I can't help it… When everyone else zigs, we zag. I don't think it is intentional, but we are naturally contrarian.
Bottled beer is not trending at the moment, but we are having a blast with it. The bottles allow us to fill a small run of limited-release beers that wouldn't usually be available in a to-go format. We don't have to worry about wasted liquid, because it is so efficient due to hand filling them. Efficient with reducing beer waste, not time. ;) And we get to send people home with bottles to share with friends.
So far, all the bottles are barrel-aged or bottle-conditioned, which makes them extra special. I'm not hating on typical taproom-exclusive beers, but they won't see bottles. I love our Italian Pils more than anyone else, but it's not quite special or rare enough for a hand-fllled bottle.
And most of all, I really love the simple, almost generic label we get to use when it's not distributed.
Do your thing, not anyone else's.