Ever to bring the growler back in or just never buy their beer again period? Because if you'd hold a grudge over something so simple, that says something about you more than them.
Fair-Iowa craft beer tent
- Thread starter dmclone
- Start date
Ever to bring the growler back in or just never buy their beer again period? Because if you'd hold a grudge over something so simple, that says something about you more than them.
I wouldn't hold a grudge or actually be angry, but if they're going to have a rule over something so simple, I can choose to be petty over something so simple.
Well i'm with everyone on the growler thing. I don't get. I understand it's a business, but if someone comes in with a different growler and is wanting your beer, you sell them your beer. You don't miss out on a sale because of a different growler.
It wouldn't bother me so much if I could think of a single rational explanation other than them just plain being greedy. It can't be anything to do with sanitation/liability since every single other brewery I've been to allows "outside" growlers (including Confluence, who's presumably abiding by the same exact set of laws as they're in the same city). If they think their beer is so amazing that they can strong-arm people into buying a special growler just for it, they're looney.
00clone is right, I should have told them to go **** in the sea.
I have nothing against Exile other then the fact that I've never liked anything they've brewed. Whenever they start making 1 beer I like, I'll jump on the bandwagon. I think what hurts them in my eyes is that 515 and Confluence started at about the same time and they've made so many good beers. Even Firetrucker has some good beer and they've been around for like a month.
Answer my point above then.
You are kind of contradicting yourself then if you don't understand the dislike from this board. A ton of members of this board live in the metro (where you are buying your beer at HyVee from).
515 frustrates me. Literally every time I've been there, they're out of at least 3-4 of their beers, which makes me think "hmm, those must be better than the mediocre beers they had left, I should come back again to see if they've brewed more"...and that's probably exactly what they want. Artificial exclusivity.
That's incredibly stupid. It's supposed to be about the beer, not the container. I've never been anywhere they didn't fill another growler. We have a thermo-growler we like to use - I guess that wouldn't work either?
Heck - my wife and I hit 20+ breweries across Montana and the Dakotas in July. Nobody said anything about other growlers and in fact we traded a bunch. Many of the breweries had other breweries' growlers lined up on the shelves. Gillette Brewing in Wyoming probably had a few hundred. Pretty cool
Our story is a bit more odd. A friend ordered a pint. Not exactly clear what happened - the keg blew, or had recently blown. But it was really spitting out, hence a ton of foam. Barkeep fills the glass mostly foam and hands it to my friend. He casually asks if they guy would actually top it off and not serve him a maybe half full pint. Barkeep says that's the way it comes out, that's the way we serve it.
Seems like a couple *****-hats running that place.
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I must have been lucky the 8 or 9 times I've been there they've had at least 7 of their own beers on tap. A few that I liked.
Hopititas C
Dart Dodger
Castaway Porter
Stout of the Closet
I agree that they do need to pick 3 or 4 winners that are always on tap.
They also need to get off the whole "We want kids in our bar" theme.
Problem with 515 is they are very, very small when compared to Confluence or even Exile I suppose. I've been told they want to expand and get some additional equipment. Not sure if there's some licensing issues there, or space, or cash flow. I got a nickel tour a few months back, and they just don't have capacity - so I don't think it's really artificial. Supposedly they wanted to expand to the the space immediately east, but that Indian grocery got a hold of it first. Probably not all that economical for a startup to try an operate out of two locales.
I kinda felt the same way. But last week I had a miserable day - wanted a beer. My wife's sister and niece just moved back to town and she wanted to do something with her. So the answer was "head to Confluence and I'll pick up some pizzas" Got the kid a root beer, played some board games. DSM apparently doesn't have the same issue.
So I do get it. Clearly there are other options - umpteen restaurants serve their beer. I suppose 515 is a bit put off by the fact the other breweries around town can do that, they can't.
This is not the case at all. If you've ever seen the "brewhouse" at 515, you would know what kind of constraints they have. What they want is to be able to share their beer with everyone, with space constraints and the fact that 515 is a hobby brewery for most of the people that work there, they are pumping out as much beer as they can brew.
As for the Exile hate on here, it's completely unwarranted. They are brewing some of the best Lager style beers in the Des Moines area or even the state. I would be on the look out for the lager style in the upcoming years. I also think that like many other Iowa breweries that try to start off brewing nothing but a particular style (I believe Exile set out to brew only primarily traditional German style beers), they realize, "Wait, that is not what the masses are drinking and not what the masses are looking for." So they've had to change things up. Their first run of their IPA was atrocious, but they have since re-brewed and improved it. They've also got a berlinerweisse that is incredible.
One problem I do have with Iowa craft beer is the "Drink Local" passion that people have. I completely understand wanting to support local businesses, but many of our Iowa breweries are cranking out crap and people are drinking it up for the reason that it is a locally made beer.
It's not that they want kids in their brewery, their point is that it lies on a bike trail. Why shouldn't I be able to stop in with my kids for a beverage after a ride? They have root beer, snacks and games. I don't think that they are trying to cater to children, but they want their environment to be family friendly which plenty of breweries across the United States are.
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Fair enough, but whether it's intentional or not, their size seems to be a limiting factor in how much they can produce. Maybe a hobby brewery is exactly what they want to be, but the downside (frequently running out of beer) is enough to keep me from returning.
It would be nice if they could expand/relocate and ramp up production, which could help them become more reliable with availability.
I really wish they'd open up a few more nights a week - particularly Wednesday as that's our bike night. I don't live far from there, so it'd be nice to just catch it on the way home from work as well. And it'd be nice if they could up capacity for growler sales - which they don't do.
Not sure if they really are able to distribute around town at all either. I suppose (hope) they're doing well enough to cover themselves, but I agree that they have some really good beers and could expand a bit.
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I just moved to Kansas City and their craft scene is blowing up right now also. I live on the northerly end of Overland Park and 3 breweries within 15 miles (biking distance is key) of my house opened a year ago. just read another 3 are hoping to open by the end the year.
KC Bier so far is my favorite and they specifically brew only German beer. they have a have a huge outdoor bier garten and even a "kid zone".
http://kcbier.com/about-us/
As far as the growlers go in Des Moines, you can go between all the bars owned by the El Bait shop guys, but it had to be a growler from one of their joints.
in Missouri you can use any growler, but by law (at least in KC), the brewery has to put a sticker on the growler to show where the beer came from.
Missouri, kansas and KC still have some old alcohol laws from Prohibition. Luckily i'm not in a dry county.
And I really wish they'd improve their volume/distribution, too. Those two breweries are also light years beyond 515.
I don't hate Exile, it's just that their best beer is mediocre. And there's far better options around
