This is very random but do breweries deliver beer to beer distributors or do distributors pick it up from the brewery?
I've seen many a distro truck back into brewery loading bays, leading me to believe it's up to the distributor to pick up. Sam of DFH has said on record (a few years ago) that his company had not owned one single designated primarily for transporting beer, which lends credence to the idea the distro companies have to pick up and deliver.
I think the vast majority of distributors have to pick up the beer at the brewery. I've never seen a brewery that owns a delivery truck, at least any truck that is marked with the brewery's name that might be for distro use.
I'd imagine, whether by contract the cost is covered by the brewery or the distributor, a lot a beer shipped out of state is being transported by common carrier or indie owner-operators rather than brewery- or distributor-owned vehicles.
Coming from someone working in the supply chain field, it's probably a mixed bag depending on transportation rates and existing contracts for each brewery and distributor.
Depends on the distributor and the brewer, and lots of other factors. Full trailer loads are easiest for the big brewers, and Bud and Miller, etc. ship everywhere and freight is a big cost, but not as much as it is for smaller distributors. Large craft brewers also often move full loads to their larger distributors. Smaller distributors often have to go the LTL (less than load) route and have an independent trucker stop at various locales picking up beer and God knows what all kind of other freight moving to the distributor's general location. The logistics involved in the beer business is very complicated, expensive and often time consuming. Adding on refrigeration costs- when needed- is also a huge expense. I could easily go on, but that's just a snap shot.
And this makes the most sense since a distributor in one state won't [or perhaps, can't] send a truck to another state. After all, how do you think a New York distributor gets beer brewed in California?
Two local distributors pick up the product from the brewery I work at. Our beer also goes to distributors in other states, in which case the brewery is responsible for shipment.
When I call and place an order with the local Sierra Nevada distributor, I always hear them say 'we have a sierra truck in at 9am' or insert another brewery they distro . Its just a trucking company I believe, not associated with the brewery except for the product in which they are carrying.
Yuengling delivers to us b/c I see the trucks. I also believe Abita also delivers because I have seen their trailers waiting outside to get unloaded @ our warehouse. We go to Sly Fox, Weyerbacher, Manayunk, Dock St to pick up beer. Those trucks are usually routed out in the area of the breweries so we are doing delivery's before picking up beer. Most other beer (Sierra, Firestone, Miller Coors) is contracted out to a carrier.
