BEER AND NOW


Supplying the Demand Getting rare releases into fans’ hands can prove tricky


By Jeff Hammett F


Jeff Hammett first noticed craft beer early in college when a friend introduced him to Stone Brewing Co.’s Pale Ale. After gradu- ating from UCSD with a degree in Philoso- phy, he moved to Santa Cruz where he frequented Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing and Seabright Brewery. Jeff would journey up to San Francisco to visit Magnolia and Toronado every chance he got. He started blogging about beer in early 2009 while living in Durango, Colorado. For a town of only 20,000 people, Durango boasts an impressive four breweries. Jeff quickly became a part of the brewing scene, and in January 2010 was invited to work with Ska Brewing Co.’s Head Brewer Thomas Larsen to formulate a recipe and brew on Ska’s pilot system. In addition to his love of craft beer, Mr. Hammett is an avid cyclist and can be seen riding on the road or trails most weekends.


or the most part, the increasing popularity of craft beer is a good thing for its fans. More stores are carrying a larger variety of beers from around the coun- try, craft tap and bottle lists at restaurants are expanding, and it’s easier than ever to get quality beer at stadiums, air- ports and other venues where macro industrial lagers have long since been the norm. But there is one downside to its growing popularity that has long-time supporters grum- bling, and it has to do with limited supply releases; with more people drinking craft beer, release events are be- coming more hectic. In effect, breweries are getting more creative in the ways they sell their rare beers when demand outweighs supply, and of course, there’s some pros and cons.


Back in August, 200 bottles of Hess Brewing Company’s Anno Unum first anniversary beer went on sale at noon through BrownPaper- Tickets.com for $25 per bottle (limit two per person). When I clicked over to the page just after noon, the sale had ended. It turned out to be a glitch in the system, causing lots of buzz on Twitter. Within a few minutes Hess fixed the prob- lem and bottles were back on sale. Anno Unum sold out in about two and a half hours, impressive nonetheless. Had Hess decided to sell the bottles at the brewery, chances are there would’ve been long lines well before the official sale time. Such was the scene at AleSmith in June, when 2009 Barrel- Aged Speedway Stout and 2008 Barrel-Aged Decadence bottles were released. Shortly after announcing the May date, AleSmith dropped the limit of bottles per customer to two instead of four to meet the demand. But still, on release day (Wednesday at 7


6-


Lines form for a rare beer release at AleSmith Brewing Company in Miramar


a.m.) crowds overwhelmed AleSmith’s revised estimates with hundreds of people in line just before 6 a.m. Half- way through sales, AleSmith decided to lower the bottle limit again, ensuring that everyone in line get one. This didn’t make everyone happy, though; many felt they should get the original amount announced by AleSmith, while those further back in line nothing at all. “We’d ultimately like to get the bottles into the hands of all who want them, hence the lowering of the bottle-limit to ensure everyone gets at least one. However, the demand appears to exceed our ability to even do that. An online payment system will likely be the way we end up going, along with some other changes,” said AleSmith’s Peter Zien about the com- pany’s future releases.


Stone is another brewing company


that’s had to re-strategize their releases due to before dawn lines and over- whelming crowds. The Ken Schmidt / Maui / Stone Kona Coffee, Macadamia, Coconut Porter Aged in Bourbon Barrels costs $25 for a 500ml bottle at the Stone Company Store in Escondido, but only 500 or so people won the chance to pur- chase a bottle through a charity raffle. Stone sold nearly 15,000 tickets for a dollar each; what could’ve been a hectic beer release wasn’t, and local non-profits Escondido Creek Conservancy and


Interfaith Community Services benefited from ticket sale proceeds. Black Tuesday from The Bruery is also considered responsible for the turning point in rare releases. Lines formed long before the beer went on sale in October of 2009, and some people were turned away because the beer sold out. Back then, this wasn’t common or expected. The Bruery switched to an online system to sell the bottles last year, which had some hiccups, but in the end many patient purchasers were able to buy a bottle. And they’re taking the same approach this year. Tickets to the Black Tuesday Release party ($120) include 3 750ml bottles and taster tickets for other beers at the party were avail- able for Reserve Society members (The Bruery’s beer club). A limited number of tickets for the general public went on sale last month and sold out in two min- utes. Remaining bottles of Black Tues- day will be sold online to the general public starting October 25th at $30 per bottle. Check The Bruery’s website for complete details as the date nears.


Aside from West Coaster, Jeff also writes for San Diego Beer Blog at sandi- egobeerblog.com, and you can follow him on twitter @SDBeer


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