Not surprising, but only a third of what ballast point fetched 3 years ago.
I guess that means no more Dogfish Head for me.
You a Tom Brady fan, or something?
Not at all; quite the contrary, in fact: I’ll never buy or drink another Leinenkugel.
I should probably explain my thinking. It's not about Dogfish Head "selling out" or anything like that, nor is it about some dubious essential purity of "craft" production vs. macro distribution. It mostly comes from a sense that the amount of money I can allocate toward buying beer is probably best directed toward breweries below a certain production threshold that makes their existence more tenuous. (For example, the plight of Lake Louie when Tom Porter was severely ill.)
Of course there's no rule that says smaller brewers are always better or more innovative — both of those qualities can exist at various points within the production spectrum. But just as I don't buy Goose Island or Lagunitas, I'm not going to spend more money on Dogfish Head. What little economic effect I can produce, I’ll try to direct toward breweries like Central Waters, Oliphant, Lake Louie, Karben4, Point, Fair State, Solemn Oath, even New Glarus, Alaskan or Schell's. Purchasing from them sends a stronger, more meaningful signal that I appreciate & encourage what they're doing than I could ever possibly send to Dogfish Head or Sam Adams now. (Particularly if I also like what the brewery is doing with labor (New Glarus) or sustainability (Central Waters, Alaskan).)
Heh, sorry, I was just referencing this thing I saw on Twitter today:
I didn't drink dogfish head anyway. Or Sam Adam's. So I totally agree with you. I did get a sixer of dancing man wheat from New Glarus today. It is the best hefeweizen in the world and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.
hefeweizen is for weak people with small private parts. Come at me brah.
I like your logic, but I can't follow through in my adopted homeland. Very small craft brewers are making some pretty bold statements in New Orleans, but at 7-8 dollars a pint I can't afford to drink their offerings regularly. The local sixers are on par with the national craft brew prices, but the product is significantly less desirable. I do vote with my dollars, but I'm not blesses with an abundance of choice.
I had a conversation yesterday at the joint with the exact same reasoning. I stopped running Leiny and Sam on tap a lonnnnnggg time ago. Not so much to shun them, but I would rather give tap lines to local/regional breweries. I do think in the Midwest the customer feels the same way when it comes to craft beer. Right now other than the obligatory Coors Light, I have one line each for Fulton, Bent Paddle, Fargo, Castle Danger, Loon Juice, Bells, Empyrean, Deschutes, Disgruntled (Perham), Talking Waters (Montevideo) and local guys Copper Trail. I have had beers on from Revelation (Hallock), OMNI, Beaver Island, and many others. With only 12 tap lines available I have made the decision to stay away from the Goose Islands and Lagunitas of the world.
Since I don't drink beer this confuses me. When I see TV characters talk to a bartender, they just ask for a beer. Pretty sure none of them have asked for Loon Juice.
Your first sentence confuses me, but then again, I went to SCSU with Twayn. 🙂
🙂
All Beers Matter!
An old friend (and prominent academic libertarian) used to tell me "You can't go to the Preference Store." He likes Bud.
I've slowly come around to his perspective (on preferences, if not on Bud). People like what they like. Those preferences can change, of course. Social pressure, experience, etc. But I'm not harmed (directly) by other people's objectively bad taste in beer, particularly in today's market.
I celebrate places that carry variety because I like to try new things. I love trying out local breweries and like it when local places have taps dedicated to local brews. I shun places that only carry 12 different "varieties" of BudMilloors, Because Boring and Not Choice.
But I don't fetishize local beer because I like to see what you all are getting to drink too without having to travel everywhere to find out.
zooomy, what are the economics for you of running so many lines? How much turnover do you need to keep that many lines fresh? Or do you see some loss as a cost of doing business because the variety is part of your draw to your customer base?
With our volume, 12 lines is almost a small line up in today's world. We have no problem burning through the product fast enough to keep fresh. I go through about 14-16 kegs of beer per week. Ideally, I would love to bump to 16 to give a little more variety, but that would be about a $10K expense. I do scratch my head at a couple local joints that have 40-50 lines. That number makes sense in the metro, but there is no way they are moving enough product to ensure freshness in our smaller market (especially winter season). I also worry about tap line cleaning in those places. Costs me about $90 a month to clean 12 lines + the product lost to bleed the lines to clean. I wonder if everyone is cleaning them enough or are they cutting costs in that area?
With our volume, 12 lines is almost a small line up in today's world.
We truly do live in the best of all possible worlds.
Rockets-Warriors. 1 point game with 59 seconds remaining
plus one quarter...?
Dang. One more quarter. Now that’s half baked.
One quarter baked. Or half half-baked
That was some ball rotation by the Dubs!
Heck of an effort by the Dubs tonight to close it out on the road.
Is it time to start (re-start) the "Chris Paul isn't a winner" talk?
I'm mostly saying that in jest. He is a great player, but in today's NBA you can't win a title with just one or two great players.
