Brewers to announce largest-ever capital project at Miller Park (Latest: multimillion dollar concessions project, post 74)

[Bikeage77]

They age em for a year in bourbon barrels. I think the amount of space they have at the brewery plays a part of it. Or maybe the supply of bourbon barrels they can get. I really can't answer that.

[Warning Track Power]

Everyone should buy a beer from Third Space. They are the nicest dudes on the planet and deserve your money.

 

(no, I am not a Third Space investor. Just know the owners from back in the day)

I am happy to hear this. One of the owners was the brewmaster of a brewery in my hometown in California and he couldn't have been a nicer guy. Enjoyed talking with my family and I about all things Wisconsin. Can't wait to get back there to try some Third Space.

[AdvantageSchneider]

I feel so old when I'm saying this (I'm 36), but my friends and I are SO done with all the darn hipsters and their pale ales and IPA's. Such awful beers, and they dominate the menus in so many locations these days.

 

SABERMETRICS?!?! NO THANKS!!!! WINS AND LOSSES IS THE ONLY WAY TO ANALYZE A PITCHER!!!!

 

Times change. 21 year olds are now legally able to drink during this boom, and the beer culture is definitely spreading. 5 years ago I could go and buy a case of some beers after its release date. Today it's gone immediately because people camp out for it. (I'm not that silly).

 

I doubt we'll ever see a time where yellow beers dominate the market again. Micro breweries are popping up all the time. Including brew pubs, Milwaukee has over 30 different breweries in the area, and I'm sure more will be opening up by the end of the year.

 

Why don't they make more of it then? it's marketing, and people are falling for it. And it's done on purpose so it gives the customer away of acting kind of like "they're in the know" so it gives them a feeling of exclusivity, vip, superiority. And then you can charge more.

 

McDonalds sells the most hamburgers. Does anyone think McDonalds hamburgers are the best?

 

Beer is basically liquid bread. Maybe you just like eating all your sandwiches with white bread, but i like to spice things up with a rye or soughdough or a nice roll. Nobody's going to stop you from eating your white bread. And I'd like to know what bars you go to where you can't get Miller lite or Highlfe. Cause even the snootiest beer bars I've been too still have "regular' beer available.

[logan82]

IPA's are everywhere because they are hard to screw up. The hops can cover a lot of brewing mistakes. They take extra hops but not much else unless it is an IIPA. Bourbon barrel aged beers are definitely about how much space is available and how much they make. New Holland makes a bourbon barrel aged Dragons Milk that I am able to find pretty easily. On the other hand Goose Island has a bourbon barrel aged line of beers they release every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving that is very hard to find.

 

I think Hefeweisse or some of the Belgian styles are a good gateway beer into craft beer. They are not bitter and are usually on the sweet side. Belgian beers are my favorite but they are generally had to find. I think that is because they are probably more expensive to make. They have a larger malt bill and usually involve some kind of simple sugar. They also take a little longer to ferment. Since they don't use a lot to hops it is easier to detect mistakes so they are also a bigger risk.

[Invader3K]

Not sure if this was posted already, but the Brewers are adding a bar in the parking lot this year:

 

http://www.cbs58.com/story/34982836/milwaukee-brewers-will-open-a-bar-in-its-parking-lot

[tmwiese55]

Why don't they make more of it then? it's marketing, and people are falling for it. And it's done on purpose so it gives the customer away of acting kind of like "they're in the know" so it gives them a feeling of exclusivity, vip, superiority. And then you can charge more.

 

McDonalds sells the most hamburgers. Does anyone think McDonalds hamburgers are the best?

 

Beer is basically liquid bread. Maybe you just like eating all your sandwiches with white bread, but i like to spice things up with a rye or soughdough or a nice roll. Nobody's going to stop you from eating your white bread. And I'd like to know what bars you go to where you can't get Miller lite or Highlfe. Cause even the snootiest beer bars I've been too still have "regular' beer available.

 

I meant on draft, some places have the taps all for other stuff.

