Is all dogfish head beer expensive?

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SwampassJ said:
Think the same thing. Saw the post in the labels sub section. I'm going to go and steal one of edworts recipes now.
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I'm actually not a troll. I just don't feel like following the masses because they say its so.

And if you think I am a troll and want to look at my history of posts, you'll see I don't bother starting arguments just to do so. I have opinions, but I'm not here to inflame. I just hate it when opinions are passed off as fact especially when a lot of it is based on groupthink.

And to answer your question Swampass, I've had the 6-pack offerings. I've also had multiple on site beers. The oatmeal brown, the Porter, the white oak... I never knocked the brewery. In fact I even said I like their beer. I just said I'd prefer a dfh. I never would have considered them overrated because I have never heard somebody go ape bananas over them just because others do too.

Motobrewer- that's a fair statement. I have never been to the brewery and I understand most of the best stuff is only served on site. The same could probably said of most breweries.
 
Since the release of the Brewmasters television series, demand for Dogfish head beer has shot up considerably. Smart business is to raise prices and increase profit from it. Sucks for poor college students like me:(
 
ok, but you still haven't said who is "overrating" them.

and the 3 beers i mentioned are all things they regularly distribute.
 
motobrewer said:
ok, but you still haven't said who is "overrating" them.

and the 3 beers i mentioned are all things they regularly distribute.
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The three that I've had more than once are honkers, ipa, and harvest. I've had the sofie when I was in Chicago. For me, it's a bit wine-y. That's my exposure.

As to who is overrating them... I've had numerous beer shop managers recommend GI as a can't miss brand. But directly, the thread was calling dfh overrated and overpriced (agree on the second) and giving GI (among others) as better breweries with better offerings. It was simply a counterpoint. The fact that I've never liked anything GI that I've tried (4 may not be exhaustive, but should be representative) and it was listed as a better alternative was laughable to me.
 
you don't care for them, that's fine.

but their IPA and Nut Brown won golds in the 2010 world beer cup, IPA has won gold 3 years in a row. Sofie won gold in 2009's cup and in this year's Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival.

i mean, metals are subjective, but to say they are "overrated" because shop owners are pushing them when they are multi-award-winning beers is pretty silly
 
motobrewer said:
you don't care for them, that's fine.

but their IPA and Nut Brown won golds in the 2010 world beer cup, IPA has won gold 3 years in a row. Sofie won gold in 2009's cup and in this year's Stockholm Beer and Whiskey Festival.

i mean, metals are subjective, but to say they are "overrated" because shop owners are pushing them when they are multi-award-winning beers is pretty silly
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Your point is well-taken. I will rethink how I say things in the future. Having said that, based on your argument, would you also agree that to call dfh overrated, based on their 2010 gold medal in beverage world magazine, their 3 medals at the 2008 great American beerfest, and their 2010 medal at the world beer cup, would be equally silly and wrong?
 
where are these rating sheets? who is this rating committee? i'd be interested in seeing the list....

i think it's silly to call any brewery "overrated" based on the fact that there are no ratings.

if you have an issue with owners pushing specific breweries or people proclaiming DFH is the best brewery on the planet simply because they brew DFH120, maybe you should just ignore them.
 
Maybe I'm lucky to be in MD, relatively close to DFH's brewery, but the DFH beers I can get that are significantly more expensive than other "craft" beers are typically the high ABV, high hop varieties.

Given that, I understand why certain brews are more expensive, and I'm willing to pay for the ones I like (like 90 min).

BrewFrisco said:
I tried this Torpedo stuff and really find this beer undrinkable.
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I agree; SN Torpedo is nothing like DFH 90 min; I'm not sure why someone would make the comparison. Torpedo was a godawful resiny hop-tea mess to me, and I wound up dumping more of it than I drank. I strongly dislike most American IPAs because they're ridiculously hopped out of all proportion to the other flavors in the beer, and Torpedo was no exception. I find DFH 90 min to be an exception, and it's one of the few I not only drink, but genuinely enjoy. The fact the a 4-pack is $12-14 around here isn't going to make me enjoy Torpedo at $9/6-pack. If someone honestly tastes no difference between the two, then sure, pay less money for Torpedo.

weirdboy said:
For me it's not about craft beer vs. BMC. It is DFH vs other craft beers. It's still way too expensive.

