The Veil Brewing - Richmond

I'm pretty happy to see that they had such a big day, every time they have a lot of cans left late in the week, I start to worry that they'll start making fewer cans altogether.

 

lol what do you do for work that you're able to do this at work?

 

Just announced 30 Crowlers of Never Sufficient (1pp / $13 per) will be available today at 4pm along with the 60 Crowlers of Klean Belgiez.

 

Tomorrow's releases...
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Dreamless (Can Debut) is our 4% unspiced Witbier. It started as a pilot batch that received a lot of love, so we decided to scale it up. Just a straight up crusher. Shooting for approx 80-100 cases. $13+tax/4-pack. NO LIMIT.

Fake People (Debut) is a 10.7% triple IPA hopped intensely with Nelson, El Dorado, and Columbus. No sign of the 10.7% abv, citrusy, and dank. Shooting for approx 195-210 cases. $17.50+tax/4-pack. 1 case per person limit.

Fake Love (Debut) is an 8% DIPA with a ton of Citra, El Dorado, and Simcoe. We have real love for this one tho! Shooting for approx 210-225 cases. $16+tax/4-pack. 1 case per person limit.

Hornswoggler with Oreos! (Debut) That's right. You heard right. We took our 7% robust chocolate milk stout Hornswoggler and conditioned it on hundreds of pounds of Oreo cookies. If you like Oreo cookies, this is a must try. *THERE MAY BE SOME RESIDUAL FERMENTABLE SUGARS FROM THE COOKIES IN THE BEER. WE HIGHLY SUGGEST KEEPING THESE CANS AS COLD AS POSSIBLE AT ALL TIMES. WE ALSO SUGGEST CONSUMING THIS BEER AS FRESH AS POSSIBLE FOR THE MOST INTENSE OREO CHARACTER.* Shooting for approx 55-80 cases. $17+tax/4-pack. 1x 4-pack per person.

We will also be hiding 5x Golden Tokens(seen in front of the can) underneath the 4-pack holders(only on Hornswoggler cans). Find one of these coins and give it to a staff member behind the bar to get a free Golden Hornswoggler glass(as seen in the picture in this post; the Hornswoggler himself is on the back side of the glass)! This is the ONLY way to get your hands on this glass. We will never sell this glass. It is only acquired if you are the lucky few to find a Golden Token.

*CASES PACKAGED AND LIMITS SUBJECT TO CHANGE*

 

I'm pumped for a new Triple IPA and always happy about a new DIPA. I might be in the minority with the Oreo-Horns but throwing in some sort of packaged good like Oreos brings in all the artificial flavorings and preservatives. I want to try it, but I'm not expecting it to be better than coco-horns.

 

I tried to do as much research as I could before posting here, so I hate to be that guy, but could a local give me the 411 on releases on The Veil? Specifically when it comes to sell-out likelihood?

I just moved down from the NYC area where things can get more than a little hectic at can releases, esp. with all the whalez hunters and trade-bait out there.

I saw last week the Monkish collab resulted (predictably) in a big line and they sold out of basically everything that day.

Is that the norm?

What would one expect for tomorrow (understanding every release is different)? Any educated guesses?

Appreciate it. Cheers.

 

Generally speaking: yes, that is the norm for a collaboration release and especially if there's a Gose (or a "cray cray" double fruited gose). It's safe to assume these will always sell out on release day, sometimes before 6PM. Otherwise it can be a crapshoot, things like Holiday weeks saw huge and somewhat unexpected turnouts this year, but every couple of weeks there are cans that hang around into the weekend.

Tomorrow specifically: Most recent analogous release to tomorrow was Coconut Hornswoggler (IdonteverwantoBU, Crucial Aunt, Coco Horns, 60 Melk Crowlers and a special glass) I expect:

Biggish (100+) line at opening and after opening (show up at 4 and I'd guess at least an hour in line) but likely the line dies down after 6PM. If it's like the last release, you could roll up at 7PM and be in and out with everything.

I think all beers will last most of the evening, even Oreo Horns (Horneos?) but Horneos will likely be gone by close. Reports last time of folks going back up/through the line to get multiple 4 packs to circumvent the 1pp limit but I didn't see this personally.

I would expect both the DIPA/TIPA to make it to Wednesday at least given the quantity and 1 case limit. They're new, not "hyped" or beloved returning brands.

I have no idea how long Dreamless will last but I'd guess it will be the last to go.

 

Typically their releases do not sell out until a day or two later. Its always a multi-can release (at least 2 different beers), sometimes one of these will sell out on the first day, but not usually more than one.

Exceptions:

Fruited gose - these have sold out on release day every time I think
Double/triple IPA collab with hyped brewery - like the Monkish release, these attract a big crowd. They also typically do these with 2-3 other cans, which also attracts more people but also means more beer to go around. On a 4-can release day with a collab IPA, expect the collab to sell out and maybe one of the other IPAs.

Generally the week after a big crowd is usually quieter, I would expect this weeks release to last a few days.

Lower abv beers sell slower (except gose) and can last through the weekend in some cases

 

Also you can look back in this thread for actual case counts on release day and the days thereafter that Tomcat has helpfully added. You can easily get a feel for what type of things usually sell out/are left.

 

Appreciate all the help guys.

