Hello and happy almost Spring fellow off-centered beer enthusiasts. As we look back on last year from atop our uni-tanks here in Milton, Delaware we have much to be proud of and much to be thankful for.
We recently learned that, over the last five years, demand for Dogfish Head brands has made us the fastest growing brewery in America. We are proud of this growth and the opportunity weve had to turn so many more people on to our off-centered ales. The most important thing for us (and we hope for you as well) is that we produced and sold a greater variety of super-high-quality, super-unique off-centered ales than any other year in our 16 year existence. In 2010, we did more R&D batches and more one-off-freak-flag-waving brews than ever on our 5-barrel system from our Rehoboth pub. On the production side, we brewed several new and different bottled and draft beers. Our success has also pushed our production capacity to the absolute limit.
We are sorry that some of you have experienced frustrations when youve recently asked for your favorite Dogfish beer at your favorite craft beer joint. While Ive described our philosophy on balancing growth vs. the health of our company in a previous blog post, please know that 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 that you are too.
Recently, the most taxing component of this challenge is that having demand so far in front of our supply has gotten a point where we need to makes some changes, as we are not even close to meet the requests from our fantastic distributors. This is frustrating to them... and to our retailers and to you, the Dogfish drinker.
We know the message you want more Dogfish! Our InBox, our Facebook page, our Twitter feed and our website Forum posts are all littered with Please send more Dogfish to whatever-town or Please start selling Dogfish in my state. In order to get our supply closer to your demand, wed need to get a big, big pile of money and grow, grow, grow. We are not excited by that. We get excited by having fun, brewing a bunch of great beers and growing at a slower, steadier pace.
In the past few months, weve alerted our wholesale partners in both the U.K. and Canada that we do not expect to be able to support any export in 2011. We need all the beer were brewing right now for the U.S. market. But realistically, we werent sending much there anyway, so we need to make even more changes. It is tough to hear from retailers across the country that they arent getting all the Dogfish they think they could sell, but without drastically changing our company and the way we operate, we cannot satisfy that demand.
So it is bittersweet for us to announce that we are pulling out of, or limiting some of our core beers from, a number of states. Yes this sucks. The glass-half-full view is that we (and a handful of other U.S. craft breweries making similar moves) have to do this because your numbers the number of U.S. drinkers buying and enjoying craft beer - are growing so quickly! We sincerely apologize for any frustrations this may cause distributors, retailers, and beer lovers who are affected by our decision. This decision will allow us to still get many different, exotic, Dogfish specialty and seasonal beers into our slightly smaller footprint. It will also ensure that more cases and kegs of our core, year-round beers will be available closer to home. The distributors in the states we are pulling distribution from (Tennessee, Indiana, Wisconsin and Rhode Island) have already been notified of our decision. If your favorite pubs and beer outlets are no longer able to obtain Dogfish products, we are sorry that we are no longer able to supply them. Thanks for understanding and we are hopeful for your ongoing support.
Cheers.
(our fearless leader) writes about his latest travels and off-centered plans for all of us.
You know. Its ironic that a beer named for a fish that has to move forward or die decides to move backward.
I like your point of view!
This move is a step in the wrong direction.
Here's DFH's mind state as I see it "Let's stop giving the people who drink our beer the chance to drink it so that maybe some new people will like our beer. We don't need the people of Indiana, Tennessee, Wisconsin or Rhode Island, those backwoods hicks don't even appriciate our fine brews."
If that is not what the folks at DFH are thinking then they clearly are not thinking at all.
As Comic Book Guy would say: Worst decision ever!
This is incredibly sad news. I live in Wisconsin, beer country. Dogfish Head was rapidly becoming one of my favorite breweries in the country. The podcast my friends and I do, the InstaFlicka Podcast, reviews Netflix streaming movies but we also review a different beer every week. We have over the course of the last 9 months reviewed (very favorably on all counts) 90 Minute IPA (our highest rated beer ever), Raison D'Etra, and Midas Touch. I am saddened by our sudden inability to spread the good word on other delicious Dogfish Head brews. I guess there is chance that we will someday review Beer Wars...
Sadly,
Phil
This is so depressing! What is especially frustrating to me is that most states allow people to have alcohol shipped to them, but Indiana does not. It seems especially unfair that you are pulling out of Indiand when we can't even have your stuff sent to us, while so many others can!
I have less a dog in this fight as this has never been available in Missouri (and, alas, will likely never be), but my bigger issue in pulling out of a state where I do have an occasionally visiting friend from WI is that they are going out of the way to build a national name while seemingly going out of their way to not build a national brand.
Watch the TV show and think 'hey I want some of that' only to find out you have to drive for two days round trip to even have a chance is going to make me..well..look to the competition.
I'm glad I waited to post my initial reaction to this, because like everyone else I seem to be experiencing mixed emotions about the ceased distribution. I didn't become aware of the issue until I was called Friday by my local craft beer stop. They were notifying me that my 1/6th barrels of 60 and Indian Brown would never be coming. I have supported DFH since the very start of its introduction to Indiana around 2003. If I was having friends over they could always expect a keg of 60 or 90 in the kegerator and loose bottles of the best DFH had to offer. When I found out Indiana was one of the few states to get the axe I was nothing short of livid.
