Absurdly High Markup on Beer.

I was down in DC this weekend and a store had a few bottles of
Consecration and Redemption in stock....for about $26 and $32 dollars.....a
Piece for a 375ml.

I am fairly sure they don't distribute to DC and its lax enforcement
that lets them sell it but that is just absurd. I mean I've never see that kind
of markup on beer in NYC.

I also saw another store selling Hopslam for $10 and 120m IPA for $20 a bottle.

Also at the Beer Baron they were selling 750ml Bottles of Black Ops and
Old Rasputin for $50.

I know the market entails what people will pay but I mean come on...

Is this market specific or have you guys seen anything similar in your areas.

 

seen it somewhat similar on rare releases.... but the people that mark them up take the extra cash and donate it to some charities, and i'm cool with that

:EDIT:
and the markup is usually around like $2-3 bucks a bottle, so i really do not mind paying it

 

I'd pass. No beer is worth that much when I can probably find a recipe and brew it myself pretty damn close to the real thing. I'm just not into the "hype" and haven't gotten my hands on a hyped up beer yet that deserved the trouble it took to get it.

 

This is in a town where people think that $600 for a toilet seat is ok. The way the government spends money, and since the people shopping there are the ones doing the spending. I'm sure most of these people would think nothing of $26-$50 a bottle for beer.

Couldn't charge that for beer here.

 

One reason why I just love Stone Brewing Co. is that I can always find a good beer for a good price if I look at their products on the shelf.

I won't pay that much for beer. I'd lay down 30 or 40 on a 750ml of decent Bourbon or Cognac, but not for a beer...sorry.

 

Was it Connecticut Ave? I heard they had RR, but **** THAT. I want it, but mostly for the dregs. The beer is just icing on the cake.

Good thing I have a New York connection.

 

Welcome to Canada. Oh wait ...

 

I dunno. Broke open my 12 dollar bottle of 120 min with 2 friends and I thought it was worth every penny. More than I expected

 

That isn't considered an expense in the DC area. If you make under six figures you can't afford more than one or two rooms in your apartment. Not for the beers you mentioned, but I don't put a price on a beer that I love and really want to drink. I will gladly spendt $200 for ~10 bottles of delicious sours/Belgians and not think twice about drinking them.

Then again, it depends on where you live and what the local cost of living/average salary is.

 

Yes CT ave by Dupont had the RR but only two types and four bottles of it. They didn't have a huge selection but it was solid

 

Is everything overpriced? Can't see how a store can stay in business if no one buys anything. So I'm saying somebody must be buying from them.

Don't know the beer though so I don't know what it should cost. Does sound high to me.

 

There a couple issues here. As far as the Russian River stuff they do not distribute to DC so they are buying those beers some where else and bringing in. Phia. PA is the only East Coast city that gets any RR beers and it only gets their sours and belgiums in bottle and will get some kegs of Blind Pig and Pliny.

Also remeber this is not the brewery fault. When CBS came out I know Founders was very upset that the bottles where going anywhere from 25-100 a pop. The brewery sells to distrubutors who in turn sell to retailers who then mark up the beer.

In some cases the beer is more expensive but if you think about the amount of ingrediants that go into a 120 IPA compaired to anything else is why the price is so high. It is something like 5x the grain 10x the hops.

That being said in you never had a Consencration it is worth the price. One of the best sours out there.

 

I have probably been in that exact store. While the markup is high the selection and what is available is the draw. I brought back some singles and did I pay to much? I am sure but the stories of walking around DC with $100 of rare craft brews is epic not to mention flying home with them. I made some people around here VERY happy and still have some neat stuff left from those travels.

 

I'm not a fan of 120, but that is the going price. Even at a restaurant once I only paid $15. Anything above that is absurd.

I'm over 6 figures, but I don't like to throw my money away for no reason. I have no problem spending more money for certain beers, but the price has to be in line with the production costs or else I'm out of the market. The $20 per bottle for Belgian Sours in your example isn't much out of line with the going rate (for 750ml at least). But if I saw a Russian River regular beer going for $10-15 per bottle, I'd laugh so loud the owner would kick me out of the store.

 

I started brewing because of this. My desire for tastier and more complex beers was killing me. I had the thought that I'm sure many of us have had "If they can do it, why can't I?", so a couple books, some initial investment in some equiptment, some research, some more investment in some equiptment that i should have bought had i done the research first, and i'm cooking beer. good beer, lot of times great beer, and even occasionally a life-altering beer for $15 or less a GALLON, instead of a bottle, or 6-pack.

But craft-brew shopping in DuPont is silly. We don't pay anywhere near those prices in Annapolis...and it's Annapolis....

 

You could probably get a bottle of Consecration and Redemption shipped to you directly from California for less than $26 each. And $50 for Old Rasputin is just a joke.

 

They could charge $100 for Old Rasputin, I don't care. I know how to make my own!

 

To me it's like scalping tickets. We do a disservice to the artists (or brewers in this case) when we pay outrageous prices for the product. Even $12 seems like too much for 120, we pay $8 or $9 at any decent shop here in MA. As for the RR stuff, I've never had access to any of it, but those prices seem crazy. I'm willing to pay up to ~$20 for a 750 if I believe I'm getting value for my money. That said, I did pay $67 for a bottle of Tactical Nuclear Penguin. Of course, I have no idea if that is a bad price or not.

 

Ive spent $50 on a "mix a six" in the St. Louis area. One of the bottles was a Black Albert Royal Stout that was priced at $10 a bottle. Was it worth it? Yes. Am I accustomed to spending this much? No. I can generally mix a six for about 10-12 bucks. But it's sure nice to know if I want a specific beer they will have it, even if it is at a premium.