DFH 60min $11.99
DFH 90min $13.99 (!) that's for a 4 pack
Stone IPA, Lagunitas IPA, Sierra Nevada Torpedo: $9.99

If I want an IPA I am pretty much never buying the DFH.
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Why wouldn't you expect DFH 90 to be more than any of those other beers; it's a way bigger beer. Bigger ABV, bigger grain bill, 50% more hops, etc... It also tastes nothing like any of the others you listed (I haven't had the Lagunitas, so I'll reserve judgment on that one).

If you want to compare 60 min to those others, then fine, that's a more fair comparison (and a much smaller price difference).
 
New Brew said:
Maybe I'm lucky to be in MD, relatively close to DFH's brewery, but the DFH beers I can get that are significantly more expensive than other "craft" beers are typically the high ABV, high hop varieties.

Given that, I understand why certain brews are more expensive, and I'm willing to pay for the ones I like (like 90 min).

I agree; SN Torpedo is nothing like DFH 90 min; I'm not sure why someone would make the comparison. Torpedo was a godawful resiny hop-tea mess to me, and I wound up dumping more of it than I drank. I strongly dislike most American IPAs because they're ridiculously hopped out of all proportion to the other flavors in the beer, and Torpedo was no exception. I find DFH 90 min to be an exception, and it's one of the few I not only drink, but genuinely enjoy. The fact the a 4-pack is $12-14 around here isn't going to make me enjoy Torpedo at $9/6-pack. If someone honestly tastes no difference between the two, then sure, pay less money for Torpedo.

Why wouldn't you expect DFH 90 to be more than any of those other beers; it's a way bigger beer. Bigger ABV, bigger grain bill, 50% more hops, etc... It also tastes nothing like any of the others you listed (I haven't had the Lagunitas, so I'll reserve judgment on that one).

If you want to compare 60 min to those others, then fine, that's a more fair comparison (and a much smaller price difference).
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Interesting discussion - that is until it veers off into which breweries are good and which aren't.

I was listening to a BN CYBI show (Odanata Brewery) and Jamil mentioned that Odanata was a bit cheaper than other beers and that price did influence his decision as to whether he would try a new beer. If a beer is $2-3 bones higher than the rest then he would probably pass on it because it adds up pretty quickly if you are purchasing tried and true beers as well as new ones you would like to try. I am the same way whether it is beer or wine. Montanaandy
 
I agree; SN Torpedo is nothing like DFH 90 min; I'm not sure why someone would make the comparison. Torpedo was a godawful resiny hop-tea mess to me, and I wound up dumping more of it than I drank.
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You're right they are nothing like each other. I like Torpedo but cannot stand 90 minute because it tastes like a syrupy mess to me.

Why wouldn't you expect DFH 90 to be more than any of those other beers; it's a way bigger beer. Bigger ABV, bigger grain bill, 50% more hops
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Let's see Torpedo is 7.2% ABV and DFH 90 is 9% ABV. So the grain bill is a bit larger but not OMG HUEG. I am not sure about 50% more hops; how are you even quantifying that? But, even if that's the case I get 50% more beer in a 6-pack of Torpedo so it sorta balances out economically speaking.
 
There is obviously no correcting the logic of "I don't care for this beer, so it is obviously overpriced". wierdboy comes in saying "Well, I can get a sixer of pale ale for much less than an IIPA, and I don't like IIPA anyhow, so Dogfish is overpriced!" That sort of logical leap....well, you can't beat it with logic.

It's like trying to convince a hardcore Coors Light drinker that Sierra Nevada Pale isn't overpriced. "That stuff is too bitter anyhow, plus for $8 I can get 12 Coors Lights, and there's only 6 in there. That Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is way overpriced!"

"But Mr Coors Light," you say. "Sierra Nevada Pale ale is a crafted beer with high quality ingredients, and more of them to boot! That's why it costs more!"

"Ha!" Mr Coors scoffs. "That Sierra Nevada Pale ale is bitter and tastes kind of like poison. I don't know how you drink that dark beer crap. I get 12 silver bullets for the price of that 6er, so it balances out the 'more ingredients' thing. You can't fool me! TAP THE ROCKIES!"
 
munche said:
There is obviously no correcting the logic of "I don't care for this beer, so it is obviously overpriced". wierdboy comes in saying "Well, I can get a sixer of pale ale for much less than an IIPA, and I don't like IIPA anyhow, so Dogfish is overpriced!" That sort of logical leap....well, you can't beat it with logic.

It's like trying to convince a hardcore Coors Light drinker that Sierra Nevada Pale isn't overpriced. "That stuff is too bitter anyhow, plus for $8 I can get 12 Coors Lights, and there's only 6 in there. That Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is way overpriced!"

