Can you afford to buy craft brews?

[brewingkitty]

friggin 6ers are just under $10. hell with that. i can make 5gal for about $15-25 for some pretty decent brew.

 

[northernlad]

You can't really buy a decent quality bottle o' vino for less than $20.

I totallly disagree with that statement. Ravenswood, Kenwood, Bogel (to name a few) have some wonderful wines at $10-20.
A bottle of wine is four 6oz pours plus the angel's share.

 

[pjk49202]

After looking through this thread I feel lucky I live where I do. I recently took a trip to Michigan and was amazed by the price of beer there. 10.99 for a six pack of Oberon? New Belgium, Great Divide, Odells, etc in Colorado are not that expensive.

Anyways, I still buy craft beer when I go to the liquor store. Sometimes I get a bomber of something I want to cellar for a while, or a sixer of something good. Very rarely do I go to a liquor store and spend more than what i would for a batch of homebrew.

 

[TheWeeb]

After looking through this thread I feel lucky I live where I do. I recently took a trip to Michigan and was amazed by the price of beer there. 10.99 for a six pack of Oberon? New Belgium, Great Divide, Odells, etc in Colorado are not that expensive.

Man, how I miss the Denver metro area, Lukas down there by the mall and Argonaut on Colfax. Hundreds of craft brews from around the world to choose from . . . . the last trip I made, for the International Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, I dropped $250 on craft brew.

 

[Special Hops]

To say that these beers are overpriced is a load of crap if you ask me. Many of these craft breweries are trying to expand but can't afford to expand quickly enough to meet demand. This is on top of the fact that these brewers aren't making a ton of money. Yes, DFH midas touch costs more than Bud, but if you look at the ingredients and the economies of scale you shouldn't be surprised by that. Besides that, if a brewery is struggling to meet demand then they are definitely not selling overpriced beer.

Also, I think the prices quoted in this thread are very extreme examples. $12-20 for a six pack? Really? Try buying local beers. In Michigan I could get Bells two hearted for $9/six. Here in NC I can get most local beers for $8/six.

Who is saying overpriced? Overpriced and not affordable are two different things. They charge what they need to to make money and stay in business. I have no problem with that. I just can't afford to spend 40+ bucks a weeks on craft beers. Some can. I can make it at home and that 40 bucks gives me a months worth of beer.

 

[slowbie]

Who is saying overpriced? Overpriced and not affordable are two different things. They charge what they need to to make money and stay in business. I have no problem with that. I just can't afford to spend 40+ bucks a weeks on craft beers. Some can. I can make it at home and that 40 bucks gives me a months worth of beer.

From the OP:

The vast majority of the craft beers on those shelves are simply overpriced, including ones that I enjoy greatly

 

[beowulf]

If you expect to get Midas Touch or Pliny the Elder or Arrogant Bastard for the same price as a Bud Light or Miller, you need to wake up and smell the hops. For any of you who have brewed a clone of some of the craft brews, you know how expensive it can be for the extra malt, hops or honey. You pay for quality ingredients and for a brewery that does not have the economies of scale that you find at one of the BMC outfits. Also, I'd imagine that corn and rice are probably cheaper than malted barley, especially when you buy it in bulk. So, the craft breweries have a lot going against them.

I'm no expert, but my feelings are that craft brews are "appropriately priced", and therefore more expensive. They should be. It's just that we've been accustomed to expecting to pay $3-4 for a sixer of BMC (not sure even what they go for nowadays), and anything more than that seems overpriced. There are always options...drink less or spend more. If you want to spend <$6 per sixer, make your own (which still is often not 'dirt cheap') or be content with a BMC product.

 

[phrogpilot73]

My wife and I are DINK. I've got enough beer in my pipeline to keep me supplied for a while - but since I only have three taps - I look to craft beer for my variety. I justify it's high cost for "research". I don't even buy BMC when I'm having a big party (my last party I dropped $80 just on beer).

 

[FromZwolle]

If you expect to get Midas Touch or Pliny the Elder or Arrogant Bastard for the same price as a Bud Light or Miller, you need to wake up and smell the hops. For any of you who have brewed a clone of some of the craft brews, you know how expensive it can be for the extra malt, hops or honey. You pay for quality ingredients and for a brewery that does not have the economies of scale that you find at one of the BMC outfits. Also, I'd imagine that corn and rice are probably cheaper than malted barley, especially when you buy it in bulk. So, the craft breweries have a lot going against them.