 

@OtherHalfHearted ....Last week was definitely an outlier in regards to how many people showed up but my general rule of thumb is if you see case counts in the 200 range then they will likely last at least 2-3 days. You definitely do not need to show up 1-2+ hours early unless you just want to hang out with people and save some time on the back end when doors open. Even with Oreo Horns that should last most of the evening. Do the math and at 1pp that is a minimum 330 people if they come in at the lower end of their estimate (55 cases). And I agree with @oldn00b about Dreamless likely being the last beer standing. It's not a sexy style and Veil did a draft only release of it in the Fall for their Third Thursday release from their Pilot system so most regulars who show up each week or are local have had it so know what to expect. That even lasted over a week I believe.

If you are not from RVA or make it to the area often then I'd personally spend some time checking out some other spots (Mekong, The Answer, Triple Crossing, Final Gravity, etc) then roll up to Veil around 5 or 6 and I would feel quite confident that you can still leave with each if you wanted and bypass much of the wait as lines will have died down significantly.

 

@OtherHalfHearted If the CocoHorns release is any indication. I had to drive down from metro DC area got there at around 6:30 PM and on the road back to DC at 7:00 PM. I didn't get a crowler but was able to buy the limit on all cans and the limited release glass with no issues.

 

In case anyone is looking for other options along with your weekly Veil haul, The Answer posted this morning they will have 180 Crowlers of Dead Thumb releasing at 4pm along with a new DDDH version of Mind Games. They will do Crowlers of these too. Details below on the beers.

- Dead Thumb - 10.9% abv - Imperial Stout brewed with toasted coconut and Madagascar bourbon vanilla beans.

- Mind Games - Triple Dry Hopped version of their Hazy Double IPA brewed with El Dorado, Galaxy, and Mosaic hops

 

No info on limits / counts yet but been following the local group posts and line is around the parking lot and starting to head down the sidewalk. If you are thinking about heading over then do yourself a favor and show up after 4:30 or 5. Not knowing how tight the line actually is I usually guesstimate a crowd of about 80-100 once it hits the sidewalk so no close to being at risk for missing out on anything just yet.

 

Right on que.....counts/limits and special cask
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~Fake Love-8%-DIPA w/Simcoe, El Dorado, and Citra(approx 216 cases; $16+tax/4-pack; 1x case per person)

~Fake People-10.7%-Triple IPA w/Nelson, El Dorado, and Columbus(approx 191 cases; $17.50+tax/4-pack; 1x case per person)

~Dreamless-4%-unspiced Witbier(approx 95 cases; $13+tax/4-pack; NO LIMIT)

~Oreo Hornswoggler-7%-robust chocolate milk stout conditioned on hundreds of Oreo cookies(approx 60 cases; $17+tax/4-pack; 1x 4-pack per person)**There are some floaties in this beer. If appearance is everything to you, we suggest you drink this one out of the can. The flavor enhancing particles are just a part of life people! Roll with it! Also, there will be 5x Golden Tokens placed underneath these 4-pack holders(Hornswoggler only; no Tokens will be placed under the 4-pack holders of the other brands). Find one and redeem at the bar for a FREE Golden Hornswoggler glass. See previous post for more info.**

It's also National Peanut Butter day! Our friends at Reginald's Homemade will be here selling some of his awesome Peanut Butter. They are all natural and homemade. Make sure you stop and pick some up while he's here. Oh yeah! We also made a special Oreo Hornswoggler cask with a few jars of Reginald's Bourbon Pecan Peanut Butter. It will be pouring in the tasting room when we open at 4pm. It will go quick, and will only be poured today, so get it while you can!

 

Got there around 5 and the line was maybe 75 deep. Grabbed some beer inside (10 min wait) and went back out and the line had dwindled to about 50, so 20-25 min wait. I agree with others that on a typical release the smart shopper arrives at 6. Line was maybe 20 deep at that point.

Initial impressions... I did not try Hornswaggler but did buy a 4-pack. I heard it sold out around close. My favorite of what I did try was Fake Love, which is made very much in the style of BB Subby. Light in color for a DIPA, super hazy, very aromatic hops and a nice IBU punch on the back end. I love it. Fake People seemed a bit hot but may settle down in a week or do. Seems like these should be in good supply tomorrow based on what I saw.

 

I couldn't agree with @Loserphilly more - Fake Love is another fantastic dipa (it's gorgeous and the feel is perfect) and Fake Friends can rest a bit but as it warmed that hop profile is killer.

Horneos is as expected - personally I prefer coco horns but I liked it more than I thought I would.

 

What's up with the exploding cans of Oreo Hornswoggler I hear about already.

 

Faulty can, not a re-fermentation issue. They offered credit to the guy with a faulty can.

I think it was NNAA that had a serious potential of re-fermenting and some can tops popped. The way Horneos split on the seam was a defect with the can, not the beer according to Veil's response.

 

About 362.5 cases sold yesterday

Cans Left Today:
Hornswoggler sold out. 60 cases
~Fake Love-8%-DIPA w/Simcoe, El Dorado, and Citra(approx 77 cases; $16+tax/4-pack; 1x case per person) 139 sold
~Fake People-10.7%-Triple IPA w/Nelson, El Dorado, and Columbus(approx 70 cases; $17.50+tax/4-pack; 1x case per person) 121 sold
~Dreamless-4%-unspiced Witbier(approx 52.5 cases; $13+tax/4-pack; NO LIMIT) 42.5 sold