I'm down! I signed up for 6, but I'm curious to see what the limit they end up having to set is. Just depends on how many people submit requests I guess.

If you guys get extra, I'd be willing to trade a Freetail Ananke for one. Think about it...

I'd definitely do some trades while I'm down for freetail or jester king sours. Crooked Stave anyone?

Did you get Ananke, Ncol?

I'll be getting my allotment finalized on the 28th. I'd certainly be willing to trade (depending on what my final number is).

I traded for some when it was released in the spring. I'd love to get more, along with any bottles from the release they're doing in late September. Those all look to be really small bottle counts so I'm not sure on those.

I have the greatest wife ever. Just booked a flight to College Station for the Alabama game. Can someone repost the bottle share info. Now the decisions on what to bring from FL.

Deep Ellum has arrived in CS. IPA is pretty tasty. Also sampled SA Icon Gold. Enjoyed it as well.

Do we have an exact location for the bottle share? I can roll over my two tap tailgater cooler for homebrew samples.

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I have the greatest wife ever. Just booked a flight to College Station for the Alabama game. Can someone repost the bottle share info. Now the decisions on what to bring from FL.

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Here is the link to the google docs spreadsheet. http://goo.gl/q1856h

iirc NCol is in lot h for tailgating.

dave - we can roll over together. I should have the barrel aged saison ready.

Speaking of Saisons, Boulevards Farmhouse 7 ain't bad.

Yes, definitely. Can't wait to sample the BA version!

Picked up some icon gold and a growler of yellow rose IPA today

Added a bottle of Sucaba and something from paradox on the spreadsheet

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Picked up some icon gold and a growler of yellow rose IPA today

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Solid pick ups. Drink that yellow rose quickly after opening. It kinda lost a little zing the couple times I've gotten growlers. It wasn't heavily carbonated to be begin with, so maybe it was just the keg I got mine from.

Apparently Deep Ellum is going to do a kickstarter campaign to try and get money to build a new taproom. I find this incredibly interesting considering I recall them being pretty opposed to the new beer laws because they weren't interested in "running a bar." And now they want their customers/fans/groupies/whoever to pay for them to do just that? Yeah.. That's no bueno for me.

Any one pick up any Ranger Creek Small Batch #6?

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Apparently Deep Ellum is going to do a kickstarter campaign to try and get money to build a new taproom. I find this incredibly interesting considering I recall them being pretty opposed to the new beer laws because they weren't interested in "running a bar." And now they want their customers/fans/groupies/whoever to pay for them to do just that? Yeah.. That's no bueno for me.

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If a brewery has the opprotunity to open a tasting room and doesn't, they're morons. Say it takes $0.25 to make a pint of beer. They sell it into distribution at $1 and it finds it's way to a bar for $5. They sell the same pint inhouse for $5 and they went from making $0.75/pint to $4.75/pint.

No one could argue that math. But stupid for them to start a kickstarter unless they're wanting to build out a really nice room. Maybe there's a lot of permitting $$$ issues else get it to code and open it up bare bones and let your profits pay to build it out.

Oh don't get me wrong, I'm fully in support of breweries doing taprooms. I'm very much opposed to a brewery that opposed the new beer laws which let breweries open said taprooms now coming back and trying to have their customers (who they'll be making $$ from when said taproom opens) pay for said taproom.

Hops & Grain is going to be expanding so that they can have a bigger/nicer taproom. I don't really care if Deep Ellum wants to open the "most badass taproom Texas has ever seen" I think it's an awful idea to do a kickstarter for it.

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If a brewery has the opprotunity to open a tasting room and doesn't, they're morons. Say it takes $0.25 to make a pint of beer. They sell it into distribution at $1 and it finds it's way to a bar for $5. They sell the same pint inhouse for $5 and they went from making $0.75/pint to $4.75/pint.

No one could argue that math.

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The gross margins are better, but you can't disregard customer acquisition costs. For a large brewer like Molson Coors, it costs ~$0.25 in SG&A (mostly ad spending) per dollar of revenue earned for established national brands with good name recognition.

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Now the decisions on what to bring from FL.

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My vote is for some Cigar City, but please not the Cucumber Saison. That's been at the last 3 bottle shares I've attended now!

Definitely not bringing the Cucumber Saison. I finished one glass and the rest was a drain pour.

I Will definitely be bringing the recent release of Marshall Zhukov and I will see what else I can get my hands on in the next few weeks.

Awesome! Can't wait!

One last Myrcenary before heading back to TX

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The gross margins are better, but you can't disregard customer acquisition costs. For a large brewer like Molson Coors, it costs ~$0.25 in SG&A (mostly ad spending) per dollar of revenue earned for established national brands with good name recognition.

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Once TX changes the rest of their asinine rules that breweries can't sell to-go from the brewery (like wineries or distilleries) then craft breweries stand to make the most on their return.

Here in San Diego new breweries making ~1,000bbl/yr plan to sell 50% of their product inhouse through their tasting rooms. That was unheard of several years ago and it's allowing them to expand faster.

TX is behind the curve but catching up.

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Once TX changes the rest of their asinine rules that breweries can't sell to-go from the brewery (like wineries or distilleries) then craft breweries stand to make the most on their return.

