Would you line up for Ontario beer?

A · Post by A » Fri Jul 25, 2014 12:28 pm

If you asked them why they don't do this or that they would give you some diplomatic answer, but the real reason is this - they don't have to. They probably wouldn't sell any more beer by making it more efficient. They sell everything they make, and are suffering very little ill will for the hassle.

Kel Varnsen · Post by **Kel Varnsen** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 2:58 pm

A wrote:If you asked them why they don't do this or that they would give you some diplomatic answer, but the real reason is this - they don't have to. They probably wouldn't sell any more beer by making it more efficient. They sell everything they make, and are suffering very little ill will for the hassle.

That is probably a big part of it. I mean prefilling growlers would add a bunch of extra work either before or after retail opens, on top of actually having someone to sell the beer. Plus having to figure out crap like what is going to get filled each day, and having a much bigger surplus of empty growlers.

I think it is the same reason why they stick to being cash only. I mean yes for most businesses taking plastic means you can sell more, but if you are already selling everything you can make why bother getting a terminal and giving the credit card company a percentage?

rejtable · Post by **rejtable** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 3:52 pm

Kel Varnsen wrote:That is probably a big part of it. I mean prefilling growlers would add a bunch of extra work either before or after retail opens, on top of actually having someone to sell the beer. Plus having to figure out crap like what is going to get filled each day, and having a much bigger surplus of empty growlers
I think it is the same reason why they stick to being cash only. I mean yes for most businesses taking plastic means you can sell more, but if you are already selling everything you can make why bother getting a terminal and giving the credit card company a percentage?

If either of those reasons are actual reasons, then it's a pretty big mark against them for me.

Sure, "why bother" may work for them, and have at it, but the answer to "why bother" for me is that it makes my life better. Having their beer would make my life better too, but the tradeoff for me personally is not worth the reward.

Clearly they don't need my business very badly, and I'm ok with that.

Kekumba · Post by **Kekumba** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 12:23 am

It's Shaun Hill. No pre-filled growlers is 100% quality control (the tags are dated best before a week from the time of filling, pre-filling potentially knocks a day off that if they don't sell that day). The three times I've been there I'd say 90% of the people in line have their own glass anyway.

Also, BA Everett 3 per and Arthur 3 cases per on Wednesday. Who's down for the road trip?

Ceecee · Post by **Ceecee** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 8:27 am

Kekumba wrote:Also, BA Everett 3 per and Arthur 3 cases per on Wednesday. Who's down for the road trip?

Grab me some.

I won't be there until the following Wednesday.

MatttthewGeorge · Post by **MatttthewGeorge** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 8:28 am

Kekumba wrote:It's Shaun Hill. No pre-filled growlers is 100% quality control (the tags are dated best before a week from the time of filling, pre-filling potentially knocks a day off that if they don't sell that day). The three times I've been there I'd say 90% of the people in line have their own glass anyway.

If 90% of the people have their own growlers, that is the opposite of quality control. There is no way of knowing if they were properly cleaned. If this was a quality control issue he'd have you trade your growler for a new or pre-cleaned one.

I've been there, I understand the space limitations, I'm just pointing out the quality control argument doesn't hold.

Kekumba · Post by **Kekumba** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 11:27 am

They have multiple signs on the walls of the brewery stating they check every growler before filling and will reject every one they feel isn't clean. They definitely check them, though I've not heard any stories of people getting rejected.

EDIT: Upon a little searching, it turns out they do often pre-fill growlers. Clearly not very many, which again I'd assume is because he wants them all sold that day.

chris_schryer · Post by **chris_schryer** » Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:07 pm

I agree 100% with Matthew. You can't claim the lack of properly pre-filling is a QC issue. Especially as there is no way they can inspect a growler visually and declare it "clean". It's a bloody-minded "because we can" issue. And they are right, they absolutely can. If they are happy with their business at the size it is, and they continue to sell all the beer they make, indeed to people willing to line-up, so be it. I've had HF beers, and they are lovely. I would not line up for them. That's okay, they don't need me to. If, one day, they not only stop having line-ups, but stop selling all their beer in a timely fashion, they will need to alter their practices, until then, why bother? Part of the appeal for many IS the line-ups. Somebody earlier in this thread somebody said something to the effect of "crowds draw crowds"; that's true.

To Cass's original question, I think one of the reasons people don't line-up for beers in Toronto is a matter of supply and demand. They just don't need to. With a few notable exceptions (nobody mentioned Ten Bitter Years, but I'm pretty sure at least one or two of it's early releases went in a single day), there is more than enough for the type of person who might line up. So they don't have to.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 2:09 pm

chris_schryer wrote: It's a bloody-minded "because we can" issue. And they are right, they absolutely can. If they are happy with their business at the size it is, and they continue to sell all the beer they make, indeed to people willing to line-up, so be it.... I would not line up for them. That's okay, they don't need me to...

If you look at it purely from the brewer's perspective, they have the perfect working lifestyle don't they - total control of their scale and quality, with a reliable market buying it all. Sticking just to this doesn't make them evil-minded or selfish in motives at all, and we can't put that inference on them.

If any of this were different, we'd complain HF's approach had become too commercialized, or that they had 'gotten too big' and 'the beers aren't the same now.'

If anything, instead of criticizing Hill Farmstead and expecting them to change in any way why don't more people copy their highly successful model and prove they can do it even better (ie. don't talk about how things should be, be it.)

IMO line ups you actually choose to be in are not really a license to feel entitled to better service.

chris_schryer · Post by **chris_schryer** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 4:45 pm

IMO line ups you actually choose to be in are not really a license to feel entitled to better service.

+1 We live in a culture of entitlement and it can be easy to forget, none of us "deserve to" or "have to" drink HF beers. We can choose to do so, but they are under no obligation to make the experience good or easy. Most businesses would, but if that's part of your criteria for buying beer, then maybe HF isn't for you.

saints_gambit · Post by **saints_gambit** » Fri Aug 01, 2014 5:26 pm

chris_schryer wrote:
IMO line ups you actually choose to be in are not really a license to feel entitled to better service.
+1 We live in a culture of entitlement and it can be easy to forget, none of us "deserve to" or "have to" drink HF beers. We can choose to do so, but they are under no obligation to make the experience good or easy. Most businesses would, but if that's part of your criteria for buying beer, then maybe HF isn't for you.

Also, it's a real nice way to move some growlers. Let's not assume that it's entirely based on principle when there's the potential to sell you stuff because the stuff you have is deemed unworthy!