Bristol Brewing’s Venetucci Pumpkin Ale Pre-Sale

"It's a beautiful day, folks are being really patient and they have to remember this is all for charity." Mike Bristol chimes in on the progress of the Venetucci Pumpkin Ale Pre-Sale day.

The Thomas Family arrived in line at about 11:15am (doors opened at 10am) and were ready to wait for 15-20 minutes to avoid what happened last year. "We paid about $20 for one bottle in December" (pre-sale price is $6.99+ tax). This usually happens when pre-sale is done, the beer release runs dry and local liquor stores jack up the price. Read "The Great Pumpkin Ale Caper". Both The Principal's Office and Bristol Brewing decided to take advantage of the long line by offering free coffee samples (and 10% off with an empty cup) and selling beer inside the Bristol  Hallway.

Barista Erika delivers fresh coffee from The Principal's Office

Inside, Britsol staff mentioned they started with 2400 bombers and were down to 1800 around 11:20am. With only 100 people left in the line, it didn't seem like anyone would be turned away. Mark Peterson, a yearly pre-sale patron mentioned that it's "usually not this bad" when waiting in line. Peterson had been in line since 10am and had waited over an hour to pay for the yet-to-be-bottled beer. Karin Lundin was experiencing her first time in the pre-sale line and was planning to get the maximum amount of bottles (3).

This way to Pumpkin Ale! The line is just a preview of what's to come for the Ale Release.

Bristol staff had a quick and easy assembly line set up.

We went ahead and joined the hype, with 1,424 bombers left and only 5 people in line at 12:30pm, the process took only a few seconds. There is a 3 bomber per person limit and they are $6.99 each plus tax. Bristol Brewing is selling the same amount of pre-sale bottles (2,400) and will be open for pre-sale until 4pm today.