Thursday, April 30, 2009

Additional Kate Day Details...

Howdy all:

A couple of weeks ago I posted a countdown clock on the Portsmouth Brewery's Brewers Notes Page, marking time till next year's Kate Day: Monday, March 1. Since then, I've read a good deal of commentary on Beer Advocate and elsewhere, so I thought I'd take a few minutes and provide some additional details.

Here at the Brewery, thinking about last Kate Day, we concluded that the biggest matter we needed to address was the long line and hours-long wait that many people had to endure.

When we opened our doors at eleven-thirty that day, the restaurant immediately filled to capacity (about 300 people, give or take), and there was no turnover due to the fact that those who had gotten seats remained there till after Kate was tapped at 1:14. Of course, this meant that anyone who had not entered our doors in the first wave was forced to stand in line until seats in the restaurant began opening up, hours later.

How can we address this, we asked ourselves? The most obvious thing is to move the tapping time closer to when we open our doors, so people are not required to wait (inside or outside) for hours. That was an easy decision: we've set the tapping for 11:37 am, shortly after we "officially"open for business. People will be able to stop in, enjoy a Kate and a bite to eat, and get on with their days. Tables will turn over more rapidly, and there will be less of a wait outside. We hope.

Moreover, after, giving it further thought, we concluded that Kate Day consists of not one but two related activities: the celebration & socializing surrounding the actual tapping, and the purchase of bottles. Why did they have to take place simultaneously, we asked? Would things run smoother if we took care of bottle sales first thing in the morning, hours before the tapping? We think they will.

So, in short, here is how Kate Day will shape up next March 1.

1.) Bottle sales will commence at 9:00 AM and will be conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. We will start to issue calendar pages at seven in the morning, to reduce the amount of time people have to wait in line. Bottle sales will be conducted in our downstairs bar, but no drinks will be served there during this time. Once bottles are purchased, people will be asked to go outside so we can clear the room prior to tapping.

2.) The tapping itself will take place at 11:37 AM, in both our upstairs and downstairs bars. We'll open our doors a bit earlier than usual, eleven instead of eleven-thirty, to give everyone a chance to settle in.

We're confident that these changes will help make the next Kate Day more enjoyable for all. As always, we welcome your feedback.

Cheers,

P-

By the way, regarding rumors of larger batches of Kate being brewed at Smuttynose ...



... no comment.

40 comments:

  1. I've never been to Kate Day (nor had Kate) but that sounds like a good and fair system.

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  2. Peter - A completely unrelated question, why not serve the Smuttynose Big Beers on tap at the brewery? The brewery is basically the only bar I go to in town and it's always frustrating when another bar in town has one of the Big Beers on tap and you guys don't. Just doesn't make sense to me. Why not put them on when they come out, doesn't need to be a permanent thing, but since they're spaced out apx. 1 month, it might also give Todd and Tyler a little more time in between brews. Just a thought.

    Keep up the great work, I'm already planning my KtG day.

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  3. Sounds like a good idea! Should improve flow of things immeasurably.

    Now, just gots to gets my double-secret-probation-like email from you to us Impy Pint Clubbers detailing the "real" date and time of release!! ;-)

    Prosit

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  4. I actually felt guilty after the last tapping about staying so long while people were patiently waiting outside. I think I will enjoy my 2 beers and then let some other people come in to enjoy; gotta spread the LOVE!

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  5. Great changes. Although I would wait out a scene like last Years without hesitation, I do feel I'll get a lot more out of the the March event. I would like to suggest a "Cash Only" policy during bottle distribution. I don't know if thats prohibited for any reason but felt it did slow February's line and the credit card fees can't be helping You folks. This policy was just used at Dark Lord Day.

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  6. I am going to "Kate The Great" day on March 1, 2010.
    I know at the tapping they allow you 2 beers for consumption, but how many bottles are you allowed to purchase for take home and what size are the bottles?
    I ask because I went to Dark Lord day at Three Floyds this year and they allowed me to purchase 8, 22oz bottles.

