Does anyone have any interest in Crooked Stave Vieille Artisanal Saison (Cranberry And Spice)? I ran into a few bottles last weekend. Did not buy them as I am not a fan of anything that CS puts out, but I know some of you are. These are their normal sized bottles, not 750’s. Let me know and I’ll see if they are still available.
Thanks-
Chris
Thanks for the offer, Chris. If not for the “and Spice,” I’d be taking you up on your offer.
Really, I should look into signing-up for their beer club.
Sadly (for me) I just received this email that Crooked Stave is ending their Cellar Reserve program this year. As someone who doesn’t drink much anymore, being a part of this was a nice treat and I’ll miss having a guaranteed allocation of their beer.
Cellar Reserve Members,
The third and final Cellar Reserve release of 2014 is now set for Saturday, November 1st and will again be held at the Barrel Cellar (1441 W. 46th Ave., Unit 19) from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.After many long conversations and sleepless nights we have decided this will be the last release we will hold, as we will not be continuing the Cellar Reserve program beyond the 2014-year. Please understand this was a very tough decision for us to make, but one we ultimately had to. Our Cellar Reserve members have been an integral part of what we do at our brewery and how we have shaped Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project. We have enjoyed making each one of the Cellar Reserve beers, and all the fun releases associated with the Cellar Reserve. We absolutely do not want our Cellar Reserve members to feel abandoned with our decision to discontinue the program and instead, we’d like to give you a little insight into the challenges we’ve faced with the Cellar Reserve program over the last few years and how we came to make this decision.
There are a few primary reasons that have brought an end for our Cellar Reserve program. As many of you know from visiting the Barrel Cellar, space is a commodity. We are extremely crunched for space and the amount of Cellar Reserve beers being held long-term has taken away our capacity to make beer. We have some big plans for the unit, which is currently holding all the Cellar Reserve beer, that will allow us to get a little more stability in our production. Why can’t we just move? While there might be some industrial spaces on the outskirts of Denver, finding an ideal location that fits the needs of a brewery, especially a brewery built on barrel-aging, is difficult and is not a viable option for our long-term vision.
The beers we brew determine much of what we do at Crooked Stave. It is no secret that our beers take months, even years, to make. Devoting barrels to Cellar Reserve beer has severally limited our ability to produce beers outside of our core brands, Vieille, Surette, St. Bretta, HopSavant, and has taken away our ability to release L’Brett d’Or, Origins, and Nightmare on Brett in any quantity. This is tied to our lack of space, inability to regularly brew and tying up so much beer in the Cellar Reserve program. We absolutely love working to create experimental blends and fully intend to as we move forward. Focusing on producing 10 beers a year for our members in the volume needed without room for error, and relatively high quantities, ultimately reduces our ability to experiment. With more leeway in regard to production, we can spend more time pushing the limits of our mission: To be a modern artisan brewery with a quality driven focus, striving to progressively blend brewing science and art through creativity and following our passion.
A major reason for not continuing the Cellar Reserve program is due to a large financial liability related to the processing of Cellar Reserve membership payments, which is outside the comfort zone of bankers and merchant processers. This past year, we had all renewal funds withheld by our bank due to the fact that the product to be received by members was not yet created. We have had to wait until all the beers are released for the bank to disburse the funds collected last year. Working with banks for Cellar Reserve is no longer a feasible option and we at Crooked Stave do not feel comfortable personally processing 500 checks from our Cellar Reserve members.
It is important for us to maintain the loyalty and friendships we have gained over the last three years of Cellar Reserve. We are treating the release on November 1st as a final blow-out party with some special beer tappings, catered food, and good times as always. If you have never made it out to a release, this is the time to come! We hope all of our members will be in attendance to celebrate with us. Cellar Reserve members who do make it out to celebrate will have their photo taken, photo booth style, to be used on a personal lifetime membership card. All members who can’t make the release are encouraged to send in a passport sized photo of themselves so cards can be made in their absence. With these cards, members will continue to receive special benefits in the future. Members will also receive email updates with respect to limited releases and happenings.
Thank you all for the amazing support you have given us over the last three years. We have been extremely lucky to have all of you involved with the Cellar Reserve membership and as loyal Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project followers. We hope you understand our decision and continue to be such strong supporters of our brewery. For the final release and blow-out party on Saturday, November 1st, we ask that all members attending please bring a Cellar Reserve glass from one of the last three years for a final toast. We can’t wait to cheers with everyone on November 1st!
All the best,
Crooked Stave