Not Up to Snuff

Craft Beer Cellar has always had a strongly opinionated business stance. And 2017 the 28 stores in the chain will bring another one forward….

Each store will carry a set of “required and highly recommended beers,” and there will be a “Do Not Sell” list. You could, for instance, find no room on the shelf due to “lack of adherence to style, off flavors, and inconsistency in quality…”

What this means is that you could walk into one of their branded shops and not find a local brewery or far flung brewery in the cold case because they are not above the standard. Or you might find, the hefeweizen on sale but not an IPA with a proven bad track record.

Part of me agrees with this. We all need to be more open and upfront about beer flaws. Is it hard to do in a nice manner that can be taken constructively? Yes, but that is partially because we are out of practice in doing it. If CBC can fairly judge and pass that grade to the brewer and help them improve, then great. But if it turns into a bickering match then nothing is improved.

The other part of me though wishes that the call was up to the store owner. Due to the Byzantine nature of distribution in this country, some owners might have an easy time dropping a brewery. But others may have to buy other beers from a portfolio which could lead to some awkward sales calls.

Either way, the breweries on the naughty list needs to be transparent to the customer so that informed decisions and true education can happen.