Three Floyds cuts their package sales at the brewery

Three Floyds, the wildly popular craft brewery just across the state line in Munster Indiana, just recently cut the maximum retail package sale per customer from six cases down to just two. This has caused an uproar among certain beer geeks, as seen on at least one popular beer forum.

Hopefully, this move will result in more FFF beer getting into the distributor's hands, and hence, into popular retail stores- where shortages of FFF beers are a serious issue.

adipocere wrote:Three Floyds, the wildly popular craft brewery just across the state line in Munster Indiana, just recently cut the maximum retail package sale per customer from six cases down to just two. This has caused an uproar among certain beer geeks, as seen on at least one popular beer forum.

If this upsets you, you are the worst kind of beer person. These people are idiots.

Does not upset me at all. Quite to the contrary, I welcome more FFF in stores.

jfibro wrote:

adipocere wrote:Three Floyds, the wildly popular craft brewery just across the state line in Munster Indiana, just recently cut the maximum retail package sale per customer from six cases down to just two. This has caused an uproar among certain beer geeks, as seen on at least one popular beer forum.

If this upsets you, you are the worst kind of beer person. These people are idiots.

Yeah, those idiots are another example of some people's ridiculous attitude of entitlement when it comes to beer. Although it seemed like most of the board postings I've seen on it think it's a good move, and it's only a few vocal morons who seem to have a problem with it. Two cases is still a lot of beer. And in the end, it's just beer.

The problem seems to lie with the "whale" traders and professional eBay'ers, rather than illegal retail sales, as some have been led to believe. Yes there is some of that, but it's relatively small compared to all the traders and such.

And yes, the sense of entitlement is out there. Not just with beer, of course.....

I'm a huge fan of Three Floyds and if limiting case sales helps more people enjoy their beer, then so be it! So much of that one thread on BA... I mean, like it's somehow a personal affront that people can't buy nearly as much as they want. That it's somehow a right to be able to buy six cases of beer at once. Honestly, we should be thankful that you can buy beer from the source in the first place. I'd love it if Goose Island opened up a store to sell their beer out of the Fulton facility.

It also makes me wonder just how insane their Chicago brewpub will be once (if?) it finally opens. I doubt they will sell cases, but still -- Revolution is packed damn near every night and they don't have nearly the fanatical following that Three Floyds does. Maybe it will turn into one of those "It's so crowded, no one tries to go there" kind of places that's never as hard to get into as people think.

Naaahhh... who am I kidding?!

I guess I can understand why you might be upset at the limit if you have to travel a long way to get to Three Floyd's (assuming supply is scarce or non-existent in your neck of the woods). If I had to drive 6+ hours (as some of the people I met on Dark Lord Day did) to get their beer, I'd want to be able to purchase bigger quantities. That being said, it won't affect me personally much.

danimalarkey wrote:

It also makes me wonder just how insane their Chicago brewpub will be once (if?) it finally opens.

I was figuring the Half Acre tap room would be crazy enough. I can't even imagine how bad a Three Floyds one would be unless they had a space the size of something like Bottom Lounge.

Speaking of Three Floyds, there's an upcoming beer dinner with food from chefs from Paul Kahan's mini-empire. Only 10 seats available and damn if those aren't going to be pricey. Via facebook:
DARK LORD DINNER AT PUBLICAN QUALITY MEATS:
Thursday, July 19th, all hell will break loose as Publican Quality Meats hosts a Diabolical, Decadent and Daring Dark Lord Dinner.

5 vintages and 2 variants of 3 Floyds Dark Lord Beer will be on accompanied by an over-the-top multi-course meal, paired and created by different One Off Hospitality Chef’s including David Posey of Blackbird, Koren Grieveson of Avec, Justin Large of Big Star, Erling Wu-Bower of the Publican and Cosmo Goss of Publican Quality Meats.

These coveted beers have been donated from personal collections; the majority of the proceeds will go to The Inspiration Corporation. Only 10 seats are available to ensure that each guest may experience the deviations Dark Lord in all it’s distinction. The seats will be available for Auction for only 72 hours, bidding begins at $300 per seat.

Ticket includes 1 hour beer reception and hors d’oeuvres, multi-course dinner with Dark Lord Pairings, and a signed Tony Fitzpatrick print.

To begin bidding, please go to Auctionopia.com Monday, July 9th at 12:00noon.

I drove down to Three Floyd's last Thursday intending to pick up 3 case of Zombie Dust. The new policy took me a bit by surprise. I check their site regularly before I make a trip down there and they didn't have anything on there about this.

Still not a big deal to me, I just joked with them that I'd have to make sure to bring my wife next time. That or I'll just have to go down there more often which you really don't have to twist my arm to get me to do.

I agree with Suiname, for people that drive a long distance (like hours) to get there I can see them getting a little upset finding out about the limit once they're there. Once the policy is in place for a while and people know about it I don't really see it being a big issue.