As a supporter, you hate to see your state get pushed to the side. Initially I hoped Sam giggled to himself silently while typing the title to this post knowing the fallout of emotions that were bound to ensue. Understand? There's very little to understand. Was it because we were one of the farthest reaches of the DFH empire? Was the market too saturated with growing microbreweries to continue to compete when times are tight? It seems like the businesses that have thrived in this economy have done so by pushing through. This decision may had made sense to save $ right now, but I hope you realize these 4 states won't be counting the seconds until DFH chooses to include us again.
I on the other hand have come to respect the person and businesses man Sam has become over the years. Knock him for whatever you may, but he puts the beer #1 and doesn't settle for anything less. It is this attitude that has produced the World's greatest IPA's. Think about the quality of your favorite beers. I can easily say the DFH quality was always maintained with each and every 6 pack or keg I have purchased through the years. How many breweries can say that? I think this is why people are lashing out the way that they are. We have come to expect so much that the thought of not having DFH seems unthinkable. I've come to the realization over the past 48 hrs that like anything else, I should be thankful for the years Indiana was a DFH state. I hope this move will be temporary and one day Indiana will regain distribution.
I want to honestly believe that this decision was made for non-selfish reasons and purely for the future vision of DFH. No one wants to see punkin ale become the next mass produced seasonal that is dumbed down in quality in the pursuit of quantity. I've stopped dwelling on the negative influences to this decision solely based on Sam's vision for the company and the admiration that is shared for him by his employees. We all wish we worked for someone that cares like that, at least I do.
So to everyone grumbling about how pissed you are (yet you are searching statewide to find remaining 6 packs) take a deep breath and know its probably for the best if you are a true DFH follower. You know who will never leave Indiana? Upland, Sunking, and 3Floyds. We are already spoiled enough. And to those of you who can appreciate this vision and not suddenly hate on a beer or company you have loved in the past there are plenty of liquor stores in the Fishers/Noblesville area with DFH on hand. I just picked up a case of 60 to put back along with 90 min and others.
It's easy to be mad, but hard to understand. And based on Sam's character and the Company's vision, I don't think we even deserve or need an explanation.
Thanks for understanding? You should have rethought that one. I'm one of your first proponents in the state of Indiana. I've been anxiously awaiting the day I can drive down to the store and pick up some Aprihop, having tasted it at last year's Nashville Brewer's Festival. I arrived there today and find that not only is there no Aprihop, there's not a bottle of Dogfish Head to be found. Same thing city wide. Called Indianapolis - nothing. It seems the entire state sold out of Dogfish Head within hours after the news broke.
It is difficult for me to understand how depriving our entire state of something that is obviously very popular here helps your business. How is it a good idea to cut us completely off so that you can come closer to meeting the demands of other states? Thanks for understanding? Right.
Understanding? I can't believe this. I own a pub in Kenosha, Wi and I have been promoting and spreading the good word about DFH for years now. I have included them in our very popular beer tour "50 Beers To Drink Before You Die." And now you pull out! So nice that the Television special was broadcast here in Wisconsin to viewers who will now not be able to purchase the beers promoted on the special! Unbelievable!
I am extremely sad to hear that you are pulling out of RI. I just turned 21 in november and have been exploring your craft since the evening of my birthday. Dogfish was really the only beer i would splurge money on. Not to mention that your midas touch and punkin ale inspired me to start homebrewing. After watching "Beer-wars" I am glad to see that you guys aren't letting yourselves abandon your passion in persuit of money and popularity, because I'd rather drive to MA or CT and buy a $9 4-pack of 90-min than buy a $4 6-pack of Dogfish lager tallboys. I just hope Stone, victory, and Magic Hat don't follow suit with you.
Will the availability in other states be increased? I used to have to drive 45 minutes just to find 2 singles of Midas for $4 a bottle.
How about sparing some recipes for your homebrewers in the abandoned states? Clone Brews doesn't seem to be too accurate.
Peace,
Tom
I am extremely sad to hear that you are pulling out of RI. I just turned 21 in november and have been exploring your craft since the evening of my birthday. Dogfish was really the only beer i would splurge money on. Not to mention that your midas touch and punkin ale inspired me to start homebrewing. After watching "Beer-wars" I am glad to see that you guys aren't letting yourselves abandon your passion in persuit of money and popularity, because I'd rather drive to MA or CT and buy a $9 4-pack of 90-min than buy a $4 6-pack of Dogfish lager tallboys. I just hope Stone, victory, and Magic Hat don't follow suit with you.
Will the availability in other states be increased? I used to have to drive 45 minutes just to find 2 singles of Midas for $4 a bottle.
How about sparing some recipes for your homebrewers in the abandoned states? Clone Brews doesn't seem to be too accurate.
Peace,
Tom
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