Two Austin-area breweries, IronSight and Bindlestick, are closing

Discussion in 'Southwest' started by mig100, May 12, 2016.

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  1. mig100

    mig100 Pooh-Bah (2,633) Aug 3, 2014 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

  2. jwall

    jwall Initiate (0) Oct 21, 2008 Texas

    Never had either and never saw either on tap anywhere. My 2 cents is that if you are going to open up in the suburbs (presumable to take advantage of lower rents), you better have good product and you better start distributing to central Austin quickly and consistently to get your brand out there. I do not think family-centric suburbs are going to have the numbers to support a tasting room unless it is a full on brewpub with a full food menu. Unless you reach Jester King level hype.
     
  3. mig100

    mig100 Pooh-Bah (2,633) Aug 3, 2014 Texas
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    Agreed, I live in Austin and have never heard of either... Which is more surprising than them closing lol

    I just think stories like this are going to become more and more common, as random homebrewers with generous friends keep deciding "hey, I think my beer is pretty good" and try to open up shop with hopes of jumping on the bandwagon.
     
  4. aschwab

    aschwab Initiate (0) Mar 3, 2009 Texas

    My thoughts on Bindlestick and Ironsight.

    Both were started as side things from people who kept their full time jobs.

    Both brewed on tiny systems. (I believe 3bbl).

    Both never hired any full time people to run the place.

    Both failed.

    They did not come off as committed to it, they wanted to but never could really get them off the ground because they never put the time or money into it.

    You didn't see them on tap anywhere consistently due to not being able to make enough beer and not not being able to go around and market it.

    That is my take on why they failed.
     
    thatche2, WolfBrewer, jwall and 2 others like this.
  5. mig100

    mig100 Pooh-Bah (2,633) Aug 3, 2014 Texas
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    What did you think of their beers?
     
  6. greenspointexas

    greenspointexas Initiate (0) Jan 16, 2011 Texas

    I thought Ironsight failed for other reasons.. not because they werent making money
     
  7. aschwab

    aschwab Initiate (0) Mar 3, 2009 Texas

    I am guessing it still had something to do with money regardless if it was a falling out of two people.
     
  8. aschwab

    aschwab Initiate (0) Mar 3, 2009 Texas

    I only had Ironsight before they opened and it was about the same as most breweries at opening - average. It is what you do from there really determines where you end up. It takes time to get everything right, and some just don't.
     
    hopfenunmaltz likes this.
  9. fbt

    fbt Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2015 California

    Just to be a contrarian, Huff is near Bellville and Brazos Valley is in Brenham. Both seem to be commited and working full time, how successful they will be I don't know. But it shows you don't have to be in a urban area, it just means a longer drive to distribute.
     
  10. donspublic

    donspublic Grand Pooh-Bah (3,478) Aug 4, 2014 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I see Huff in Houston every now and then, have never tried any of their offering. Brazos Valley I first tried their beer in College Station, since then they have bombers & cans showing up around Houston. The Cause is a pretty decent IPA, the Tres Leche Stout was pretty good, nice variant. The killer beer is the 7 Spanish Angels which is an American Brown with coffee. That beer should have been in cans from day one, nothing like it and it is a beer that is just flat out drinkable any time of the year. They release it in Bombers, but as good as it is, it breaks my moral code to pay almost $10 for a bomber of non BA/Sour beer.
     
  11. aschwab

    aschwab Initiate (0) Mar 3, 2009 Texas

    Same can be said for Southern Star, B-52, Lone Pint, etc.

    All are suburban breweries pretty far from Houston proper. No problem for them surviving.
     
  12. donspublic

    donspublic Grand Pooh-Bah (3,478) Aug 4, 2014 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I have been to 2 of these, Southern Star and B-52 and they do a bang up job of getting people out to the brewery, plus their beer isn't bad. Lone Pint I have never been to, but they have YR and they knock out some solid beers. Granted I am not in Austin, but I have never even heard of these 2 breweries, did they have any taproom or local following to speak of? This somewhat came up in a thread that was resurrected from the dead about No Label (also a suburban brewery albeit a large suburb), but they knock it out of the park by getting people out there on the weekends when their taproom is open and they have live music, food trucks, events you name it. I have been there several times and will always go if someone wants to because it is a good time. But I have never purchased a six pack of any of their products.
     
  13. aschwab

    aschwab Initiate (0) Mar 3, 2009 Texas

    They had taprooms, but no marketing, no full time brewing, no single one offs for taprooms, nothing unique. That is exactly the issue - location is not. There just was nothing to attract people to go to it other than it is just a brewery.
     
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  14. greenspointexas

    greenspointexas Initiate (0) Jan 16, 2011 Texas

    dont sleep on Baa Baa Brewhouse
     
  15. donspublic

    donspublic Grand Pooh-Bah (3,478) Aug 4, 2014 Texas
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    Baa Baa Brewhouse ok this is a major pet peeve of mine, if your site doesn't work, take it offline. Use facebook/twitter those things, but if I google your name and hit something like this, well probably not going to go looking again. I would think they have the possibility to kill it in that area, you have them Sealy and the other small towns around there.
    Edit: from their grand opening:
    Baa Baa Brewhouse is a 3 bbl brewery, below is what they had on tap for grand opening
    • Bad Baa" Kolsch (served with or without Blackcurrant syrup)
    • British Summer Ale (Nottingham Donkey)
    • Hop-a-doodle-doo series:
    • One grain one hop all mosaic hop IPA ( Father Goose IPA)
    • Pale Ale with centennial, falconer's flight and willamette hops
    • Hoppy American Wheat Beer with experimental hop: HBC 438
    If I lived in Brookshire I would ride my bike over there every weekend :slight_smile:
     
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  16. aschwab

    aschwab Initiate (0) Mar 3, 2009 Texas

    If I am traveling somewhere and looking for a brewery in a random city that has choices, I immediately veto any brewery whose website sucks.

    If you don't care about some basic things to sell your beer, how can I trust if you care about the beer itself.

    I know there are exceptions, but it is an easy way force me to go somewhere else first and if I have time, your place later.
     
  17. aschwab

    aschwab Initiate (0) Mar 3, 2009 Texas

    And how some places do not list their taproom hours in an easy to find place on the website baffles me.
     
    nsheehan and donspublic like this.
  18. donspublic

    donspublic Grand Pooh-Bah (3,478) Aug 4, 2014 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    God knows I love B-52, they are like 40 minutes from my house but my daughter is getting married out there and this place is like a mile from the destination. So on various trips out there, we always hit them up, and always have a blast. The plus thing is they even serve wine for my wife who does not like beer. But their website shows them to be only open on Fri/Sat, but I have been out there 2 times in the past month on Sundays and they are open for business. Like you @aschwab this drives me batshit and don't understand why they don't fix this.
     
  19. cultclassic89

    cultclassic89 Initiate (0) Oct 19, 2013 Texas

    Seriously, a farm animal themed brewery?

    seinfeldimout.gif

    These themed breweries are killing me.
     
    mig100 likes this.
  20. TTUJohn

    TTUJohn Initiate (0) Nov 13, 2012 Texas

    Like Ballast Point?
     
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