Beer

[HuskyHawk]

Anyone know why you can get Hill Farmstead in Worcester but not Boston? Which beers are they distributing?

Not distribution. It's a bar. They are on tap. They have whatever HF has on tap. Owners seem friendly. The whole place is a little like a slice of Vermont. Male staff all have beards, women have tats and sometimes blue hair, food all organic etc.

 

[HooperScooper]

Anyone know why you can get Hill Farmstead in Worcester but not Boston? Which beers are they distributing?

I've been told from someone who frequents Armsby Abbey a lot that the owner of Armsby Abbey and the owner of Hill Farmstead are friends and that's why the beer is there. I'll ask next time I'm there.

 

[Jay-Bone]

Not distribution. It's a bar. They are on tap. They have whatever HF has on tap. Owners seem friendly. The whole place is a little like a slice of Vermont. Male staff all have beards, women have tats and sometimes blue hair, food all organic etc.

As far as my bartending knowledge goes, you have to obtain through a distribution company. So that is what I mean in terms of distribution, kegs, not specifically bottles. That is why you see Goose Island a lot more on tap because Anheuser Busch bought them out and expanded distribution, but you can only get it through the one regional distributor. That is generally why you can get some beers in some states and not others. Think of Yeungling as another regional distribution example, kegs and bottles alike. I've never heard of it being selective to one bar in a state. I suppose in this case, HF has decided to do thus and probably not even through a distributor.

Despite popular belief, you don't have to have a beard to know beer.

 

[8893]

Hill Farmstead's distribution is extremely small, and very much controlled by where they want it and how much they want to sell:

http://hillfarmstead.com/faq/distribution/

 

[alexd]

I've been told from someone who frequents Armsby Abbey a lot that the owner of Armsby Abbey and the owner of Hill Farmstead are friends and that's why the beer is there. I'll ask next time I'm there.

Back in Sept., Armsby Abbey had Hill Farmstead's: Grassroots Legitimacy IPA, Walden ABA and What is Enlightenment APA.

 

[upstater]

The local guy in Buffalo who gets Hill Farmstead once in a blue moon gets it directly from there, no distributors.

 

[UC990411]

I was actually surprised by a Chrismas present this morning. My sweetie gave me a 4-pack of Sip O'Sunshine! And it was cold! How the hell did you come up with that, I asked. It turns out she just happen to be at the register when one employee was buying a pack from another. And she spoke right up and asked where she could get one. He said, "Oh, we keep it in the fridge behind the counter." Timing is everything.

Where'd she buy it?

 

[Fishy]

I was actually surprised by a Chrismas present this morning. My sweetie gave me a 4-pack of Sip O'Sunshine! And it was cold! How the hell did you come up with that, I asked. It turns out she just happen to be at the register when one employee was buying a pack from another. And she spoke right up and asked where she could get one. He said, "Oh, we keep it in the fridge behind the counter." Timing is everything.

I am shocked. Absolutely shocked.

So you mean to tell me that this woman puts up with you?

Wow.

 

[tdrink]

As others have said fiddlehead makes good beers. Check out there double ipa second fiddle

Fiddlehead Mastermind is awesome too.

 

[8893]

The local guy in Buffalo who gets Hill Farmstead once in a blue moon gets it directly from there, no distributors.

Was gonna mention that I *think* there is always a bit of that going on with HF and a few other beers, but I gather what @Jay-Bone is getting at is that that might not be exactly legal, unless the brewery has done what it needs to do in order to self-distribute, which I know a few have done--especially in their early stages. I'm not sure exactly what it takes (I knew it pretty well several years ago, but not anymore), but iirc there are both federal (BATF) and state regulatory hurdles to clear, and the state ones vary by the state.

I'm not sure if it's still the case anymore, but CT used to have the most cumbersome and expensive labeling regulations in the country, and that was a big reason why we were so late to get so many great beers from other states. Given the cost, PITA and the relative size of our market, we weren't worth it when there were much better opportunities to sell more profitably in other states. In the past year or so we seem to be getting a better and better inventory of formerly unavailable beers, so either something has loosened up in our regulations, or these brewers are finally getting to us after sating all the other markets that are better for them.

 

[upstater]

Was gonna mention that I *think* there is always a bit of that going on with HF and a few other beers, but I gather what @Jay-Bone is getting at is that that might not be exactly legal, unless the brewery has done what it needs to do in order to self-distribute, which I know a few have done--especially in their early stages. I'm not sure exactly what it takes (I knew it pretty well several years ago, but not anymore), but iirc there are both federal (BATF) and state regulatory hurdles to clear, and the state ones vary by the state.

I'm not sure if it's still the case anymore, but CT used to have the most cumbersome and expensive labeling regulations in the country, and that was a big reason why we were so late to get so many great beers from other states. Given the cost, PITA and the relative size of our market, we weren't worth it when there were much better opportunities to sell more profitably in other states. In the past year or so we seem to be getting a better and better inventory of formerly unavailable beers, so either something has loosened up in our regulations, or these brewers are finally getting to us after sating all the other markets that are better for them.

I was talking to the bar/restaurant owner about all this when he had a night of 15 taps of Cantillon beers. I am not sure at all how they managed it because Cantillon doesn't even distribute in the ways you'd expect. They are known for having a Castillon night (Zwanze Day) at certain places around the world on the annual date of their founding. So, this was a complete one-off. Not sure how they managed the regulations for a one-off event..