I'm no expert, but my feelings are that craft brews are "appropriately priced", and therefore more expensive. They should be. It's just that we've been accustomed to expecting to pay $3-4 for a sixer of BMC (not sure even what they go for nowadays), and anything more than that seems overpriced. There are always options...drink less or spend more. If you want to spend <$6 per sixer, make your own (which still is often not 'dirt cheap') or be content with a BMC product.

i'm not sayin that craft beer should be cheap, but at the prices that my local shop has, i just can't afford to to buy em regularly (once a week or so) i do drop a few$$ on research beers once in a while.

 

[FromZwolle]

Relatively speaking, great beer is much cheaper than average wine.

You can't really buy a decent quality bottle o' vino for less than $20. One bottle of wine is aboot 4 glasses, right?

cost of grapes vs cost of grain. and long term storage of both. plus how long does it take to make the average beer vs the average bottle of wine.

 

[SwampassJ]

If you expect to get Midas Touch or Pliny the Elder or Arrogant Bastard for the same price as a Bud Light or Miller, you need to wake up and smell the hops.

Stone Arrogant 6 pack for 12 dollars I'll think about it. 16 dollars for the non oaked is stupid.

 

[SwampassJ]

I was thinking about trying some midas touch to see if I might want to brew something similar (just for example) and when I found it, the FOUR pack was like $16!

Priced 33% higher than the Total Wine, just checked on it. 11.99 for a 4 pack.

 

[david_42]

Easily affordable, but I rarely drink more than 2 pints a day. If I was slapping back 8-10, like I did in college; then no.

 

[McGarnigle]

If you treat beer as food, these prices aren't bad at all. I don't drink coffee: what are the prices at Starbucks? I cook for myself rather than order in pizza or Chinese.

 

[Dr_Gordon_Freeman]

Overpriced compared to what?

overpriced compared to the enjoyment I get out of it.

they get what they can on the market, and that's fine. But I'm curious if they couldn't make the same profit by dropping prices and selling more beer.

 

[slowbie]

they get what they can on the market, and that's fine. But I'm curious if they couldn't make the same profit by dropping prices and selling more beer.

The problem is that most of them have a hard time keeping up with demand already and they are at max production levels. So there's no way they could sell more beer.

 

[Dr_Gordon_Freeman]

The problem is that most of them have a hard time keeping up with demand already and they are at max production levels. So there's no way they could sell more beer.

I've heard this before, but honestly I don't see the microbrew flying off the shelves at the beverage superstore. A lot of the microbrews there have been on the shelf for a looong time.

 

[Brewdouche-RuBrew]

Theres a place near me that specificly has empty six pack holders and you mix what you want to have 1 or 2 of what I want, but if you want to drink more beer..........

Buy in bulk...

Brew more of your own....

Cry less..

 

[Dr_Gordon_Freeman]

Buy in bulk...

Brew more of your own....

Cry less..

If you think I'm losing sleep over it, you're mistaken.

Pardon me for posting a topic on an internet discussion board...

 

[Airborneguy]

Craft brew prices will not go down because they are selling at the level they need/want to at the prices they currently ask. This is simple market economics. They are selling a "superior" product to a group which is willing to pay more to enjoy their product. Most of us wouldn't turn around and buy lesser products because of a slightly increased price, and the breweries obviously know that.

 

[slowbie]

I've heard this before, but honestly I don't see the microbrew flying off the shelves at the beverage superstore. A lot of the microbrews there have been on the shelf for a looong time.

I've seen stores like that too but it's not like these places are reordering beer that they've had on the shelf for months and months before it's sold. It's the stores that go through cases and cases of craft beer every day that keep reordering beer keeping these breweries at full production. I think Founders is growing faster than most breweries, so it's not necessarily a typical example, but just to illustrate my point, Founders just finished increasing their capacity at the beginning of this year and in the press release talking about this expansion the are already talking about their hopes to have another expansion done by the end of the year. Their projected production for this year is nearly triple what it was just two years ago.