The Liquor stop in Highland (a couple of miles east of FFF) usually has a good stock of most 3 Floyds' products, as well as many other micro-breweries, and no limits that I know of.

Liquor Stop
9218 Indianapolis Blvd
Highland, IN 46322
(219) 838-6884

Three Floyds facebook page wrote:Three Floyds has gone through some seriously great production expansions as of late. We have designed and installed a new Braukon brewhouse in addition to overhauling our bottling line. All of these infrastructure improvements will increase production and further ensure Three Floyds' high standard of brewing excellence. The new brewhouse is is fully functional and our brewers are working around the clock. The kegging and bottling lines are operating faster than ever. This being said, these improvements did not come without a cost. The brewery lost only a few days of production. The benefit being that our loyal Three Floyds' beer drinkers will have greater opportunity to get and enjoy our ales and lagers. Please be patient as we reinvigorate our stock and pipeline it to you the loyal fan, the loyal bars, restaurants, retailers and the distributors that get it to you.

And yet, here we are in October, and there is barely any Three Floyds to be found in bottles, not at Binny's, not anywhere else. I've asked around a little at places where I've expected to see it on shelves, and they seem as confused as anyone as to what's going on. Needless to say, a shortage is not what I expected months after an announcement of expanded production capabilities. Anyone know what's up? Plenty of Three Floyds around town on tap...

IIRC, they are changing distributors at the moment. From Glunz to someone else. FWIW, my Lake County Binny's has been getting a little ZD over the last couple of weeks and that is a new thing for sure!

If you look on the Binny's website, you can't even find more than a couple of Three Floyds brews right now. New distro would explain it, I guess.

Comments on some of the beer forums I frequent suggest that Ohio is seeing previously unheard of amounts of Three Floyds these days. Meanwhile, the Grand Ave. Binnys gets, maybe, 1 case a month of Robert the Bruce. So it seems to me, at least, that while they sort out their issues with a Chicago/Chicagoland distributor(s), they're sending most of their beer elsewhere.

When I went to Lizard's Liquid Lounge last weekend (smalls in hand), I was so happy to see Alpha King on tap (@$4.50/pint!!). While there's a ton of great beer to be had in Chicago, I really, really like Alpha King and Pride & Joy and enjoyed picking up a 6-pack every now and then.

Gold Leaf Liquors at 3652 West Irving Park Road always seems to have a solid selection of 3F bombers and a few six packs. But who knows how long it has sat on the shelves.

Stopped by 3F on the way back from watching NIU pound Purdue last Saturday .....

All they had available for carry out purchase was Pride & Joy. Picked up a case. I called ahead on Monday when I was going to be in the area again - they had no beer available for purchase in 6-packs or cases. Couple of bombers was all they had. Calumet Queen and something else.....

From what I have heard, 3F has been sold to Reyes Beverage who bought Windy City Distributing a couple years ago. I have no idea what the deal is/was and not sure how much of 3F was purchased. At some point they will be distributed by Miller as Reyes ownes a number of Miller distributorships in the Chicagoland area. I would not be surprised if 3F becomes a "downtown" only beer in the near future as demand is high and production is still very low.

Craig B wrote:From what I have heard, 3F has been sold to Reyes Beverage who bought Windy City Distributing a couple years ago. I have no idea what the deal is/was and not sure how much of 3F was purchased. At some point they will be distributed by Miller as Reyes ownes a number of Miller distributorships in the Chicagoland area. I would not be surprised if 3F becomes a "downtown" only beer in the near future as demand is high and production is still very low.

Uh, source?

Simply speaking (and Lord knows I could be wrong but this is my understanding), a distributor (Reyes) cannot own a brewery (Three Floyds) under current, 3-tier distribution laws (which vary state to state). There was the whole mess about AB trying to own more of City Beverage: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... e-illinois .

3 Floyds files plans for major expansion that would more than double its size

3 Floyds has filed plans with the town of Munster that would more than double its size to more than 136,000 square feet and add a terraced garden. Renderings show a radical overhaul that would include many hyper-modern glassy facades in a campus-like setting and a garden that would sweep dramatically over one of the buildings, effectively submerging it under a man-made hill.

The brewery complex at 9750 Indiana Parkway is now 57,000 square feet. 3 Floyds is asking the town to let it tear down the neighboring Architectural Accents building and expand its building in all directions to include 114,423 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse area, 7,442 square feet of retail area, 7,356 square feet of brewpub and restaurant space, and 7,668 square feet of office space, according to documents filed with the Munster Plan Commission.

It also would add more office space and a drive-up area where people could drop off their dinner companions or pop out to grab a 22-ounce bomber or six-pack.

The expansion would double the size of the brewpub and dramatically expand the retail area, which is now essentially a counter where people walk up to ask for bottled beer to go or 3 Floyds merchandise like stickers or the Alpha King comics Nick Floyd created for Image Comics with esteemed comics creators Brian Azzarello, Simon Bisley and Ryan Brown.