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  7. Beer lover, the limit for bottles of Kate day is (2) 22oz bottles of Kate for you to take home. You can have as many Kate’s on tap that day as you would like. Though, I am sure that our bartenders would legally have to stop serving them to you after 2 or 3 snifters because of the high alcohol level in Kate. Don’t want any drunk driving going on!

    The reason that three Floyds can sell you (8) 22oz bottles is that their system is 7 times the size of us. Plus they have many more fermentation space then us. So they are able to make 900 Cases of 22 oz bottles, when we can only make 900 Bottles.

    See ya in March!
    Cheers,
    Tyler Jones

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  8. I hope to purchase two bottles of Kate the Great on 3/1. What's a calendar page?

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  9. Jim - Brewery tears off a calender page and gives it to you to mark your position on when you arrived.... Jan 1 goes to first person. Jan 2 goes to second etc.
    I didn't really understand it at first either but it gets the job done and well worth it for Kate.

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  10. Wife & I left work @noon to have KATE for dinner. Line was long & cold but we met some great new friends. got our parking ticket to prove we were there.

    Can't wait till March 1

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  11. Will there be a literary contest this year?

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  12. I, Kate and beer enthusiast, think that it is soul crushing for my namesake to come out on my birthday and my not being able to attend. :(

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  13. I can't make it on Kate day. Will on-tap and bottles be available after tapping day? Thanks!

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  14. My suggestion/complaint regarding the 2009 release has to do with the line outside. We were maybe a dozen people back from the cut off for the first sitting, and yes the wait was ridiculous until we were able to get in because of people staying inside for hours on end...but that's not really my complaint.
    What would happen is they would let groups of people go in and tell the hostess how many they had in their group to be put on the 'waiting list'. Meanwhile, there is a line extending down the block with nobody on any sort of list thinking that as space turned over the next person in line would be permitted to enter.
    Wrong. We saw multiple groups that showed up long after us gain entry simply by putting their name on the list and being able to 'skip' the line.

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  15. In response to a the two previous posts.. it is highly unlikely that any Kate will remain on tap or in bottles after Kate Day, except for the very small quantities that we set aside for special events later in the year.

    As far as lines and waiting lists go, the problem we've had in years past is that the line to purchase bottles and the line to gain entry into the restaurant have been blended. This year, they will be separated by time, which will simplify matters.

    We look forward to serving you on March 1, if not sooner.

    Thanks,

    P-

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  16. This all sounds great, thank you for the info. But one question remains unanswered: what will Kate cost both in bottle and draught form? Thanks, and I hope I can make it on March 1.

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  17. The new system sounds sweet. I'll be sure to get up there early to get my calendar day!

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  18. So, question: Camping out... Anybody tried this? Would it work or would our local constabulary chase us off?

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  19. I've got a bottle of '07 oak aged kate the great in my cellar... can't wait to open it this spring! as for march 1, dang i hope to be there. keep up the good work, and to raymond... i very well may try to camp out, so i hope it works!

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  20. Sounds like the changes might help, but there are always going to be some folks who are left out in the cold so-to-speak!

    I just think its great that the event is so well known, popular and successful.

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  21. I'll be at KtG day bright and early. Looking forward to it!

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  22. I am so sad. I have to work. I will miss kate greatly. I will be in Regina Saskatachewan Canada. I will have to drown my sorrows in a beer form a bar called Bushwackers. It runs a very close second to the great PB's

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  23. what time do people start lining up to kate?

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  24. Really want to attend this event (my first Kate day), but am becoming increasingly worried about the weather (will be driving up from Baltimore). Any word on what road conditions look like in the area at this point?

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  25. With respect to the weather and road conditions, your guess is as good as ours. All we know is what we see on the Weather Channel, corroborated or contradicted by what we see looking out the window. A friend in Worcester told us that schools were cancelled yesterday due to snow - then it rained all day! Go figure. The bottom line is this: please don't put your safety in any peril at attend Kate Day.