 

And no on McDonalds for me, but to some it is. I mean that one guy eats a big mac everyday. But I don't think anyone is trying to claim that the burger made in this on bar in the middle of nowhere is the best burger in the world and so much superior than the other ones, anyone knows they're all the same and what's the best depends on each person's preferences. And when a burger place does start doing really well so they think they're onto something, they make more, franchise, expand. Think Culvers, In N Out. They don't make 10 a day and claim they can't make them fast enough because they're so in demand while charging double the price.

 

Same in terms of beer in regards to preference, so I don't need to be told it's all better and people that don't like it are wrong and just don't know as much. I think most people here would agree with not liking wine snobs who act all pretentious and blather on about the subtleties of the wine to try and seem better than everyone else. People are doing the same with beer now. Drink what you like, others will drink what they like, who cares. Just order what you want, don't need to tell people why or push it on them. It's just beer, not that big a deal.

[pacopete4]

Not sure if this was posted already, but the Brewers are adding a bar in the parking lot this year:

 

http://www.cbs58.com/story/34982836/milwaukee-brewers-will-open-a-bar-in-its-parking-lot

 

I have always wondered why this wasn't already happening. They should have a venue where local bands come and play before games for people to enjoy near the parking lots. Yes, people want to tailgate but it could add even more to the "party atmosphere."

[tmwiese55]

Not sure if this was posted already, but the Brewers are adding a bar in the parking lot this year:

 

http://www.cbs58.com/story/34982836/milwaukee-brewers-will-open-a-bar-in-its-parking-lot

 

I have always wondered why this wasn't already happening. They should have a venue where local bands come and play before games for people to enjoy near the parking lots. Yes, people want to tailgate but it could add even more to the "party atmosphere."

 

I've been thinking this for years as well. When this renovation was brought up i thought it would be something more along these lines, not the concession stuff inside.

 

It's not mentioned, but I think they should sell basic foods too. Brats, burgers,etc as some people don't like the hassle of lugging along everything needed to grill. Especially if it's only for two people. I know some will say they'd prefer people to go eat inside, I get that but you could charge basically the same price outside for burgers and brats as you do inside.

[patrickgpe]

i think they are selling food inside this area from what i read and they do plan to bring in bands. the brewers have tried bringing in bands to play in fridays for some weekend games with little success maybe being in the lots will help.

[tmwiese55]

I think it would make a difference. There's usually a band in that one outdoor smoking/bar area right next to the stadium. But it seem people aren't going to walk up there until they're ready to go in the game.

 

I suppose one issue I see is how 'open' it will be. They're trying to sell beer of course, but people in the lots usually have their own and aren't going to be looking to buy from them. So not sure how easy it'll be for people to just kind of hang out with their own. So I could see this easily operating in the red for the team as people will just have their own drinks, but I think it should provide an enhancement to the experience overall.

[homer]

IPA's are everywhere because they are hard to screw up. The hops can cover a lot of brewing mistakes. They take extra hops but not much else unless it is an IIPA. Bourbon barrel aged beers are definitely about how much space is available and how much they make. New Holland makes a bourbon barrel aged Dragons Milk that I am able to find pretty easily. On the other hand Goose Island has a bourbon barrel aged line of beers they release every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving that is very hard to find.

 

It's $30 for a 22oz bottle and not worth the price in my opinion. I mean it's a tasty beer and everything but I think the limited distribution creates this exclusivity appeal that outweighs the quality.

[Bikeage77]

I read somewhere that the Bucks are thinking about putting in a brewery in that area that's designated to hang out in before games. The Brewers could (and should have already) done the same thing. Put a brewery up, maybe expand the sausage house? They could do a pilnser, IPA, and maybe an amber. I'm sure that some parking lot space would be lost, but I don't think it would take away enough to really matter.

[Patrick425]

I have yet to see any good pictures of what the new concessions corridors look like. I saw a few pictures yesterday (like on a business journal link), but most of them were just of local politicians or brewer executives enjoying some of the food, or close up views of one new stand. How about a wide shot of some of the corridors and the new layout. The link I got in an email from the Brewers ( http://mlb.mlb.com/mil/ballpark/food-and-beverage/?partnerId=ed-11276444-978869823) was useless...pictures of food and a list of available beers. Great. How about some real pictures of what the place looks like now? I guess I'll just have to wait until my first game on Tuesday.