Article here

 

[beowulf]

Didn't mean for my other post to sound like a tirade....just pointing out some facts...

As for buying craft brews (the genesis of the post)...I do buy some every once in awhile if I'm getting low on a certain style or if I want to try something new or different. Normally I'll stick to homebrew if at all possible. I doubt if I'm saving much money by doing so, but it's a fun hobby and I really enjoy it. I just don't get any enjoyment out of a BMC-esque product, so I'll have a single malt instead if I'm out of a beer that I like.

 

[HokieBrewer]

I was on a kick for a while spending lots of money to try rare and new beer. Special releases and trading on Beer Advocate. But I realized the majority of what I wound up with was pretty good, but not mind blowing. Plus, I started to turn into a bit of a beer snob.

Now I enjoy getting a solid six pack of something like SNPA or a local beer instead of one bomber of a mediocre bourben barrel aged stout.

(sometimes I'll buy BMC too )

 

[Beerthoven]

I can afford to buy craft brews, but rarely do. 98% of the beer consumed in my household is my own homebrew.

 

[curlyfat]

I taught my kids to like ramen noodles. Now I can afford craft brew!

Just kidding. I treat myself to a "reasonable" craft brew weekly ( <$10/sixer), and occasionally splurge on the really pricey stuff. 90% of my consumption is my brew, but if I don't keep tasting, I won't expand myself.

 

[Mermaid]

I like beer with personality.
It also tends to be on the strong / highly caloric side.
With this in mind, I try to treat my craft brew habit like my sushi habit - it's a nice treat a couple times a month, but it's not something that I can justify drinking "every day".

I don't mind paying a bit more for something that I really like and/or if I want to support a brewery that I like, but yeah there's no way I'm buying more than a 6 of anything priced above $2/bottle on a regular basis.

 

[alexdagrate]

I love craftbrew and buy it often. I think the key is to pay attention and know where the good deals on the different types of beer are.

I kind of have a four layer pricing scheme:

1) Homebrew: Good quality, low cost, frequent. I can make an IPA for about $0.67/pint.

2) BMC, Refreshing, low quality, low cost, frequent: I actually like yellow fizzy beer in addition to quality homebrew and craft brew. My favs like High Life, PBR, Hamm's, Olympia, Rainier, and Old German are often available for around $0.67/pint. This stuff is nice for simply supplementing my drinking or giving to people who come over, etc.

3) Affordable Craft Brew, medium cost, medium quality, less frequent: This is where finding the deals is key. Costco often has craft beers such as Sierra Nevada (PA, Summer Ale, Celebration), Bridgeport (IPA and Hop Czar), Deschutes (Mirror Pond, Jubelale, Twilight), Kona (Longboard, Fire Rock) and even Stone (Arrogant Bastard 12 packs of 22s). Some times the price gets down to around $1.33/pint (around a $1 a 12 oz bottle). Fred Meyer often has craft breweries like Deschutes priced at $1.33/pint. The Albertson's near my house has an excellent selection and often prices big beers like Mirror Mirror or Stone Old Guardian for the cheapest I've seen.

4) Unaffordable Craft Brew, high cost, high quality, infrequent: Can I afford $14 a bottle for a barleywine? No, probably not. However, I agree with other posters who compare my craft brew obsession with wine. Barleywines and Russian Imperial Stouts are special favorites of mine and I have about 4 dozen different ones "cellaring." Someday I plan on having vertical tastings with close friends. This gives me the opportunity to have something unique. The price differentital between different sellers can be vast. My local bottle shop sells beers like Mirror Mirror for $15. At my Albertson's, it's $10.

I am a devout hophead and not above paying $5.50/pint for Pliny at my local craft beer tavern (which has 40 taps, the only thing close to BMC there is Olympia). But that same tavern also has great deals like $3/pint specials on interesting brews. Right now, for $3 I can try many winter ales (it's Christmas in July) on tap, some of which have been aged for a year or two. Granted, $3 a pint is about twice what I prefer to pay for beer at home, but the selection is fantastic.

Basically, brew your own and drink some BMC to stretch the dollar. Hunt for deals on medium-quality craft brew, and don't be afraid to treat yourself every once in a while and always look for the best price on the top beers.