This was copied from the Newsletter that Peter Egleston put out for smutty and the portsmouth Brewery.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ever since Tod's Kate the Great Russian Imperial Stout was named Best Beer in America (and Second Best on Planet Earth) in December's Beer Advocate Magazine, we been in turns thrilled, perplexed and appalled by the response. The enthusiasm reached tulippy new heights with the news of bottles trading for hundreds of dollars on e-Bay. And now we've really stepped in it by announcing the exact date and even time when the next batch will be released - Tuesday, June 24th at 2:27pm, for those of you keeping score at home.
So here's our dilemma, which we're hoping that you, kind readers, will help us resolve: We've only got ten barrels of the ebony elixir to go around. Five will be put on tap on the aforementioned date. Two will be racked off into half barrels and squirreled away in an undisclosed location for some future festive occasion. And three will be put into 22-ounce bottles, to be sold in our retail shoppe. That's forty-five cases, or five hundred and forty bottles.
We've not figured out exactly how this will work. We've been told to prepare ourselves for thirsty hordes camping out overnight on our front stoop. Some have warned us to place limits to discourage e-Bay speculators. However, Peter is philosophically opposed to placing arbitrary limits on how much each individual can buy. (Don't ask him about the pie policy at a certain famous diner in central-coast Maine.) He is convinced, however, that whatever he decides, he's going to end up looking like a jerk. Besides, he's convinced that Tod makes other beers that are every bit as tasty as Kate, so perhaps he shouldn't have a say in the matter anyway.
So this is where you come in. If you wish to weigh in, send us an email with one of these options. (Putting the Option number in the subject line will be enough):
-Option One: Let 'er rip. Make Milton Friedman proud - don't place any limits at all. Greed is good. Put all forty-five cases in the store on the first day and let the free market reign.
-Option Two: Make this a regulated market, but don't overdo it. Maximum purchase of six bottles per person per day till the beer is all gone, even if it runs out on the very first day.
-Option Three: A little more regulation, please. Put ten cases in the store on each of the first two days, then five a day thereafter. Limit purchases to six bottles apiece, or the equivalent of two growlers.
-Option Four: The Famous Diner Pie Policy. Two Bottles Per Person Per Day, and don't think you can get your friends to sneak in and buy more pie - I mean beer - on your behalf. We know who you are and you'll never get away with it.
So there you have it. Send us a note with your choice to news@smuttynose.com- Option One, Two, Three or Four in the subject line. We'll tally the votes and go with the popular choice. And if you want to send this along to friends to encourage them to vote, please feel free.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think option two or four sounds pretty reasonable. It would be a shame if some people couldn't make it Tuesday and weren't able to enjoy this epic brew. I know I'll be up there Tuesday, but the middle of the week won't be easy for everyone.
ReplyDeleteCheers!
the greedy me likes option 3 but i think option 4 is more fair. option 4 allows more people to enjoy; maybe add a one growler limit/per day for pbrew imperial pint club members; afterall we are loyal customers. easy way to track during the mayhem would be to stamp the hands of those who purchase their daily limit or put some kind of colored bracelet on the person/different stamps-different colors for each day. i'm sure that's the drawback of trying to control something like this is coming up with a tracking mechanism but maybe you guys have already figured that out.
ReplyDeleteIll be driving up from NYC and I vote option 4
ReplyDeleteThanks
Kerry
I have a problem with favoring the club members. I live south of Boston but still consider myself a loyal customer, yet my 3-4 visits per year preclude me from joining a club meant for those far more local than I.
ReplyDeleteI also favor option #4 with a 2 growler per day limit added in.
lipp,you could still join and show your support for what is probably the best brewery in the business (and yeah i think the pbrew's brews are a lot better than sam adams). your 3-4 visits would be more worthwhile as you'd be getting an imperial pint instead of the regular pint; plus it would be incentive for you to visit one of the best places on the planet more often. how many reasons do you need? i do think club members should be given a little fringe bene, maybe a two growler limit for clubbies and a one growler limit for everyone else? like todm said, drink it, enjoy it, share it...no need for greed. cheers and see ya on the 24th.
ReplyDeletenfl-odd post. You infer (I guess) from my locale that I somehow favor SA beers over those of Portsmouth. Au contraire-Tod's brew's are head and shoulders above Mr. Koch's. I've loved Tod's work since his days in Boston and Quincy-big fan, in fact.
ReplyDeleteI also fail to see how drinking MORE beer (imperial pints instead of standard ones) in the middle of a 3 hour round trip is a good idea-for anybody. That's the kind of "incentive" that causes knuckleheads to drive under the influence. Myself, I'm a "quality over quantity" guy when it comes to beer. One or two 10-12oz goblets of KtG will do just fine, thanks.
Fringe for the club members? I guess...but not at the expense of the out-of-state semi-regulars.
Anyway, the point seems to be moot in that it has been reported elsewhere today that the decision is option 4 and NO growlers. Good decicion, IMHO, although a growler would have been nice. See you on the 25th when the initial hype cools off.
Cheers!
I see that beer news said you made a decision. how come you didn’t release it on your blog?
ReplyDelete