 

[8893]

I was talking to the bar/restaurant owner about all this when he had a night of 15 taps of Cantillon beers. I am not sure at all how they managed it because Cantillon doesn't even distribute in the ways you'd expect. They are known for having a Castillon night (Zwanze Day) at certain places around the world on the annual date of their founding. So, this was a complete one-off. Not sure how they managed the regulations for a one-off event..

Cantillon distribution is, as they say, a whole 'nother story. If we share a beer or three in New Haven one of these times I'll tell what I at least used to know about it. But damn, I love that stuff. I used to have a very steady supply of it, but at this point I am working off the last of that supply, which is probably about ten years old. I think I have only one bottle left, a Gueuze iirc. I cracked my second-to-last around six months ago and it was still awesome.

But I still have dreams of Rose de Gambrinus and Vigneronne, my two favorites that I haven't had in several years.

 

[specialisthusky]

Finally got my yearly trip to monks cafe in. If anyone is ever in Philly you have to get to this place. I had a pint of Hill Farmstead's Susan which was by far my best beer of the day. They also had a few Russian River brews on tap but unfortunately Pliny the elder wasn't available until this week.

Spent the rest of the day drinking Belgium's. Brassiere's Christmas brew was incredibly tasty.

 

[wethyhusky]

In Burlington this week as well. Lucked out and got a case of heady and 4-pack of space juice.

Were you at Pearl street? Saw a guy with Uconn sweatshirt behind me in line

 

[tcf15]

Were you at Pearl street? Saw a guy with Uconn sweatshirt behind me in line

Ha, yep that was me.

 

[wethyhusky]

Too funny. My wife said hi to you bc of Uconn sweatshirt. Cheers!

 

[Jay-Bone]

Were you at Pearl street? Saw a guy with Uconn sweatshirt behind me in line

There should be a hand signal boneyarders throw up. I suspect some of my idiot friends are on here.

 

[mauconnfan]

There should be a hand signal boneyarders I suspect some of my idiot friends are on here.

If I'm throwing up I won't remember to do this Jay, make it easier.

 

[tcf15]

Too funny. My wife said hi to you bc of Uconn sweatshirt. Cheers!

Enjoy your trip and the beers - looking forward to the Space Juice myself. Haven't had that before.

 

[alexd]

Nice stuff on Kent Falls here....

https://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/the-next-big-craft-breweries-craft-brewers-to-watch

 

[upstater]

Cantillon distribution is, as they say, a whole 'nother story. If we share a beer or three in New Haven one of these times I'll tell what I at least used to know about it. But damn, I love that stuff. I used to have a very steady supply of it, but at this point I am working off the last of that supply, which is probably about ten years old. I think I have only one bottle left, a Gueuze iirc. I cracked my second-to-last around six months ago and it was still awesome.

But I still have dreams of Rose de Gambrinus and Vigneronne, my two favorites that I haven't had in several years.

The beer went fast that day. Hard to get it through the crowds at the bar. Fire code was in effect.

Looked at my ticket and this is just some of the ones listed: Iris Grand Cru, Cuvee Saint Gillioise, Wild Brussels Stout, Kriek, Gueuze, Zwanze 2015, Brusseleir.

 

[Dove]

This BeerMenus email I'm getting is da shitt. The Blue Hound Taproom in Ivoryton just tapped SOS and I will be there at 4:05 today!!! Also have Kent Falls Anachronism Gratzer whatever the hell that is.

I'll be in Wallingford later tonight and I see Westbrook Lobstah has Kent Falls No Funny Stuff on tap.

 

[upstater]

This BeerMenus email I'm getting is da t. The Blue Hound Taproom in Ivoryton just tapped SOS and I will be there at 4:05 today!!! Also have Kent Falls Anachronism Gratzer whatever the hell that is.

I'll be in Wallingford later tonight and I see Westbrook Lobstah has Kent Falls No Funny Stuff on tap.

The Kent Falls Anachronism is a Smoky Beer, a RauchBier.

 

[8893]

This BeerMenus email I'm getting is da t. The Blue Hound Taproom in Ivoryton just tapped SOS and I will be there at 4:05 today!!! Also have Kent Falls Anachronism Gratzer whatever the hell that is.

I'll be in Wallingford later tonight and I see Westbrook Lobstah has Kent Falls No Funny Stuff on tap.

Download the BeerMenus app and you just have to open it and it will give you all the tap lists for the participating places within whatever range you want. TapHunter is the other one to get, because most places are doing either one or the other. For example, Prime 16 in New Haven is on TapHunter, not BeerMenus. I think the TapHunter interface is better, too, especially because it is updated live as soon as a beer is added, whereas BeerMenus needs to be updated manually and many places do not keep up with it even daily. I note that there is a new (to me at least) place in Wallingford called Brew and Steak Kings, with 24 taps, on North Colony Road. They are on TapHunter as well (which is where I learned that they existed).

Lawson's must have just distributed a new batch of SoS last week, as I picked up a 4-pack at my local on Saturday, and Prime 16 in New Haven added it yesterday. This meant that I had the happy occasion to have it on tap here yesterday evening, and then return home to enjoy a can of it with the game last night. Three Sheets in New Haven also had it on tap on Monday, and Westbrook Lobster in Clinton had it on tap over the weekend.

 

[Dove]

Brew and Steak Kings did BeerMenus, too.