[tmwiese55]

Cubs are putting this up next to the stadium. http://chicago.suntimes.com/opinion/questions-for-the-cubs-before-they-opening-a-giant-outdoor-bar/

 

Brewers could likely get an area setup that resembles outdoor bars in Madison for football games

[FVBrewerFan]

Well, first impression of concession stands? Disaster. And I have no idea how that cost millions of dollars.

[gypcasino]

The $10 voucher everyone got caused every concession line to be consistently 30+ people deep from the beginning of the game to the end. The voucher was supposed to be good only today and tomorrow but they announced it would be honored at any home game this season. Probably since they knew some people weren't going to stand in line for 3 innings to get food and drink. And yeah while the whole thing is a definite upgrade I'm not seeing $20 million worth.

[And That]

As long as the IRS can see a $20 mil depreciable asset, the Brewers are happy with it.

[gypcasino]

So for your run of the mill macrobrew you're going to pay $7 for a regular tap, $8.75 for a large tap and $8 for an aluminum pint can from the Iceman & his friends. I can't remember what it was last year but I think it's up a bit. Whatever. It's when they're charging $9.50 for crap like a mushy cup of mac & cheese with a little bit of topping on it that things starts to get ridiculous.

[brwrsfan]

So for your run of the mill macrobrew you're going to pay $7 for a regular tap, $8.75 for a large tap and $8 for an aluminum pint can from the Iceman & his friends. I can't remember what it was last year but I think it's up a bit. Whatever. It's when they're charging $9.50 for crap like a mushy cup of mac & cheese with a little bit of topping on it that things starts to get ridiculous.

 

It's all ridiculous when you put it into real life perspective..for $8.75 I can buy a 12 pack of Miller Lite. Or for $5 I can buy 6 brats and buns. I get it, they want to make money and you're trapped if you want something there. But it does get a tad old, I wish more teams would go the Atlanta Falcons route but that seems highly highly unlikely.

[BuckyBrewer61]

I get the frustration that the markups are huge, but this is the nature of the business. The Brewers are a business with a goal of making money, are in a business where making money is vital to competing (perhaps here more than any other MLB market), and as such price their products to maximize profits. If it's too expensive, don't buy a beer.

[logan82]

IPA's are everywhere because they are hard to screw up. The hops can cover a lot of brewing mistakes. They take extra hops but not much else unless it is an IIPA. Bourbon barrel aged beers are definitely about how much space is available and how much they make. New Holland makes a bourbon barrel aged Dragons Milk that I am able to find pretty easily. On the other hand Goose Island has a bourbon barrel aged line of beers they release every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving that is very hard to find.

 

It's $30 for a 22oz bottle and not worth the price in my opinion. I mean it's a tasty beer and everything but I think the limited distribution creates this exclusivity appeal that outweighs the quality.

Not even 22oz last year. 1pint .9oz.

[brwrsfan]

I get the frustration that the markups are huge, but this is the nature of the business. The Brewers are a business with a goal of making money, are in a business where making money is vital to competing (perhaps here more than any other MLB market), and as such price their products to maximize profits. If it's too expensive, don't buy a beer.

 

Oh I get that. I don't blame them. It just gets a bit extreme sometimes.

 

It'll be interesting to see how the new craft beer section goes. Most of them are easily available at bars or liquor stores in the area. And with prices in the $10-14 range...I dunno. That's a lot to pay for a single beer. After the initial wave of people simply checking it out, I'll be curious how popular/successful it is.

[FVBrewerFan]

Also, the big main beer stands have some of those same beers on tap, plus others that are not avail at the craft stand. Weird.

 

Other thing is, there are 4 choices, just repeated throughout the stadium. I dont know, improved in some ways bit overall not impressed especially with how much money they spent.

[rickh150]

As long as I can bring in a few snacks and a bottled water, it really doesn't affect me. Yet, at some point, don't the Brewers see the need to make food prices realistic for a family?

 

Also, sad to hear of the problems with concessions last night when attendance was only 14,000+. Yikes!

[MrTPlush]

Well, first impression of concession stands? Disaster. And I have no idea how that cost millions of dollars.

 

Why was it a disaster.

 

That's what major custom projects cost these days. No old blueprint to follow. Just the planning and design phase probably costed a ton.