Now, while this is a big day for the brewery itself, it is also big for beer fans. They get a chance to grab one of these epic beers...or do they? Actually, most of us will never get our hands on such a beer. While I have one from last year, I was lucky enough to have Kenny at Hollingsheads hook me up with one. I did not get it from The Bruery themselves, mainly because they create their own demand by making this one of the toughest beers to get your hands on.
Here's the deal: tickets went on sale for the Black Tuesday Release Party a while back. Naturally, the tickets sold out in a very short time. However, while I think it was smart on The Bruery to make two separate celebrations to fit more people, there were other things that I felt could have been handled better. Naturally, they do not care what I have to say and I am OK with that. I just feel I need to vent my frustrations here.
First, there were three separate tiers in ticket purchases. The first one was the cheapest at something like $75.00, and you got one bottle of Black Tuesday to take home with you. The second, which I do not remember the price, got two bottles. The third, again I'm blanking but I know was over $100.00, got three bottles to take home. Keep that in mind: three bottles to take home. Let's say that a group of four friends were able to get tickets and bought the most expensive ones. This would mean that between the four of them, they are taking home an entire case of this epic beer to keep for themselves. Does this seem right? Absolutely not.
Next, some members of the Reserve Society did not even get tickets to the release party. The Bruery Reserve Society is its own exclusionary creation that can only be joined once a year. For a number of hundreds of dollars, you get a free sweatshirt and the opportunity to get epic beers from The Bruery that they do not bottle for the public. Nothing like excluding a number of your fellow beer lovers by making these beers only available to those who can shell out $200.00 around Christmas time. With that being said, some of these people didn't even get tickets to the Black Tuesday release party and are quite lucky that they are guaranteed a bottle with the purchase of their membership.
So what do I personally think they should have done differently? I don't think they should have given the option to get 3 bottles of this epic beer per person. The bottles should have been sold at the counter with a one bottle limit per person. That way, more people get to experience your beer and it doesn't wind up on eBay for $200.00 a bottle. Is that really what you want your brewery to become? If so, then you are doing your job and quickly making your beer and brewery more exclusionary than welcoming.
I love The Bruery's beer. I always will. I think they know what they are doing there and I will never stop drinking it. However, there are a number of beers of theirs that I haven't had because they have created their own demand by making certain things only available to certain people. These certain people, by the way, are more often than not the same people since they have the money to shell out every year to be a part of the Reserve Society. Am I at The Bruery almost every week? Yes. Do I support them in any way I can? Yes. Will I get my hands on a bottle of Black Tuesday? Nope. Are a number of people going to have up to 3 bottles a piece? Yes. Someone should really take a step back and analyze that. Beer is to be shared, not hoarded and selfishly held onto or sold for profit.
Today is a big day for The Bruery. Today is Black Tuesday! Sadly, for beer lovers, it is more like the Black Tuesday experienced in 1929; only a handful of people will end the day prosperous.