"But Mr Coors Light," you say. "Sierra Nevada Pale ale is a crafted beer with high quality ingredients, and more of them to boot! That's why it costs more!"

"Ha!" Mr Coors scoffs. "That Sierra Nevada Pale ale is bitter and tastes kind of like poison. I don't know how you drink that dark beer crap. I get 12 silver bullets for the price of that 6er, so it balances out the 'more ingredients' thing. You can't fool me! TAP THE ROCKIES!"
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Well put. Well put!
 
Beer snobbery + caring what other people say = getting worked up over this

Who cares? IMO, most DFH beers are experiments that aren't worth the money. I don't like them. Spoke to a distributor recently who doesn't like them because since they change their offerings so much, they are almost impossible to work with on the business side. Plus, even their staples are inconsistent to me. But, that said, tons of people like them, so they aren't going anywhere. Does that affect me and others who don't like them? Nope, not at all...

...unless of course you fit into my equation above...
 
wierdboy comes in saying "Well, I can get a sixer of pale ale for much less than an IIPA, and I don't like IIPA anyhow, so Dogfish is overpriced!"
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But that's not true at all. I LOVE IIPA. I just don't like 90 minute. And you are drawing connections that I didn't intend to make. I am not making a direct comparison between 90 minute and other IPAs, I simply listed the pricing for the two DFH products that were sitting on the shelf, along with all the other craft beers that were there. I don't see why this is hard to grasp.

The 60 minute, if you notice, was ALSO more expensive than the others.


Now I am willing to admit this is probably due to the distributor for DFH being greedy, or maybe the store, but I wouldn't know that because all I care about is the price I have to pay when I walk to the store to get beer. When DFH 60 minute costs $2 more per six pack than all of the other IPAs, when I want an IPA from that store I am never going to buy the DFH. I've had it, I know what it tastes like, and it's not worth the price difference to me.



"Ha!" Mr Coors scoffs. "That Sierra Nevada Pale ale is bitter and tastes kind of like poison. I don't know how you drink that dark beer crap. I get 12 silver bullets for the price of that 6er, so it balances out the 'more ingredients' thing. You can't fool me! TAP THE ROCKIES!"
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Jesus H Christ you are totally missing my point. The point is even if you account for higher gravity and more hops, IT'S STILL MORE EXPENSIVE. At least, in my little corner of the world. Being a homebrewer I am very aware of how much grain costs and how much hops cost. I know that lighter beers with lower ABV cost less to produce. But per pound of grain and oz of hops, DFH is STILL higher priced on my local store's shelf. I can get a six pack of Hop Wallop for less than I have to pay for a four-pack of DFH 90 minute. There is something intrinsically wrong with that pricing in my opinion.
 
jer204 said:
I think that's par for the coarse. 60min is $10 / 6er. Thats average. Check out their 120 min or stout. Some of those are $8 to $12 per bottle. You get what you pay for!
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$10 6/pack is average for you? that beer has 21oz of hops per barrel so I know it's not the hops that drive up the price and it's certainly not a high gravity so that leaves the water, yeast or name.

What do you think it is?
 
weirdboy said:
Jesus H Christ you are totally missing my point. The point is even if you account for higher gravity and more hops, IT'S STILL MORE EXPENSIVE.
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lol!!!!

i would like to know how you brew. obviously you buy ingredients, get them into the same room, then BAM!!! beer!!

the cost of brewing includes a lot more factors than grain price. energy costs, taxes, not to mention that there might be different brew procedures (you know, mash, boil, fermentation) that affect total cost of the product.
 
weirdboy said:
Jesus H Christ you are totally missing my point. The point is even if you account for higher gravity and more hops, IT'S STILL MORE EXPENSIVE. At least, in my little corner of the world. Being a homebrewer I am very aware of how much grain costs and how much hops cost. I know that lighter beers with lower ABV cost less to produce. But per pound of grain and oz of hops, DFH is STILL higher priced on my local store's shelf. I can get a six pack of Hop Wallop for less than I have to pay for a four-pack of DFH 90 minute. There is something intrinsically wrong with that pricing in my opinion.
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My point is this problem is only a problem at your preferred liquor store, and it's not even regional since I'm in the same area as you. You basically are insisting on going to one particular place, and don't like the pricing of DFH there. I suggest you take it up with the store owner. You can't ***** about prices and then say "well yeah, i mean it's cheaper other places, but it's overpriced at Joe's Liquor by my house. SCREW YOU DOGFISH!"
 
weirdboy said:
You're right they are nothing like each other. I like Torpedo but cannot stand 90 minute because it tastes like a syrupy mess to me.