Hey beerheads: Dogfish Head is merging with Sam Adams.
Not surprising, but only a third of what ballast point fetched 3 years ago.
I guess that means no more Dogfish Head for me.
You a Tom Brady fan, or something?
Not at all; quite the contrary, in fact: I’ll never buy or drink another Leinenkugel.
I should probably explain my thinking. It's not about Dogfish Head "selling out" or anything like that, nor is it about some dubious essential purity of "craft" production vs. macro distribution. It mostly comes from a sense that the amount of money I can allocate toward buying beer is probably best directed toward breweries below a certain production threshold that makes their existence more tenuous. (For example, the plight of Lake Louie when Tom Porter was severely ill.)
Of course there's no rule that says smaller brewers are always better or more innovative — both of those qualities can exist at various points within the production spectrum. But just as I don't buy Goose Island or Lagunitas, I'm not going to spend more money on Dogfish Head. What little economic effect I can produce, I’ll try to direct toward breweries like Central Waters, Oliphant, Lake Louie, Karben4, Point, Fair State, Solemn Oath, even New Glarus, Alaskan or Schell's. Purchasing from them sends a stronger, more meaningful signal that I appreciate & encourage what they're doing than I could ever possibly send to Dogfish Head or Sam Adams now. (Particularly if I also like what the brewery is doing with labor (New Glarus) or sustainability (Central Waters, Alaskan).)
Heh, sorry, I was just referencing this thing I saw on Twitter today:
I didn't drink dogfish head anyway. Or Sam Adam's. So I totally agree with you. I did get a sixer of dancing man wheat from New Glarus today. It is the best hefeweizen in the world and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.
hefeweizen is for weak people with small private parts. Come at me brah.
I like your logic, but I can't follow through in my adopted homeland. Very small craft brewers are making some pretty bold statements in New Orleans, but at 7-8 dollars a pint I can't afford to drink their offerings regularly. The local sixers are on par with the national craft brew prices, but the product is significantly less desirable. I do vote with my dollars, but I'm not blesses with an abundance of choice.
I had a conversation yesterday at the joint with the exact same reasoning. I stopped running Leiny and Sam on tap a lonnnnnggg time ago. Not so much to shun them, but I would rather give tap lines to local/regional breweries. I do think in the Midwest the customer feels the same way when it comes to craft beer. Right now other than the obligatory Coors Light, I have one line each for Fulton, Bent Paddle, Fargo, Castle Danger, Loon Juice, Bells, Empyrean, Deschutes, Disgruntled (Perham), Talking Waters (Montevideo) and local guys Copper Trail. I have had beers on from Revelation (Hallock), OMNI, Beaver Island, and many others. With only 12 tap lines available I have made the decision to stay away from the Goose Islands and Lagunitas of the world.
Since I don't drink beer this confuses me. When I see TV characters talk to a bartender, they just ask for a beer. Pretty sure none of them have asked for Loon Juice.
Your first sentence confuses me, but then again, I went to SCSU with Twayn. 🙂
🙂
All Beers Matter!
An old friend (and prominent academic libertarian) used to tell me "You can't go to the Preference Store." He likes Bud.
I've slowly come around to his perspective (on preferences, if not on Bud). People like what they like. Those preferences can change, of course. Social pressure, experience, etc. But I'm not harmed (directly) by other people's objectively bad taste in beer, particularly in today's market.
I celebrate places that carry variety because I like to try new things. I love trying out local breweries and like it when local places have taps dedicated to local brews. I shun places that only carry 12 different "varieties" of BudMilloors, Because Boring and Not Choice.
But I don't fetishize local beer because I like to see what you all are getting to drink too without having to travel everywhere to find out.
zooomy, what are the economics for you of running so many lines? How much turnover do you need to keep that many lines fresh? Or do you see some loss as a cost of doing business because the variety is part of your draw to your customer base?
With our volume, 12 lines is almost a small line up in today's world. We have no problem burning through the product fast enough to keep fresh. I go through about 14-16 kegs of beer per week. Ideally, I would love to bump to 16 to give a little more variety, but that would be about a $10K expense. I do scratch my head at a couple local joints that have 40-50 lines. That number makes sense in the metro, but there is no way they are moving enough product to ensure freshness in our smaller market (especially winter season). I also worry about tap line cleaning in those places. Costs me about $90 a month to clean 12 lines + the product lost to bleed the lines to clean. I wonder if everyone is cleaning them enough or are they cutting costs in that area?
We truly do live in the best of all possible worlds.
Rockets-Warriors. 1 point game with 59 seconds remaining
plus one quarter...?
Dang. One more quarter. Now that’s half baked.
One quarter baked. Or half half-baked
That was some ball rotation by the Dubs!
Heck of an effort by the Dubs tonight to close it out on the road.
Is it time to start (re-start) the "Chris Paul isn't a winner" talk?
I'm mostly saying that in jest. He is a great player, but in today's NBA you can't win a title with just one or two great players.