 

My point is more that there is a point where it surpasses the beer being desired and valued to the greedy store owners gouging people. $30+ for a 375ml is gouging silliness between distribution and the ridiculousness of the three tier system aside.

It just seems at a point it limits the Brewer's ability to have the public enjoy what they are working hard to make at a fair price. Worst part is the brewers see none of those inflated profits as well

 

I spent $10 on a bottle of DFH120. It was worth it to try it. I'd never pay that much again. It was a good IIPA, but not my favorite.

I can get Hopslam for $20 a 6-pack, which equates to about 1/3 the price of DFH120 and I like it much more.

Both are expensive, but the OP was quoting prices about double what I have seen here.

 

i just split a case of cuvee des jacobins w a buddy for 80 bucks. close to shangy's and phila helps, but there is definitely a crazt mark up going on when everyone knows a beer is hot, limited, or hard to get - i saw the Brooklyn sorachi ace at like 35 a bottle for a little while. That same place once sold me sixers of rodenbach for 10 bucks on a friday night - until i bought out the four cases they had in stock, now they are in a different cooler. The owners in PA kind of do what they want... what can you do?- part of the reason we home brew...

 

I buy almost all my beer in DC area and I can say the area likely has the highest markup anywhere. I think it is a totally unique market. I'm not really sure why, but I rarely go to a bar and expect to pay less than $9 a glass for the beers I like. I hate paying that much but there are only a couple bars in town that have good beer for less. That is one of the reasons I started homebrewing. I love belgians and saisons and I can't afford to drink them at the bars.

As far as bottle shops go, there is only one place in DC that routinely has the Russian River beers and that is the Connecticut Ave shop. It is legal for bars and beer stores to sell whatever beer they want in DC. They don't have to go through a distributor. So sometimes bars and stores will have employees bring stuff back from trips or make a special trip to pick up some stuff from a brewery that normally isn't available here. I understand that this can be more expensive and I'm just glad to have the opportunity to purchase one of those beers. However the markup is quite high. They have pliny for about $15-$20 a bottle sometimes. Is it worth it? Well that's debatable, it's excellent, but I can order some online and have it shipped cheaper so...

There was an article in the Washington Post recently about prices. It noted that you can go to some of the most expensive cost of living areas and easily find good beer at much cheaper prices than in DC. Again I'm not sure why that is.

And trust me not everyone in DC is making a ton of money working for the government. In fact out of all the homebrewers I know, only a couple making healthy 6 figures. Most of us are young and just starting out and lucky we have a job in this economy. A lot work at bars, restaurants, non profits etc. making very low pay compared to the cost of living in this town.

 

120 and hopslam is not Apples to Apples. Hopslam is a DIPA where as 120 is considered a triple IPA that is 18% ABV. 90 min is more of a fair comparison. I love 120 and pick up a few bottles when I can.

 

I am drinking a 650ml Lagunitas Gnarley Wine right now and am delighted with the beer.

It was $4.99 plus 6% for my state, by the way.

 

I agree they are not the same thing. However, last time I looked, 120 was only 15%. And as a comparison, Hopslam is probably one of the few beers that comes even close to 120 in several areas.

 

Heh! They changed the website to say it's 15-20% So even DFH can't nail down an ABV!

 

There is a restaurant in town (South Bend, IN) that sells Three Floyds beers at $20-25.00 a glass. You can literally walk a block and buy a 6 pack for $8.99 or drive a hour and be at the brewery.

 

This is why I hate and don't eat/shop in DC. Beer and everything else, both there and in the suburbs, is well overpriced. You can thank all the people with two-income households earning six figures...each.

 

never. i love beer but that just stupid

 

man. i remember the days when 120 was $8 and hopslam was $14

 

I love Orval which is $6 for a 12oz beer if you can find it, guess thats why I am brewing my own Oval Abbey Ale....either $50 for 54 12oz bottles(even though I am kegging it) or $324 for the same amount. Of course I have to wait a year to even drink my beer which is why n ext time I will make a 10 gallon batch.

 

Rick's Wine and Gourmet on Duke St. in Alexandria.

You're welcome.

 

+1 I love that place. Go around noon on Saturdays for tastings!

 

Yeah, Rick's is where I snagged the six-pack of Hopslam.

 

I am glad I live in MT where I can drink great local beers as well as visit Denver/Ft Collins/Boulder where I can get more great local beer as well as any of the beers produced by west coast breweries and am not being ripped off...

 

If you don't mind me asking, where are they charging that much? Having lived in South Bend for 6 years, I can't think of too many places in town that could get away with charging prices like that.

 

I didnt even read the other 4 pages... But dude, im on long island, It doesnt bother you going to a bar and getting a Bud lite for $7 a bottle and heineken for $8? If I could bring homebrew to the bars, Id actually go.

 

Bars around me tried to sell hopslam for 8.00 a pint...it actually didn't work for a number of reasons.
1. We live in Michigan...home of hopslam. Its everywhere
2. Nobody that knows anything about beer would bother with that kind of.pricing
3. Its 10.00 for a wider at any half decent beer store
4. Its 22.00 per mini keg...though apparantly they didn't make them this year.

Last i saw they were having hopslam "specials" at these bars...half off. Which would he a good deal if the kegs weren't 2 months old by then.

 

In 2006, the first year i bought 120 it was 12.00 for a four pk. Now it is 12.00 per bottle and good luck finding it. They got popular and people just HAVEA TO HAVE IT NOW so there is rationing around here and the sky is the limit...with the demand, if it gets too procey for one guy, there are 7 more who will pay it

This is when it is actually more logical to clone it