Dearest Beer Store, I Am Not A Child

If there's something that's been increasing over the years, it's craft brewers releasing more and more "limited" offerings.  The most coveted of which, at least in my area, has been Founders Brewing's vaunted annual release of KBS, their Kentucky Breakfast Stout.  There were stories during the 2013 release that the local distributor had to disguise their trucks, change their routes and make deliveries at odd times to throw off the the scent of nagging beer hunters.  How much of that is fact and how much is urban legend, I don't know...and I'm not sure I want to know.

Mention that level of hype and anticipation in front of a craft beer retailer and you're likely to get one of two reactions.  1) Yawn or  2) More hyperbole.  It's the second response that seems most prevalent lately and behind the perpetuation of many retailers' behavior that has gotten my panties all in a bunch.

How many times have you walked into your local, or worse yet a distant, beer store to 'hunt' for that elusive brew?  The latest limited release from your favorite craft brewer is due on shelves today.  You've driven all over your state, certain you were going to find that beer.  You just knew it, but you walked out of every store empty handed.  Why?

Well, the dirty little secret (if you didn't know already) is that many retailers never put that beer on the shelf.  It was kept "in the back" or "behind the counter".  You had to ask for it.  Not only that, you had to ask the right person for it.  The reasons I've been given for this practice are as varied as the colors of the rainbow.  None of which hold much water with me.

"We want to make sure it gets in the hands of true beer lovers."

"We don't want just anyone being able to buy this beer."

"We got a very limited supply and didn't want to move current stock off the shelf to make room for it."

"If you're not on the list you can't have a bottle."

"The beer manager says he's not selling any yet."

And so on, and so on.

These are all things I've heard said to others or have been told myself.

There's nothing I loathe more than having to find an employee, who refers me to the "beer manager", who I then have to ask if a particular beer is "in the back".  Why?  In what other retail situation am I begging to buy a product, hoping I pass muster?  Or live up to whatever standard you've set for someone worthy enough to buy this beer?

Have I been a victim of this practice?  Yes.  Often, and especially earlier in my beer hunting career.  Have I benefited from knowing what to ask for and who to ask?  Absolutely.  That doesn't make me feel any better, though.  I think equal, open access makes the most sense.

So...dearest beer retailer, please don't treat us like children.  We're not.  We're more and more sophisticated and educated than ever before.  We love beer.  Not games.  Don't keep the "good stuff" locked in your cabinets and out of our sight and reach.  Put it on the shelf.  Maybe in a special section if that makes you feel better.  Impose buying limits if you like (and most of you do).  That all seems reasonable to me.  But STOP making me beg for beer.  It's embarrassing...and it doesn't make you cool.

I've decided I won't chase beer or employees anymore.  I'm frequenting those stores less and less often, but if I find a "rare" one on the shelf, great!  If I don't, oh well.  I guess it went to someone more "worthy", and I guess either way they're making their buck.  So I won't expect any change anytime soon.

Cheers,
Zach
#brewsader

NYC Craft Beer Festival – Winter Harvest Edition

PR:  New York, NY (Nov. 1st)  The Hand Crafted Tasting Company is happy to announce the return of its NYC Craft Beer Festival – WINTER HARVEST to the Lexington Avenue Armory (68 Lexington Ave.) in Manhattan on Saturday, November 23rd, 2013 for two sessions, and a special afternoon Session on Sunday, November 24th.

The Craft Beer tasting scheduled the weekend before Thanksgiving will showcase Winter releases from 75 of America’s best Craft Breweries, with approximately 150 selections. "When curating this list we wanted to showcase local breweries and how they fit into larger craft beer landscape, as well as some great brews from across the country," said Giancarlo Annese from BeerUnion.com. "In fall and winter you like to have roasty and spicy flavors. But as always, the freshest beer is better beer."

Some of the featured beers on the main tasting room floor include Ommegang’s Take the Black Stout, Southern Tier’s 2 x Xmas, Bronx Brewery’s Black Pale Ale, Six Point Global Warmer, Founders Breakfast Stout, and Lake Placid’s Nipple Top Stout. To add more variety for the attendees’ palate, Hand Crafted is also showcasing a small selection of international beers for the very first time.

In the Connoisseurs Lounge, aficionados can sample additional beers like Allagash Hugh Malone, Corsendonk Christmas, Southern Tier Choklat, Firestone Walker Walker’s Reserve Porter and a selection each from Cigar City, Hopping Frog, Aspall, and Wandering Aengus Cider Works.

Delicious food specifically designed to be paired with the beer tasting sessions will be available for purchase in the food court from Morris Grilled Cheese, Carl’s Cheese Steaks, Cooper's Craft & Kitchen, and El Paso Tacos. Each restaurant will provide vegetarian options.

