by a contract brewery under the proper circumstances.

I understand your dislike about Sixpoint not explicitly labeling that their canned beers are produced at City Brewing in Memphis, TN but the beer being brewed there is indeed of high quality. City Brewing is a high quality contract brewery and as part of the Sixpoint-City teaming/contractual relationship there are folks from Sixpoint participating at the City Brewing brewery during the production of Sixpoint beers.

It is entirely your choice as a consumer whether you are willing to buy Sixpoint beer because of their labeling business decision. FWIW I still buy Sixpoint beer even though I am personally a fan of this business decision with respect to labeling.

Hopefully the Piels folks will make a prudent decision in their selection of a contract brewery. If they do so and produce a quality beer I will buy their beers.

Cheers!

 

Piels was the choice of beer for my grandfather. Pabst killed it in April 2015. Just enjoyed my last can this past Easter with my family sharing good memories of my grandfather. I would be all about bringing this beer back! Good luck! Keep us posted.

 

Well, it sure reads as if the OP's group "rescued" the brand from Pabst - no brewicide occurred.

 

I don't support sixpoint because of the deceptive labeling, overhopping and over "imperialing" of many styles, overdone marketing on this site and bad experiences with their beers in the past. Enough about them.
I walk past Braven, Warflag, Queens lager and others that have popped up mostly out of nowhere. I can imagine opening a production space is a ridiclous undertaking - but I feel things should be done the right way. You want to talk about history in a neighborhood - open a brewery, hire people and become a part of the neighborhood again.

 

I recognize your enthusiasms here.

Maybe at some later time you will soften your attitudes here or maybe not.

Buy what you like.

Cheers!

 

Isn't Sip Of Sunshine contact brewed? Seems a bit extreme to make your position so absolute.

 

Don't know? - don't know much about it. I also don't care/chase IPAs - can get great ones anytime I want.
We have to have standards and ethics - right? I prefer my craft beer to actually be made by those that are selling it, not just banking on a name, neighborhood or a lifestyle. Not to pick on Piel's or Braven but if you market your beer as being from a certain area - it best be brewed there too - in my opinion. I don't mind Brooklyn as much b/c they sure own up to the fact they brew mostly in Utica (on all bottles/cans). I worry about the effect on the area if they possibly open a brewery elsewhere.

 

Besides the fact that it's no secret that SoS is brewed at Two Roads (it's printed on the cans), as far as I know, it's not contract brewed. Sean Lawson was traveling monthly to Two Roads' facility to brew on their equipment in order to produce much larger batches than he would otherwise be able to in VT. It's possible that the arrangement has changed, but I haven't heard or read anything suggesting such.

 

Whether of not an employee of Two Roads or Lawson's does the brewing, or even if it is a legal "alternating proprietorship" (determined primarily by ownership of the raw material and finished beer), it is still considered "contract brewing" when a beer is brewed in another brewer's facility. At least, using Garrett Oliver's Oxford entry:


In this case, it appears that it is not even an AP, and the beers legally are brewed by Two Road using "Lawson's Finest Liquids" as the label's dba.

 

I was simply making a distinction between firing off recipes to a production facility to handle the vast majority of your brewery's production without your supervision and traveling to personally brew your most popular beer on a larger system to which you would otherwise not have access.

If you want to deal in a literal definition of "contract brewing" and not acknowledge the vast difference between the two arrangements, that's fantastic, but in the context of debating the integrity of a brewery claiming to represent a certain region while brewing elsewhere, I think it's worth noting.

 

Ah yes, the pour!
And of course I meant Saaz

 

Memories of summer weekends at my grandparents too! Piels was in the fridge down the knotty pine basement rec room. Somehow, I inherited a Piels can/bottle opener. It's still my go-to opener. Everyone digs it.

 

My only advice is not to go cheap. People will pay for quality once it's recognized.

 

"Tim-the-Can-Man" told me you folks were pursuing bringing this great brand back to the market. I like(d) Piels very much and was sad to see it go. My very best wishes to you and I'll stay on the lookout for the first batch that makes it to Trumansburg/Ithaca, NY. Take care.

 

It would be nice if the OP gave us an update.

 

As of July 21, 2016: “We're looking currently aiming for relaunch in about 4 months... delays delays delays.”

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...to-see-resurrected.434107/page-5#post-4912465

Cheers!