Here in San Diego new breweries making ~1,000bbl/yr plan to sell 50% of their product inhouse through their tasting rooms. That was unheard of several years ago and it's allowing them to expand faster.

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I'm not going to derail the thread further, but in the brewery business, no matter the distribution channel, customers are expensive to acquire and expensive to keep.

Hub, did you join the El Catador club?

Yes I was able to join the El Catador club. I haven't made the 2 hr drive to Tampa to pick up the first beer release. If I find myself in Tampa before now and the game, I don't mind bringing the Forgotten Island to share.

I wasn't too stoked about Forgotten Island. And then I forgot to email yesterday for 110k+OT batch 6.

Hopefully the next release is something more up my alley. I haven't had many quads, barrel aged or not, that I've enjoyed.

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For a large brewer like Molson Coors, it costs ~$0.25 in SG&A (mostly ad spending)

I'm not going to derail the thread further, but in the brewery business, no matter the distribution channel, customers are expensive to acquire and expensive to keep.

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Not to really argue.. but have you ever seen a commercial/billboard/ad for a craft brewery?

Neither have I.

I agree with previous poster. You have a brewery, you're making beer and distributing it all. Sacrifice a corner of that brewery for some tables and a bar. Sell your pints. W/O investing a dollar in trying to acquire customers, you now have spent next to nothing on simply obtaining the means to sell those pints for $5. I think in many states (especially Houston), I'd go with a build it and they will come mindset. Karbach just showed up one day with maybe an article in the houston press. They sent a couple kegs to bars around town, and fast forward to today, 18 months later.

I don't know, but I'd like to see their costs of advertising. it can't be much. If it is, it isn't working, because I've never seen or heard any. Craft beer is the ultimate grass roots, word of mouth business, IMO.

There's a new brewery in Parker, CO. Same thing, I saw an article on them in the beer section of local free paper. (I doubt they paid to have that in there) I see them giving samples at a liquor store one day. I'd imagine that's about all they've done. Get a person to sign up for email list, and you're done. They don't have a tasting room yet (still building), but beers are in stores. As soon as they open a room, I'll know through email, and I'll go and their gross profit made off me will quadruple.

I am not a business person, there could be things I'm missing entirely. But that's how I see it.. craft beer specifically.

For folks in San Antonio looking to score some Ranger Creek Small Batch #6, Specs on 281 and 1604 has it, as well as HEB at 281 and Evans.

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but have you ever seen a commercial/billboard/ad for a craft brewery?

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The ratio holds for Boston Beer Company and Craft Brew Alliance, and there is more to advertising than billboards and commercials. Those Spec's tastings aren't free. The guys that go around to local bars to pour samples don't work for free.

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Karbach just showed up one day with maybe an article in the houston press. They sent a couple kegs to bars around town, and fast forward to today, 18 months later.

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Those guys had a good bit of distribution know-how before they ever launched. Sending kegs of good beer to a bar and capitalizing on the traffic that a popular bar generates is a lot different than opening a tap room in an industrial park and hoping to generate enough traffic to make it.

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Those guys had a good bit of distribution know-how before they ever launched. Sending kegs of good beer to a bar and capitalizing on the traffic that a popular bar generates is a lot different than opening a tap room in an industrial park and hoping to generate enough traffic to make it.

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Yeah, it also helps that Karbach had a boatload of capital up front as well. Certainly makes it a whole lot easier for a craft brewery to hit the ground running and explode.

Saint Arnold does do some billboards actually, but they're the only ones I can think of off the top of my head.

Regardless, as far as Deep Ellum goes, I've got no problem if they want to build a taproom. I think taprooms are great if you can make it work. I don't think it's so great for a brewery that had previously spoken out and opposed the new beer laws (the ones that allow breweries to build taprooms) to then decide to build a taproom and ask its customers to pay for it. /end Deep Ellum rant

sam adams is an entirely different beast all together, I agree. They advertise like the big guys. I've never seen a commercial for new belgium, sierra nevada, stone, dechutes, etc.. though.

A spec's tasting costs what? free beer? the guys that were pouring the new beer near my place.. was the brewer and owner.

When no label started up and did tastings at Rockwells years ago, it was the owner and his dad. These small start ups aren't paying someone full time. They use the street team method, starting with friends and family.

Karbach yes is different again in that the brewer, Eric, was very well established in the industry and knew the business. So it was even perhaps easier for them. (Kick ass beer and no competition didn't hurt) But they still couldn't have possibly spent much money on customer acquisition. They opened a tap room and it was full from day 1 because of sheer anticipation garnered through word of mouth and the renowned absence of craft beer in Houston.

Maybe I didn't emphasize; brew the beer first. Distribute it. Get people to like it and recognize it, and most of all, talk about it. THEN, build a taproom. You already have fans, and they will come. Dedicating a space in the brewery for tables and taps is cheap and easy. Look at karbach, it's the space between the boil room and the fermenters. It was already there. Very minimal. The couple of breweries around me have good visibility (unlike karback), and you literally drive by it one day and your interest is piqued if you drink craft beer, and you'll likely go in. I have gone in every tap room I've driven by, and found out about them either by said drive-by, or seeing the beer on tap or on the shelf.

Opening a tasting room w/o ever distributing a beer or some sort of advertising? Yes, that would be asinine.

Shiner does billboards, too.