On Saturday, The NYC Craft Beer Festival will offer two sessions, 2:00 PM-4:30 PM, and 7:00 PM-9:30 PM. VIP’s and Connoisseur Level tickets enter one hour ahead of the posted times. Tickets are on-sale now at NYCCraftBeerFest.com/tix. On Sunday, there is only an afternoon session.

“Our NYC Craft Beer Festival guests favorite venue is the Lexington Armory. And due to recently changed building codes at the Armory, occupancy is reduced. Our guests will have much more room to breathe during the tasting, and we added a third Sunday afternoon session to accommodate demand. We are excited for our attendees to sample our carefully curated selection of the best Winter seasonal brews the brewers have to offer,” said Ken Tesler, founder of the seasonal NYC Craft Beer Festival.

During the tasting, many brewers’ representatives will be available at the taps to educate the guests about their liquid offerings. VIP and Connoisseur ticket holders can enter the Armory an hour earlier and have access to the beer, the brewers and the food during this first hour. This is a great time to speak with some of your favorite brewer representatives and avoid what is expected to be a sold-out, capacity audience later in the day.

There will also be two educational seminars. Jonathan Pogash, aka "The Cocktail Guru", will lead an exploration of one of the hottest trends in beverages: beer-based cocktails aka The Hoptail in his how-to seminar on mixing up your own beer cocktails at home.  Jared Rouben, former Brewmaster at Goose Island Brew Pubs, now at Moody Tongue Brewery in Chicago, will discuss “Culinary Brewing.” During his 2 1/2 years as brewmaster at Goose Island brewpubs, Jared built his reputation by creating lush, flavorful beers that featured food — particularly fruits, herbs and spices — as essential ingredients.  This seminar is sure to be a hit with home brewers across the tri-state area.

Finally, just one hundred & fifty Connoisseur tickets are available for purchase per session. The Connoisseur package offers the extra advance hour of tasting, a speedy entrance line to the Armory and access to the exclusive Connoisseurs Lounge for the entire session. There will be an additional 12-15 rare beers not found on the Grand Tasting floor, and gourmet snacks will be provided at no charge by Route 66 Smoke House. The Connoisseurs Lounge is a great, relaxing place to get away from the throng at the historic armory’s main drill-hall floor.

“We offer a private back-stage kind of lounge for beer Connoisseurs to listen to live, acoustic, Blues & Folk influenced music all the while sampling some of the rarest and most exciting beers you’ll ever get a chance to drink. Gourmet finger-foods will be provided at no additional cost,” says Tesler.

Craft Beer...At What Price?

Let me start by saying I'm an ignoramus.  I have to tell you upfront that I do not know how much it costs the average craft brewery to brew a six-pack of their standard IPA or a 750ml bottle of their year-round stout.  It might cost them $6.  Maybe a $1.  I'll be it's neither, but somewhere in between.  I know it's likely a heck of a lot more than it costs SABMiller or one of the other macro-giants.  

But still, beer prices have been on the rise across the board.  Are we seeing an endless upward trend in the average price of 6-pack (or God forbid, downsized 4-pack).  I won't call out breweries or beers by name, but you've surely noticed it yourself.  That $7.99 or $8.99 six-pack of craft tastiness you used to eagerly snap up is now $9.99 or $10.99 or even more.  Or maybe it's still $8.99, but now it's in a 4-pack.  Quick math says it may only be a buck or two, but that's a 20% increase or more.

Chart courtesy Brewer's Association

This begs the question, is the cost to brew a quality craft beer increasing that quickly?  I've read that raw material costs are on the rise.  Those costs get passed on from producer to consumer, and I have no problem with that.  Reports show that, while hop acreage increased YOY in 2012, the yield actually decreased (source).  In a similar twist of grain-related fate, the cost of barely has been on a fairly steady 3-year rise...a 250%+ increase from Summer 2009 to Summer 2012 (source).  However, despite the seeming squeeze on resources "craft beer numbers were up: 18% more breweries in the U.S., 15% more beer produced by volume, a 17% increase in sales, and a whopping rise of 72% in American craft beer exports." - Time Magazine (3.22.2013).  Production has, most certainly, not gone down as a result.

I just can't help but feel that maybe some breweries are piggybacking off their more popular beers, and their high demand, to increase prices across the portfolio.  Maybe it truly is the rising cost of raw materials combined with increased demand that is pushing craft beer prices up and up.  Could it be that retailers are picking our pockets without the knowledge of breweries or distributors (it does happen)?  Perhaps it's a combination of all of these factors.  

And I know, I know.  If I want a craft product, I have to pay craft prices.  If I want a high quality beer, I have to pay higher prices.  If I think it's too expensive I don't have to buy it.  I understand how the free market works.  But frankly, I do have to buy it.  I can't drink macro beer anymore...and maybe that's a factor too.  They've got me...right where they want me.