Three Brothers Resolute Day

So one person bought 18 bottles of variants out of a possible 450 and there's this big uproar? Sounds like he bought 6 of each BUT he was there 6 hours before the masses? That doesn't sound that outrageous to me. At least not enough to call him out like this.

Just my .02

 

18 SETS of variants... so 54.

 

Someone is real mad. Please stay in Chesterfield or wherever you live south of RVA. People are tired of your act up here.

 

I actually think the standard Resolute is better than the Vanilla, which had kind of a weird, medicinal flavor. The Mole was amazing though, I wish I had got a bottle of that. I also had a pour from the coconut cask but I couldn't really taste any of the coconut.

 

Cocoa nibs and mole are my favorite. Both are fantastic. The regular is also really, really good.

 

I tried everything today except the Cocoa nibs, thankfully I was able to grab a bottle of each variant.

I had both casks, I was hoping the coconut came they a lot more than it did.

 

I am glad that most people are (smartly) not going after Three Brothers for anything that happened. I'll save the argument about what the Richmond guys did to you guys.

Three Brothers DELIVERED today. The only thing that was a bit off was that Resolute and variants were pouring slowly (which they ended up fixing by tapping with a hand pump and pouring). The ticket system was exactly how EVERY release should go. Separate line for bottles, can go into brewpub whenever. Next year you'll see limits (well done, people that abused the system) and I personally volunteer to man a few jockey boxes outside for some of the beers so that you don't have that initial crush in the tap room.

My god, the Vanilla and Mole are delicious. Well done everyone involved!

Unbiased as always.

 

I managed to get one set (and not the one I had my sights set on either), but even had I not I still would have scored some of the regular, and most important of all, I had a blast shooting the shit with people in line and getting a chance to share some awesome beers thanks to others' generosity. The taproom situation was admittedly a debacle, but due more to people at the front choosing to camp out waiting for the pin of coconut to get tapped, rather than grabbing their pours and moving on so that others were able to get beers. Hopefully that will get a bit more organized during future events.

Ultimately there's no reason to beat up Three Bros. about anything. At the end of the day, everyone there should have been able to walk away with at least a kick ass beer in the regular Resolute, and if that wasn't good enough for you, maybe it's time to stop trying so hard to "taste the rare."

 

Vanilla mole all the way. The coconut was a huge disappointment. I don't think it was ready yet.

 

Amen. The debacle was solely the fault of the patrons who wouldn't leave the bar area. Someone needs to manage that next year. Otherwise, awesome awesome awesome event.

 

I agree, I posted something on facebook about the draft line situation and a few people responded very defensively on the brewery's behalf. I was not at all trying to blame the brewery for the situation, just make them aware of a problem. I feel like 3 Brothers tried to make this a positive experience, but there were some bumps in the road for them, which is fine for a young business, as long as they try to fix those problems in the future. Overall though the beer is great and I hope success continues for 3 Brothers.

 

I was #12 or so in the draft line. I was at the front of the bar from 12:10 to about 1:15 and it was no picnic. I can tell you most people were not camping and enjoying beer. Most everyone had paid for vanilla and cocoa resolute and were waiting for their drinks from taps that were pouring one beer every 5 to 10 min. It got to the point that the bartender was trying to find people behind us who wanted the mole variant since that was the only tap pouring without a problem. She actually couldn't find people to take a mole at one point. I also wouldn't say most people were hanging at the bar until the coconut pin was tapped....that was just a result of still standing there waiting to collect on beers that the bartenders already took your order for. I would have been glad to get my beer and move along and it was frustrating standing there with no idea if and when the taps would be fixed. I actually left after I got the coconut as I gave up on the vanilla and cocoa so others could move up and get what was available. It was the whole tap situation on the two variants that had everything messed up.

 

This

It was poor pours that slowed the bar down. Granted the seats at the bar are for sitting. Its the IPA challenge all over again only these beers were one offs.

 

I had a great time! My crew arrived at 7:50 AM and were within the first 15-20 people in line. It was very cold (18 degrees) when we arrived, but the morning really flew by thanks to good company and tasty beverages. Everyone in my group bought reasonable amounts, and I must say that it was a total dick move for a few people at the very front to buy as much as they did. I think that people that show up early should be rewarded, however, abusing the system and buying excessive amounts like that is just flat out shady, greedy and makes you an asshole. When we heard what was being rung up in front of us, we were actually getting slightly nervous that we would make the cut. In my opinion, there should have certainly been limits, but Three Brothers has already addressed that this will be the case next year. It's a shame that more rules are needed due to a few selfish jerks with extremely deep pockets, but they're out there.

The taproom after ticket sales was a debacle. I can confirm that the major hold up may not have been all the people crowding the bar, but was due to people waiting for the vanilla and cocoa nibs to be poured. Those taps were messed up and taking forever to even get 5 oz. I was told by one of the bartenders that I would have to come back for the vanilla and cocoa, and that she could only give me the mole. I wasn't about to wait in line again, and just took what I was offered and got to try the others due to the generosity of my friends who waited it out. I had to bounce by 2 pm, so couldn't stick around all day, but all in all I thought it was fun and was happy we arrived when we did.

Bottom-line is that Three Brothers is making some damn good beer, and I trust that next years release will be bigger, better and more organized. For what its worth, I think the regular Resolute may still be my favorite out of everything that I sampled. The variants were fantastic though, and I can't wait to try that Vanilla Mole again after a few months of age.

 

Serious question and not pointing fingers or taking sides...zero fs given from me either way, but, hypothetically speaking....
You have three trustees who you like to take care of, two brother in laws who live out of state who love the beer scene, and three regular traders (guys you have a three year trading relationship with)....and all asked you for a set since it was no limits and they knew you'd be in line early. Plus you want two sets for yourself, one to drink and one to trade. Are you saying you'd say no to someone and not get them their beer?

 

Double the variant bottles next year, so 300 and limits on them...complete douchenozzle move to buy up that many variants outta the gate, a real black eye for those in RVA, that their town had the ones that pulled that shit.

I had a fucking blast, tried some great beers, awesome stuff being handed out all over, that BA lambic aged on prunes was titties!

I'll be back next year, in line nice and early, still have 2 bottles from 2013 release too, gonna drink one soon, sit on the other, and also was able to get bottles of regular resolute for folks all over the country.

 

Like I said, I believe people who showed up early should be rewarded, and I think given that given the set up anyone should have the right to buy a few of each set to do with what they please (besides reselling, of course). In my opinion, knowing the bottle count on the variants and that there would be no limits, if you bought more than 4-5 of each variant set, I myself would consider that to be a dick move.

My group anticipated that something like this would happen, and that's why we arrived before 8 AM. I think it's a shame that some who were 40 or so back were not able to purchase any variants, but hopefully lessons were learned.

 

I hope this isn't too big of a black eye for RVA peeps, because the vast majority of us are very generous. In fact, anyone coming up for BA GBS, Rum GBS, or Xmas morning GBS, who would like to crack a few beforehand, hit me up (I'm less than a mile from Hardywood).

 

That was a super cool move on the part of the Brothers. Adam had 2 special brews that he poured for everyone waiting in line early on.