Is all dogfish head beer expensive?

[JasonToews]

I went to my local liqure store and saw dogfish head for the 1st time. It was their 90 minute ipa. The price tag was $15 plus tax for a 4 pack!!

 

[jer204]

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!

 

[straycat]

relatively, yes. however here in the south eastern US it's only 8.99 per 4 pack. just finished one and i'm heading to the fridge for another.

 

[just2brew]

Flavor comes with a price tag...

 

[maxamuus]

Good beer isn't cheap that's for sure.

Local brewer Epic here in Salt Lake makes some FANTASTIC beers. This one was delish http://www.epicbrewing.com/our-beers/exponential-series/item/60-brainless-on-peaches but price wasnt cheap. 13 dollars for 1 22oz bomber.

 

[MeatyPortion]

15 Canadian dollars? That's still really expensive. Good stuff though.

 

[JasonToews]

yes 15 canadian. I've been waiting to try that beer and have heard it excellent, but I just cant push myself to spend that much on a 4 pack. There are so many excellent european beers that are so cheap and tasty that you can find in the liqure stores around here. Maybe I'll have to bite the bullet and pick it up. Is it actually that good? Usually when I spend that kind of money its on a 4 pack of guinness draught.

 

[Grinder12000]

Dogfish heads prices are basically matching their ABV. World Wide Stout is $35 a 4 pack but it's 18% ABV.

 

[jbsg02]

I think food prices in general have gone up over the last 6-12 months

 

[Mongrel]

15 Canadian dollars? That's still really expensive. Good stuff though.

FYI, Canadian is worth more than US now. So yes, that's expensive, but a lot of that has to do with taxation.

Jason, where did you find this? I have family in Yarrow, and there isn't a decent beer in the whole town.

 

[BlackForestBrewery]

Out here in Louisville, we can get most varieties of DFH for $9-12/4 pack. Pretty spendy, but its good beer.

 

[ultravista]

DogFish, Rogue, and Stone are all high.

 

[Jaymo]

The 60-minute and 90-minute IPAs are the only 2 of their beers, out of many, that I've actually liked. Thus, I'd say whether or not they are all expensive, they are definitely overpriced!

 

[JasonToews]

Its a the liqure barn on Montvue Avenue here in abbotsford.

 

[FatherJack]

It's expensive to be sure, but I like to harp in on posts like this with a reminder of Japanese beer prices.

For a local brew, a 6 pack of good, but not spectacular beer, can easily fetch $30+.

No matter how you slice it, both are expensive, but I would rather pay for the Dogfish.

 

[Mongrel]

It's expensive to be sure, but I like to harp in on posts like this with a reminder of Japanese beer prices.

For a local brew, a 6 pack of good, but not spectacular beer, can easily fetch $30+.

No matter how you slice it, both are expensive, but I would rather pay for the Dogfish.

Fortunately, I live in an area that flows with good beer. I'll buy one of the high priced specialties a couple times a year, but for the most part, I'm drinking quality for a reasonable price. Japan pricing can't really enter into a reasonable dialog. I remember paying $5 for a coke at a little hamburger stand in Tokyo.

 

[SumnerH]

I went to my local liqure store and saw dogfish head for the 1st time. It was their 90 minute ipa. The price tag was $15 plus tax for a 4 pack!!

They are generally overpriced a bit, but your pricing is high--it's about $10 for a 4-pack of 90 minute around here, which is 2/3 the price you quote.

They are one of the worst-priced and most overrated beers in craft brewing, though (e.g. when Isabelle Proximus was brewed as a collaborative effort between Avery/Russian River/Allagash/Lost Abbey/Dogfish, they poured out more than half of Dogfish head's contribution as not up to par; generally, the Dogfish quality control is pretty crappy).

They definitely have a few beers that are really great--a well-aged Immort Ale is a thing of beauty, as is Bitch's Brew, Worldwide Stout, and Buron Baton.

But in general aren't nearly as good as the reputation; the 60 and 90 minute IPAs are fine but nothing special these days (even when it comes to east coast IPAs), and putting your money toward Allagash, Cigar City, Foothills, or Portsmouth (toward the east coast), Goose Island, Three Floyds, or Founder's (mid-country) or Russian River, Avery, Ballast Point, or Lost Abbey (on the west coast) just to name a few would be money better spent. Even most of Sierra Nevada's specialty offerings are much better than the vast majority of stuff that Dogfish throws out there, though on occasion they do have a great beer

Really they're mostly famous for audacity rather than consistent quality--Theobroma, 120 minute, Fort, Black and Blue, Midas touch, and the like are all pretty out there and inventive. They definitely get some credit for that. But they're mostly not very good, and breweries like Allagash, Lost Abbey, Cigar City, Russian River, and others manage to push the envelope just as much and also have most of their beers be really good in the process, as opposed to Dogfish's envelope-pushing but ultimately mostly failed offerings.

 

[FatherJack]

Mongrel,

I think prices have started to come down in restaurants and the like. It's actually cheaper for me to eat out here than it is in the states.

However, the government levies such heavy taxes on alcohol that all beer, even the BMC equivalents, are ridiculously priced.

The way around this? Many manufacturers make a fake beer with coloring and flavoring added to seltzer water and alcohol.

