Supporting craft breweries

BaZmO*

the beer revolu wrote: »

Except it very often isn't.
For the simple reason that producers tend to not undercut their wholesale customers.
Shocker.

Exactly. It’s very rare that you can get beer cheaper from the supplier especially on a pick and choose basis. It would make off licenses redundant.

RasTa

Strange, beer is always about 10-20% cheaper direct over here. Same with most countries.

Maybe because there are a lot more bottleshops.

BaZmO*

RasTa wrote: »

Strange, beer is always about 10-20% cheaper direct over here. Same with most countries.

Maybe because there are a lot more bottleshops.

Are you comparing apples with apples though. We’re more so talking about online orders. Bottle shops are different.

RasTa

BaZmO* wrote: »

Are you comparing apples with apples though. We’re more so talking about online orders. Bottle shops are different.

Yeah, they all have webshops. Same price as walking up.

I did think it was strange seeing Whiplash charging more than the shops.

Pen Rua

RasTa wrote: »

Yeah, they all have webshops. Same price as walking up.

I did think it was strange seeing Whiplash charging more than the shops.

I was going to ask about the Whiplash price differential when they did their last release, but forgot. I think all 3 of the new releases were cheaper on CraftCentral.ie, as opposed to buying direct from Whiplash. One would have thought it would be cheaper (cutting out the middleman etc). FWIW, whenever I buy from Whiplash, it shows as The Big Romance on my statement. But then I've seen videos from their stories of orders being boxed in the brewery itself... idk.

Creamy Goodness

Is it the fact they don't sell below the recommended retail price as to not piss off the stores? The stores buy at wholesale and it's up to them how much of a cut they want in the difference between RRP and Wholesale price.

Similar happens on the likes of the Xbox/Playstation store; digital downloads of games are often more expensive despite being cheaper to produce and deliver than their physical counterparts. It's to stop the likes of Gamestop and Smyth's etc losing business or stop stocking the goods in question

Mickiemcfist

Hi all, would anyone recommend an irish craft stout for me?

I'm not a beer expert in the slightest, drink a lot of guinness but would rather buy Irish, would there be a stout out there similar to guinness i.e. not carbonated, smooth & easy to drink, but from a smaller irish operation? Sadly guinnesses own milk stout is my second favourite!

Pen Rua

Mickiemcfist wrote: »

Hi all, would anyone recommend an irish craft stout for me?

I'm not a beer expert in the slightest, drink a lot of guinness but would rather buy Irish, would there be a stout out there similar to guinness i.e. not carbonated, smooth & easy to drink, but from a smaller irish operation? Sadly guinnesses own milk stout is my second favourite!

This thread might be a good starting point & its recent.

https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2058146498/1

Mickiemcfist

Mickiemcfist wrote: »

Hi all, would anyone recommend an irish craft stout for me?

I'm not a beer expert in the slightest, drink a lot of guinness but would rather buy Irish, would there be a stout out there similar to guinness i.e. not carbonated, smooth & easy to drink, but from a smaller irish operation? Sadly guinnesses own milk stout is my second favourite!

O’Haras, the black label one. If O’Haras still count.

Their Leann Follain is nicer but not as close to Guinness.

Effects

RasTa wrote: »

Yeah, they all have webshops. Same price as walking up.

I did think it was strange seeing Whiplash charging more than the shops.

You're in London, right? I've been to a few breweries there and didn't find their webshops or takeout that much cheaper than the offie.

And I thought Whiplash prices were pretty much the same as most offies here.

Effects

Pen Rua wrote: »

FWIW, whenever I buy from Whiplash, it shows as The Big Romance on my statement. But then I've seen videos from their stories of orders being boxed in the brewery itself... idk.

They have some connection with the Big Romance, but not sure what it is.
I got talking to Alex in there one night and he gave us a few pints for free from the Whiplash taps.

BonnieSituation

RasTa wrote: »

Strange, beer is always about 10-20% cheaper direct over here. Same with most countries.

Maybe because there are a lot more bottleshops.

Where's over here?

Pen Rua

Effects wrote: »

They have some connection with the Big Romance, but not sure what it is.
I got talking to Alex in there one night and he gave us a few pints for free from the Whiplash taps.

Wonder how it works licensing wise. Had me fierce confused one day when I saw a transaction for The Big Romance in Dublin when I’m in Cork...!

Macy0161

Regarding buying direct, it depends on the brewery licence too. If it's direct just on a brewery licence, it's a two case minimum (i.e 48 beers).

Someone mentioned whiplash earlier - the dark beers mixtape worked out exactly the same price direct than buying them individually from craft central.

Effects

I've only bought from Whiplash once, and it was 6 cans.

MidlanderMan

Effects wrote: »

They have some connection with the Big Romance, but not sure what it is.
I got talking to Alex in there one night and he gave us a few pints for free from the Whiplash taps.

If breweries want to sell direct they have to sell a minimum amount, and it's something daft like 23 Litres or X amount of gallons, making it prohibitive for most.