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  26. So... I haven't heard of anyone camping out. It doesn't appear to be that big of a deal, I just thought it might be a fun event. It would be good to host our out-of-town folks to a good time, too.

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  27. I greatly appreciate your concern Peter, and never fear, I don't plan to do anything stupid.

    Of course, on the other hand, if you were willing to ship me a couple of bottles of Kate (I'd pay for all shipping and handling naturally), then this would be a complete non-issue. See what an easy solution there is to this problem. :-)

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  28. Anyone know if we can use growlers for Kate the Great, instead of buying 22s?

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  29. A question I haven't heard posed yet... How much? bottle/pint?

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  30. what time are people arriving to KTG day?

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  31. I don't want to speak for Peter, but regarding growlers, it's my understanding that it's been several years since they've allowed growler fills of Kate. So in other words... no way.

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  32. Is anyone willing to purchase a bottle for me, and then hold onto it until later (maybe the following weekend) when I can pick it up? My fiance returns from Iraq in April, and I'd like to surprise him with this for his birthday.

    Thanks,
    J

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  33. J,

    I still have a bottle of KtG from last year and am planning to pick up two more this year. If your fiance is active duty military serving in Iraq I would be happy to help you out with a bottle.

    Ed

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  34. Just got back. I knew I should of camped out! Stood in line @ 6am. Rumors floating that all the tickets were handed out the night before (false). But they were handed out way earlier. Rats. Glad I didn't drive or fly in for this!
    I thought I was a beer geek, but the line still wraps around the building... for the 11am opening.

    Raymond McGill
    Portsmouth

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  35. Wow! My husband just called and said the calendar days were passed out at 5am due to the size of the line at the time - people did indeed camp out. He said the line now (the 7am) was for seating for the tapping. Bummer...we look forward to this day all year and have been enjoying KTG for many many years, back to the fill the growler days, as it is one of our favorite beers. I'd rather have a bottle to enjoy, but at least we have the memories.

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  36. Kate the Great
    Many sought her hand,
    fewer have experienced her wholesome joy,
    I guess I'll have to settle for my second damsel,
    Keystone the Light,
    and savor its plentiful blend.
    Ye I was not worthy of Kate's company,
    and had to go home empty-handed.
    Oh the anguish, oh the pain,
    oh a lost love never made.

    ...On a side note, I heard someone from Canada drove 10 hours and was unable to get a calendar page. Such a bummer. Saw the video on the blog, now looking back, if more people can experience the beer, the better, it wouldn't be selling out. Of course only if it's plausible. But that was a long 2 ½ hour trip back home.

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  37. Took the day off from work, woke up at 5am, out the door by 6, got to the brewery (50 miles away) at 7:15am... no more calendar pages, no chance at getting bottles which is what I was hoping for.

    Would've been nice to stick with the 7am start time. I went to UMASS during their final four year and they had a "no lines start until X o'clock" rule for the complimentary student basketball game tickets and it actually worked really well. Must be a better way- maybe some kind of lottery for the bottles, maybe give out the calendar pages in advance to the winners? I'm sure it's complicated to make sure everyone plays by the rules but their has to be something better than this.

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  38. I agree with the above post. Do a lottery for the bottles and don't allow the line to start forming until a certain time. That said, I did get in this year and enjoyed a couple Kates on tap and it was a phenomenal brew.

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  39. I too enjoyed two Kate's on tap. But I visited the PB in the evening. Forget standing in those long lines! Kate was GREAT, but not great enough for all the craziness and hype. Thanks to Todd and Peter for another great year of fun (also at Smuttynose!!!). You really should consider a lottery for bottles next year. Do it by email or something. I saw a guy buy a bottle of Kate for $100 off of another guy!!! Cheers...

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  40. i agree with the past writers. I got some Kate on tap and loved it but do not like how the bottle sales were done. If people show up early good for them let them wait. The calender tickets should have a set time to be given out.

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