 

[trigger]

I totally agree with SumnerH. I've bought DFH beers many times, but never the same one twice. I appreciate what they're doing in terms of tearing the envelope wide open, but I've never had one that justified the price, and only rarely had one that I actually want to drink again, regardless of cost.

On the other hand, I love Rogue for a lot of reasons. Some of them have nothing to do with the beer, but most of them do. A while ago I was down at their place in Newport and had their black lager, which was amazing. I also tried their sour somethingorother and it wasn't good. Then I tried their scottish somethingorother and wasn't impressed. We moved on to nothing but memorable brews from there. While they did throw up some not so great beers, they had some real winners in there.

Unfortunately I feel like DFH has gone for snob appeal. They seem to do everything they can to make beers for the "in the know" crowd that don't necessarily taste good.

 

[Frodo]

I've tried DFH's 90 min IPA for the first time recently. It's good, but worth that much??? I am amazed how much the Stone, Rogue, DFH, etc cost... it's really hard for me to fathom that it costs them anywhere near that much to produce, market, ship, and retail a beer... Pliny the Elder, well I can see that there's an unbelievable amount of hops in that one... but generally for these hot-name microbrews... seems like they're just taking advantage of the situation.

 

[rustym]

DFH 90 is good, no doubt. But way overrated and priced accordingly. I'll take a Sierra Nevada Torpedo any day over it. And you get 6 of those! For some reason the 4-pack thing bugs me. Where I live, DFH90 is 8.99 for 4 and SN Torpedo is 7.79 for 6. So that ends up being my everyday beer.

 

[BoxofRain]

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!

I've been aging two 120's for over a year now. Would have drank them already if it hadn't been for their spoiled batch this year; now I just can't find a magic moment to enjoy. Spent 10 bucks a piece on them.

On topic. I feel that many places have been slightly raising their prices because of the show. I like DFH, don't get me wrong, but my distributor has such a good selection that I usually pass it over for something else.

 

[SwampassJ]

but generally for these hot-name microbrews... seems like they're just taking advantage of the situation.

Yeah it's really screwed up when beer I bought 2-3 years ago when I started getting into craft brews is now bigger and more well known and no longer 7.99 a 6pack but now between (DFH)9.99-12.99 (rogue). Seems the only one that hasn't gone changed has been Bells which still usually sits at 9.99.

 

[Shepherd5]

I wasn't all that impressed with DFH either, for the prices they charge. I am glad to see people recognize Ballast Poit Brewery in a positive way. When I really want to treat myself, I will buy a six-pack of their Sculpin IPA, the best tasting IPA to date IMHO! Total price out the door after taxes and CRV is over $17 dollars, OUCH! But, even on a bad taste bud day, Sculpin is wonderful tasting!

 

[Varroa]

Jason, where did you find this? I have family in Yarrow, and there isn't a decent beer in the whole town.

Now there is a name of a town I haven't heard in a while. I always use to pass through there on my way to Cultus, Veder or Chilliwack. All the tourist would pass Yarrow and go to Chilliwack on the highway and then cut back to get to Cultus so if you passed through Yarrow you could avoid alot of the traffic (back in the day).

Glad to hear you can get decent beer out in Abbostford now as well.

 

[SumnerH]

I wasn't all that impressed with DFH either, for the prices they charge. I am glad to see people recognize Ballast Poit Brewery in a positive way. When I really want to treat myself, I will buy a six-pack of their Sculpin IPA, the best tasting IPA to date IMHO! Total price out the door after taxes and CRV is over $17 dollars, OUCH! But, even on a bad taste bud day, Sculpin is wonderful tasting!

Fresh Sculpin is a thing of beauty. Better than Pliny the Elder, IMO.

 

[Rev2010]

Here in the NY/NJ area I generally pay about $2.50 per bottle in a 4 pack. It is indeed high. The only beer of theirs I buy though is their Punkin' Ale and it's pretty much worth it. If they went to $3 a bottle I'd abandon ship cause there are other better options out there for less (Weyebacker Imperial Pumpkin being my fav of the style). I haven't had their other beers yet however.


Rev.

 

[ReefkprZ]

I have tried some DFH and really don't think that the 4 pack is worth what they charge for it. It's just not that great. It's a good beer, but spectacular, no.

 

[wildwest450]

Just paid $5 for a 24oz Chickory Stout at Flying Saucer last night. Good beer at a reasonable price.

 

[dvdanny]

They are good beers to buy and have a little tasting party among friends but I don't drink them regularly because of their price, only exception might be 90min although I consider both SN's Torpedo and Firestone's Union Jack to be superior IPA's and those are easy to find and cost less for a 6pk then 90min does for a 4pk ($8-9 for a 6pk vs. $9-11 for the 90min 4pk). The only exception I make for pricey 4pks is Guinness Foreign Extra Stout (roughly $10 for 4 around here), god I love that beer.

That said my DFH fav so far has been Palo Santo, I would love to brew a barleywine (they call it a brown ale but it really seems more like a barleywine to me) in the style of that with maybe Maple instead of Palo Santo wood. I still have two bottles from the first 4pk I bought I'm going to keep to see how the flavors change with age.