Some, like whiplash have gotten around this by using the of sales function of a pubs license to sell smaller amounts. But in this case it's not cheaper than buying from an offie because the pub actually has to buy the stock from the brewery and pay all the associated vat etc. So Whiplash get an order, they ship directly but they invoice Big Romance for the order, big romance "buy" it, whiplash send them their cut of the transaction, and BR have to do the paperwork for their end, meaning they need to have a margin to make it worth their while.

This is why even Beer Cloud which would seem like you might be buying directly from Dead Centre, doesn't work out cheaper than an offie. You're not buying directly from DC.

Beer Cloud (and the tap room) is a completely separate company from thew brewery. They "order" stock from the brewery (separate company) and sell it via the off sales functionality of the pub's on trade licence. The brewery, the taproom, and Beer Cloud all have the founder/owner in common, but are all technically different companies with three sets of invoicing and payments to be sorted.

The pub work around is why Beer Cloud and Whiplash can sell for example 6 packs, but others have pretty high minimum orders.

White Hag use the licence from The Swagman for their webshop AFAIK.

L1011

I suspect that the order quantity issue is at least part of why Rascals now has a full pub licence. That and being able to sell spirits from the distillery that is actually next door

Macy0161

St Mels have one of the new licence's which means they can sell direct with no minimum quantities, without the pub licence. I assume no minimum, but if it is, it's low enough that you can just order a mini keg on line anyway. I haven't made it back to Longford since it opened with the restrictions to just rock up and try and buy a can!

Wicklow Wolf are just down the road, I love their beer, but the minimum order means it makes no sense for the financial outlay and the number of cans. I literally have to drive past the place to get the nearest decent off licence to pick up their full core range, never mind specials!

L1011

Producers Retail Off Licence. Massively cheaper than an off-licence but you can only sell your own products produced on-site, so there aren't many of them around.

The On Licence version for a tap room is also rarely used - Dead Centres taproom has a pub licence, Rascals was a restaurant and is now a pub, Kinnegar's is in a hotel and hence on its licence and so on.

Macy0161

L1011 wrote: »

Producers Retail Off Licence. Massively cheaper than an off-licence but you can only sell your own products produced on-site, so there aren't many of them around.

It must be that the likes of Wicklow Wolf don't see it as worth while. Or maybe when they can have the tap room open for growler fills too. I did the tour this time last year, and it doesn't make sense to do a tour, have a few samples and not be able to buy a few beers, buy a growler etc.

irish_goat

I dunno why more breweries don't have that. For €500 it seems like it would pay for itself fairly quickly.

Macy0161

irish_goat wrote: »

I dunno why more breweries don't have that. For €500 it seems like it would pay for itself fairly quickly.

Since lockdown 1, me and the in laws probably would've covered the Wicklow Wolf costs ourselves. Even if it had meant a reduction to a case rather than 2 if they wanted to keep it clean.

BeerNut

irish_goat wrote: »

I dunno why more breweries don't have that. For €500 it seems like it would pay for itself fairly quickly.

Some breweries don't want to be seen as being in competition with their own customers.

Macy0161

Macy0161 wrote: »

St Mels have one of the new licence's which means they can sell direct with no minimum quantities, without the pub licence. I assume no minimum, but if it is, it's low enough that you can just order a mini keg on line anyway. I haven't made it back to Longford since it opened with the restrictions to just rock up and try and buy a can!

Wicklow Wolf are just down the road, I love their beer, but the minimum order means it makes no sense for the financial outlay and the number of cans. I literally have to drive past the place to get the nearest decent off licence to pick up their full core range, never mind specials!

The new(ish) Texaco filling station in NTMK always has a good display of their stuff.

emmalynn19

L1011 wrote: »

I suspect that the order quantity issue is at least part of why Rascals now has a full pub licence. That and being able to sell spirits from the distillery that is actually next door

When did this happen? Had a restaurant licence last time I was there (last summer).

Losty Dublin

Just to derail the chat briefly who are offering growler refills at the moment? I recently rustled up my 2 large bottles and may be tempted to put them back into use, after a good clean up that is.

MidlanderMan

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Just to derail the chat briefly who are offering growler refills at the moment? I recently rustled up my 2 large bottles and may be tempted to put them back into use, after a good clean up that is.

Carry-out Tyrelstown if you're out that direction.

L1011

emmalynn19 wrote: »

When did this happen? Had a restaurant licence last time I was there (last summer).

Appeared on the register in January but they had announced spirits and off-sales a few weeks/months before so whenever specifically that was.

Losty Dublin

MidlanderMan wrote: »

Carry-out Tyrelstown if you're out that direction.

I can make it my business to be, yeah

Mimon

Anyone try the St' Mels 5l kegs?

This one seems like good value at 23.95

https://www.stmelsbrewing.com/product/got-myself-a-beer-session-pale-ale-minikeg/