PtY madness is a disease. But it is treatable.
This month’s Pliny the Younger release from Russian River Brewing was a much smoother affair than last year. Growlers were replaced with glasses and more people went away happy with a bitter beer.
The only downside to PtY or Dark Lord from 3 Floyds or Black Tuesday from The Bruery or Kate the Great from Portsmouth is the mania that goes with each beer.
I’m not going to get into the nuts and bolts about how to fairly distribute a scarce product. It’s hard. And what works one year may not the next.
First, let me be clear, these are great beers. You do not get people returning, year after year if they are not. That is not my issue.
My concern is that the rest of a brewer’s line up is settled for at best and dismissed at worst. This mania creates a small sub-category of beers that are worthy of treasure hunts or put on pedestals. And to me that is the opposite of what craft beer is about.
We spent years drinking one type of beer. We now have choice. Why limit ourselves again? I want to have Russian River’s entire selection, not just one beer. The brewery should always be first and foremost. Not PtY but Russian River’s Pliny the Younger and then add, “one of many fine IPA’s brewed by Russian River”. It’s redundant but the focus needs to be fixed onto the brewery and not individual brews. Otherwise we can end up with one trick pony breweries.
PtY day is like beer Christmas. A day that people wait for all year long. But I want people to remember that the other holidays are great too.
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