Rant - What the frig is up with overpriced pints at the brewpub?

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I have to second that $7 is rather pricy for a 6.5% pint.

Our new brewery in Columbia SC has a tap room, I believe their pints are $4+tx.

I was drinking Skullpin IPA for $2/pt last night

MC

 

[gr8shandini]

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think the right price would be for a draft pint at an independent brew pub (assuming above average quality)? To me, 5 bucks is about right and 7 is slightly high, but it seems the consensus here is that 5 is too much and 7 is outrageous.

Also second the comment on the tomatoes. 3 bucks a pound is well worth it for the good stuff. The junk in the grocery store isn't even worth buying, in my opinion.

 

[MaxStout]

In other news... Sweet. Onion. Chutney. Are you seeing this Finnair flight attendant ad??

I wish. I keep getting the ad with the bikini-clad fat girl jiggling her belly. Ugh.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think the right price would be for a draft pint at an independent brew pub (assuming above average quality)? To me, 5 bucks is about right and 7 is slightly high, but it seems the consensus here is that 5 is too much and 7 is outrageous.

Also second the comment on the tomatoes. 3 bucks a pound is well worth it for the good stuff. The junk in the grocery store isn't even worth buying, in my opinion.

Seriously, when's the last time anyone got the munchies at 9pm and sliced a grocery store tomato on a plate with a little salt and olive oil? . I just did that two days ago with an heirloom.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

I wish. I keep getting the ad with the bikini-clad fat girl jiggling her belly. Ugh.

Its a lady with simply stunning eyes in her FA hat smiling at the camera. Neck up... totally G rated. But man... she's a knockout.

 

[kaconga]

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think the right price would be for a draft pint at an independent brew pub (assuming above average quality)? To me, 5 bucks is about right and 7 is slightly high, but it seems the consensus here is that 5 is too much and 7 is outrageous.

Also second the comment on the tomatoes. 3 bucks a pound is well worth it for the good stuff. The junk in the grocery store isn't even worth buying, in my opinion.

I agree with you. I would pay 7 bucks for a really good beer and 5 seems right for above average. I live in an area with low cost of living and probably pay around 5 most places I go. Bomber prices are what kill me. Sometimes 8 bucks for a run of the mill beer.

 

[hogwash]

I think that $5 even is a little high. I would be pretty excited about $4 pints, $4.50 is tolerable though and what you generally pay around here for a decent pint. But I'm speaking from where I sit, which is not a big city. And also I'm a cheapskate.

 

[ehope411]

part of living and doing business in a small town is being part of the community and doing right by them, even if it means leaving a couple of bucks on the table that you could have squeezed out of people

in this particular case, i think the issue is the 2bbl system. that is just too small. i can't imagine writing $7/pint into a business plan.

According to people who know a lot more about this than I do, they'll be out of business before they know it. Read this:

http://www.soundbrew.com/small.html

Especially points #3 and #4.

 

[hogwash]

I guess $3/pound for good heirloom tomatoes is not bad. I used to get some pretty good ones at another farm market for like a dollar a pound though that was probably 10 years ago. They weren't heirloom but they were still better than grocery store "cardboard" tomatoes.

I've got Old Germans and Cherokee Purples in the garden this year.

 

[evrose]

I'm with you on that one. Probably in a hotel bar or, even more likely, high-end hotel room's mini-bar.

Or a "Gentleman's Club".

Not that I'd know anything about those...

 

[LandoLincoln]

He is charging this much at the brewery.

No, the IBUs wouldn't assure me that it is a quality beer but it's de rigueur to include that info. I'm sure he uses brewing software, how hard is it to write that up there. Nobody is paying $4.50 for a Bud Light in this area. I can walk down the street from my house and pay $4.50 for a pint of Arrogant Bastard or Dale's or 2 Hearted (and that much for a tall, 20oz I think, during happy hour). $7 is totally acceptable for higher gravity beers. I would, and have paid that much for a IIPA or an Imp. Stout or barleywine. But this is an IPA, the ABV is 6.5% (oh yeah, he doesn't list the OG on the menu either!). I don't care how good it is, I ain't buying it. The market that is my wallet will not bear it.

Seriously? You're not primarily concerned with how good it tastes, you're only going to pay more for bigger beers that will get you loaded faster?

Well okay then.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Or a "Gentleman's Club".

Not that I'd know anything about those...

