by Champ Kind Stone hit a home run with "Enjoy By 9.21.12" Double IPA. Anyone who has tried it knows what I'm talking about. Its aroma carried 2-3 feet away from the glass, which was just the beginning of this super fresh hoppy experience. Well done Stone! New Jersey was fortunate to be 1 of 3 markets to get it. Whether it was a thank you for NJ's significant interest in Stone's beer, or whether it was market research to evaluate a possible east coast facility, it was a win win for NJ craft junkies. I can't be the only one who called a store to confirm shipment before driving to a store. However these calls were met with mixed responses - folks who knew exactly what the beer was, folks who had no clue and others that played things abnormally too close to the vest. I could have rambled on about specific examples to appease fact checkers and called out specific stores. However, in the interest of brevity, I found it best to mention a few key observations and opinions about this recent release so some folks can learn from their mistakes: *If you are a retailer lucky enough to get a rare release, make sure that you and your employees are educated enough to be minimally responsive whether you even have it in stock. If that isn't important to you, kindly pass on the beer so another retailer who takes pride in that aspect of their business can do so. But don't say you don't have it when I know you do. #Watch what you say on your social media sites before you BS us. *If you are a retailer and want to put aside all of your rare beers and pre-sell them to your friends, then you don't deserve any. Also, if you think it makes sense to brag about that very issue to other customers, then you truly are clueless. #Morons. *If you are a retailer and think that people won't talk about the fact that you told differing stories to various people about your total supply and maximum bottle limits, think again. #Shady. *For those stores that stuck with a strict bottle maximum for all customers (and I know a few that did) this is commendable and fair. #Honest Retailers. *If you are a distributor and know that stores and bars are not operating above board with how they are selling rare releases, please call them out or set a recommended bottle limit in advance, even if the limit exists only for the first few days. There is no way that a reputable, user-friendly brewers like Stone would put up with some of these antics if they knew about them. #Don't let this happen again. |
| Champ Kind sets things straight on the Stone Enjoy by 9/21/12 IPA debacle. |
| Champ Kind takes no prisoners in his analysis of what's right and wrong in beer. Want to sound off on something bothering you about beer? Send your article or comments to Champ HERE. |
Enjoy Before All of The Owner's Buddies Get a Bottle
No Holds Barred Beer Talk
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