Happy New Year fellow beer enthusiast type people!
We have so much good news to share and celebrate as we look back on 2010 here at Dogfish. Most important for us (and we hope for you as well): we produced and sold a greater variety of super-high-quality, super-unique off-centered ales than any other year in our 15 year existence! More R & D and one-off freak-flag-waving brews done on our 5 barrel system in our Rehoboth pub and more bottled and draft beers distributed coast-to-coast (spotty in the fine states in between we realize with apologies). Whew!
Speaking of apologies, we know we owe you all one for the frustrations you might have experienced when you asked for your favorite Dogfish beer at your favorite craft beer joint only to be told they were out of stock. I have described our philosophy on this in a previous blog post, but I do recognize our choice to grow strong and smart instead of just growing fast, our choice to keep experimenting and pushing the envelope instead of allowing ourselves to be mutated into the 60 Minute brewing company, comes with its own challenges. We are up to the challenge and hope you are too.
Speaking of challenges, our commitment to quality has brought another batch of anticipated specialty beer into an uncomfortable position. For those of you who have seen the Brew Masters show on the Discovery Channel, you know we lost batches of 120 Minute IPA and Chateau Jiahu in 2010. I really wish those episodes ran with two in between them as originally planned, but that decision fell above my pay grade. I could see where it may appear that our militant position on quality causes us to dump an inordinate amount of beer. But, that's actually not the case; we dumped 1.6 percent of the beer we could have sold in 2009 and 1.7 percent of the beer we could have sold in 2010. We also jumped from 96,000 bbls sold in 2009 to about 120,000 in 2010. Bigger volume presents bigger challenges, but the percentages were nearly identical.
That said the last batch to contribute to our 2010 losses is our dear old friend Fort. In short, the worlds strongest fruit beer didn't end up quite strong enough. These big beers are a bear to brew. Yes, we lost 120 Minute and Fort this year, but World Wide Stout came out great! We will keep dialing these recipes in and these beers will be back. We didn't want to send stuff out there until we all agreed they were up to snuff in here. Or as the wise and noble Buddha once said: "The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart."
Heading off to the Big Beers & Barleywine Fest in Vail, Colorado this week. Looking forward to our dinner with Avery Brewing and enjoying big beers from all the other great craft breweries.
Cheers, Sam
(our fearless leader) writes about his latest travels and off-centered plans for all of us.
Sam and DFH team,
While I sorely miss being able to get DFH anywhere (moving from MD to Columbia, SC), I appluad your dedication to quality. While there is much to be said about being off centered, I believe that having such high quality assurance is of the utmost importance.
I look forward to one day being able to get such great brews in the SC Midlands, but until that happens, know that DFH is still my favorite, and preferred elixer of life.
Sam and DFH team,
While I sorely miss being able to get DFH anywhere (moving from MD to Columbia, SC), I appluad your dedication to quality. While there is much to be said about being off centered, I believe that having such high quality assurance is of the utmost importance.
I look forward to one day being able to get such great brews in the SC Midlands, but until that happens, know that DFH is still my favorite, and preferred elixer of life.
Sam, DFH Team- I applaud your committment to excellence and quality. High standards are sorely lacking in the commercial/business world today and you are showing all that it need not be that way. As others have stated and affirmed, quality is always worth the wait. I appreciate your willing to put your heart and thoughts about your passion and business out here for me to read- that's also real courage! Living in Ohio it's sometimes tough finding your brews due to distributor/legal blockades, but I'm willing to travel some to get them!
While my wife and I were watching your show (and the tragedy of the beer getting dumped), we kept thinking - if only there was a way you could sell your failures. I'd still drink your failed 120 over most regular IPAs :)
Too bad on the Fort. I wish something could have been done to make it useful like blending it with the maple syrup batch or fizzy sodas for kids at the pub(after the alcohol was cooked off of course unless you want some off centered kids).
Too bad on the Fort. I wish something could have been done to make it useful like blending it with the maple syrup batch or fizzy sodas for kids at the pub(after the alcohol was cooked off of course unless you want some off centered kids).
Your attention to detail is one of the many reasons you are going strong after 15 years. Keep it up! I, for one, wouldn't change a thing...about the beer that is. I would, however, like to make an official request for distribution to Iowa! I can't tell you how many people ask for your delicious brews every week and being the completely unselfish person that I am, I feel it is my duty to at least ask. Until then, I will just have to be content with the few we have and random road trips.
Thanks for the great beer!
AG
DANG! And I just had my first bottle of Fort last night! Oh I got pretty smashed off it too :P
I also have huge respect for Sam and DFH, Been my favorite brewery for about 5 years now. I thank you so much for not letting a sub par brew out. i love 120 and i think that I would of bought a bottle and been like HEY! this is not exactly the 120 I always get. And you would not do that, most companies would to save the $, while letting down customers. You know your customers are loyal and will stick with you and keep supporting the best beer in the world, the most off centered imaginations in brewing. I would admit that I would certainly purchase a sub par beer at cost just so you dont lose money. I think most of your customers would. "120 sub par series" $3.50 a bottle. Would sell fast and cut loses. Its not alot but its certainly better than dumping it if its a quaffable product. I know that you dont release sub par so I understand, but us loyal fans would certainly have your back and we WANT to help. - Beau, Syracuse NY
I don't mind the wait. Quality over quantity always wins out when it comes to a good beer. This is why Dog Fish Head has become my favorite brewery over that last few years. Your attention to what is excellent rather than cheap and easy allows you to stand out above the rest.
The World Wide Stout is awesome this year and for that we thank you!
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