I was at one of those once... I certainly didnt see any gentlemen there...

 

[evrose]

I was at one of those once... I certainly didnt see any gentlemen there...

Personally, I wouldn't know... I wasn't looking at the men.

 

[hogwash]

Seriously? You're not primarily concerned with how good it tastes, you're only going to pay more for bigger beers that will get you loaded faster?

Well okay then.

That's not what I'm saying at all. If it sucks, I'm certainly not going to buy it no matter the ABV. $7/pint is fair for a GOOD higher gravity beer. $7/pint is TOO MUCH for a middle of the road ABV beer no matter how good it is. I won't buy Ballast Point Sculpin because it's 17.99 a six pack here. I know it's delicious because a friend gave me a 22oz once. But I won't buy it myself. No way. Too many other good beers out there for a decent price.

Way to put words in my mouth, though.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Hard to overlook the scream from the dancer followed by the facial reconstruction of the customer via the bouncer. Traumatic.

To answer the question though, I would say the sweet-spot for me, for a pint I really like, is $6 or less. $7 if I want to show support for the bar/restaurant/venue.

 

[Mongrel]

$2.75 on Tuesdays. If a beer is more than $4 it better be damn special.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Our new brewery in Columbia SC has a tap room, I believe their pints are $4+tx.

I was drinking Skullpin IPA for $2/pt last night

MC

"Skullpin IPA"? Seriously?

If that's not inviting a nasty cease-and-desist letter from Ballast Point, I'm not sure what is...

 

[the_trout]

4pm-7pm $6 gets you BOGO at my favorite joint. Then $4.50/pt starting at 8pm. Eight rotating taps so you never know what youre gonna get but most times there is something delicious.

 

[forstmeister]

There is a really awesome "craft tavern" in Chicago called Farmhouse. They only sell stuff from a 4-state area in the Midwest, including the food. It's really nice and all, but the beer is all $6 and up. Some are like $8-$9 even. I have been there a couple times but it hurts each time.

I stopped at a Buffalo Wild Wings in Evanston once while waiting for my kid at a class. I ordered a SA Boston Lager (it was,sadly, the best beer they had). The tab came to $7.75 with tax. F@ck that.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

"Skullpin IPA"? Seriously?

If that's not inviting a nasty cease-and-desist letter from Ballast Point, I'm not sure what is...

Yes Sculpin IPA. (I didn't check the spelling). So was NoDa Hop-Drop-and-Roll, NB's Ranger, etc.

Why would they? If they decide to sell at a lost to bring in extra customers, that's their choice. "Forcing" the retailer to sell at a minimum price is illegal, I believe.

MC

 

[Cider123]

To me, $7 for a pint is unreasonable and I would find another place to eat or drink. Frankly, I don't care what the IBU's or ABV's are.

I have recently been to 2 brewpubs. The Moat in N. Conway, NH and the Liberal Cup in Hallowell, ME. These places have great food and great craft beer for reasonable prices. The Moat sells all their beer, regardless of the ABV or IBU's, for $4.25 a pint or $5 for a 20oz. The Liberal Cup sells pints for around $4. I was on vacation and visited a place in Lancaster, NH which I leave nameless. It was a irish pub that offered lousy prices for lousy food and standard beer. He was taking people's money for a poor experience. You could tell too, because the place was empty except for the unknowing families like us that were on vacation and didn't know what they were walking into.

Yes, I am not in the "business" and don't know the costs of running a place. But don't tell me there aren't rip off guys in this business.

 

[CGVT]

Just out of curiosity, what do you guys think the right price would be for a draft pint at an independent brew pub (assuming above average quality)? To me, 5 bucks is about right and 7 is slightly high, but it seems the consensus here is that 5 is too much and 7 is outrageous.

Also second the comment on the tomatoes. 3 bucks a pound is well worth it for the good stuff. The junk in the grocery store isn't even worth buying, in my opinion.

I think 4 to 5 bucks is reasonable (and I am disappointed when the pint is 16 rather than 20 oz )

If it gets to be over 5 bucks it better be a really special beer or a really special place for me to spend my money there and it certainly won't be my first choice to grab a beer...

 

[gr8shandini]

Yes Sculpin IPA. (I didn't check the spelling). So was NoDa Hop-Drop-and-Roll, NB's Ranger, etc.