Let's see Torpedo is 7.2% ABV and DFH 90 is 9% ABV. So the grain bill is a bit larger but not OMG HUEG. I am not sure about 50% more hops; how are you even quantifying that? But, even if that's the case I get 50% more beer in a 6-pack of Torpedo so it sorta balances out economically speaking.
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What exactly tastes like a syrupy mess to you in 90 minute? Every one I've ever tasted is precise and well balanced, certainly nothing I would describe as "syrupy..." The term "syrupy" implies an incredibly thick, sweet and sticky substance: something along the lines of pure malt extract or the taste, texture and resemblance of malt extract itself. 90 minute has none of those characteristics...
I realize this is merely your opinion, but it seems rather unfounded. Can you be more specific? Especially in relation to Torpedo?
 
It tastes way too sweet to me. I prefer a much drier finish. Leave it at that. I'm not going to argue subjective opinion.

I am not saying SCREW YOU DOGFISH. I'm saying I have other, better options so I exercise them. I have nothing personal against DFH.

I thought this thread was about the price of DFH beers being higher than other craft brews. Well, for ME they are higher. That's all I'm saying. And it is not just at the store I walk to when I don't want to drive. It is also at much larger chains like BevMo. $11.49 for a 6 pack of 60 minute, and $8.99 for Lagunitas or others. Now maybe that is because it costs them $2.50 to ship the beer across the country, but for whatever reason it is more expensive than equivalent beers that I can buy around here.
 
Fair enough.

More on topic, I think the price of DFH is directly related to not only the ingredients but also the popularity of his beer. The yuppie effect has a price...
 
Hah. I realized after typing this that it's a bad point. I can think of several high ABV brews that are quite sweet. Just because alcohol content is high doesn't mean all of the sugars are fermented out.
 
the cost of brewing includes a lot more factors than grain price. energy costs, taxes, not to mention that there might be different brew procedures (you know, mash, boil, fermentation) that affect total cost of the product.
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I think for all intents and purposes you can consider most nationally-distributed craft breweries to have roughly similar costs to DFH in this regard. So far as taxes are concerned, CA has a higher corporate tax rate by 0.6% than MD.

weirdboy, you must realize that the distributor, not dogfish, is the reason why you pay so much.
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Then why are you arguing about process costs?


Even if the distributor is the reason, that doesn't change the fact that I and others end up paying more for DFH beer. So what exactly are you arguing about?
 
motobrewer said:
hahahaha, ok, now you're just making stuff up.

i've had enough of this.
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OK well then whip out the accounting books for all your favorite breweries and we'll compare expenses. You're the one implying that somehow DFH is uniquely incurring much higher expenses for a similar volume of product. Is it because they dump beer all the time?
 
fa. king. listen.

the price. is because. of the distributor.

you're the one implying that torpedo and dfh90 cost roughly the same to produce.

and the only reason i'm back now is because i'm trying to diagnose a beer problem but couldn't help......NOW i've had enough of this, lol....
 
stoneman said:
Jason for cheap beer in the Abbotsford area, I have to give it to Bowen Island
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Im not really looking for "cheap beer", just looking for decently priced tasty craft beer. I usually go to sumas wa and pick up something brewed in oregon. I don't really care for bowen island myself, the beer is kinda bland IMO. I usually buy european beers, alot of stouts, wheat and other ales in the import single bottle aisle. Im cloning Konig Ludwigs yeast right now, going to try and make a bavarian heff. Ever go to the vancouver or victoria beer fests?? Their amazing!
 
Yes, it's expensive, but great beer. 90min is like $10.50 a four pack here. I'm working on a 90min clone now to save money. 60min is a little less for a 6 pack, and 120 min is about $11 a bottle! (when they have it). They are totally worth it, though. I just bought a 4-pack of Dogfish Head Midas Touch for $14.50 yesterday. I'd never had it before. It's.. interesting. It's hardly beer, though I'd buy it again if it wasn't so expensive!
 
Jason I used to work up the road from Dix Brewpub in Vancouver, their brewmaster was fantastic and made great seasonal beer (barley wine, grand cru... ) It was a damn shame that they shut down. :(
 
Yeesh you want to talk about to expensive and overrated look at how Russian river is selling pliny the younger. I've never had it and probably wont for all those shenanigans but geez give me a break.
 
DFH 6 packs are priced similar to other craft brews in my area. Troegs, Lancaster, Victory... 60 min is my go to beer. I also love Indian Brown.
 

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