Why would they? If they decide to sell at a lost to bring in extra customers, that's their choice. "Forcing" the retailer to sell at a minimum price is illegal, I believe.

MC

I think he was under the same impression as me that your local joint was selling their own beer they named "Skullpin." If a brewery makes a sale, I'm pretty sure they don't care what you do with it once it's out the door. I believe a business can, however, request that you don't advertise below a certain price point. I see it all the time in ads for motorcycle gear that just say "On Sale. Call for Price."

And Cider, I'm not saying that there aren't joints out there charging too much for mediocre to poor beer. Unfortunately, I'm living in southern MD right now and the only brewpub within a 2 hour drive is just such an establishment. However, calling them ripoff artists would be going a little far. Unfortunately, the folks down here don't know better, and keep raving about some pretty horrible restaurants (not just this place). When you don't have customers who will call you out, it's pretty easy to slack on quality.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

I think he was under the same impression as me that your local joint was selling their own beer they named "Skullpin." If a brewery makes a sale, I'm pretty sure they don't care what you do with it once it's out the door. I believe a business can, however, request that you don't advertise below a certain price point. I see it all the time in ads for motorcycle gear that just say "On Sale. Call for Price."

Yeah I misunderstood him, and I originally spelled it wrong. It's Sculpin. Here:

MC

 

[Yellowirenut]

A 9bbl brewpub just opened up in the sleepy town my parents live in Michigan.
Because it is directly on the lake there is a huge influx of tourist in the summer. Some business have banded together to offer two prices..one for locals and another for all others. (with purchase of a special card to get around all the legalities) Then as if by magic in September all prices are lowered so as to cater to the local crowd. A two egg ham omelet (cheese extra) with no sides can cost you $6 in the summer and $3 in September.

What I am curious about is if the new pub will offer the same thing on there pints. I am also curious to find out the prices. I can assure you he would have no problem selling a $7 pint to the cardigan n boat shoe wearing summer crowd.

Also his answer I think for the locals is this.
http://www.stormcloudbrewing.com/cloudspotter/cloudspotter-club
http://www.stormcloudbrewing.com/cloudspotter/cloudspotter-founder

For me $7 is to much for a pint.

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

A 9bbl brewpub just opened up in the sleepy town my parents live in Michigan.
Because it is directly on the lake there is a huge influx of tourist in the summer. Some business have banded together to offer two prices..one for locals and another for all others. (with purchase of a special card to get around all the legalities) Then as if by magic in September all prices are lowered so as to cater to the local crowd. A two egg ham omelet (cheese extra) with no sides can cost you $6 in the summer and $3 in September.

That's going to be *really* pretty when an out-of-town'er ethnic person sees that they are paying more than the local in-town'er.

MC

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Yes Sculpin IPA. (I didn't check the spelling). So was NoDa Hop-Drop-and-Roll, NB's Ranger, etc.

Why would they? If they decide to sell at a lost to bring in extra customers, that's their choice. "Forcing" the retailer to sell at a minimum price is illegal, I believe.

MC

Ahh, as already pointed out, I thought they were selling their own beer named "Skullpin". So I figured it'd be a trademark issue.

That said, you got an awesome deal! Hell, if it was a pint, that's probably a better deal than me buying a six-pack of it, and I live ~60 miles from where it's brewed!

 

[Cider123]

Then again, let me add up the costs of all my kegging and brewing equipment, supplies and ingredients then calculate what I am paying for a pint of my own beer.:cross:

 

[tophatxj]

Never heard of redbeard.

I thought you might have been talking about Shenandoah Brewing Company in Staunton. They sell homebrew supplies but are supposed to start brewing and selling beer soon. I stopped in there a couple weeks ago and the guys running the place were very helpful and nice.
I live between Staunton and Harrisonburg, so they are pretty much my LHBS.

 

[Shakybones]

Then again, let me add up the costs of all my kegging and brewing equipment, supplies and ingredients then calculate what I am paying for a pint of my own beer.:cross:

Even estimating on very liberal figures, just figuring for a 5 gal batch, only spreading my equipment costs over 30 5 gal batches, and paying myself $40/hr for labor (overestimating time), I'm still only at $6.35/pint for an 8% ABV, 85 IBU IIPA on tap that I love to drink anytime I want one.

And hell, WILL WORK FOR BEER is pretty much my motto, so knock that estimate down to about $1.50/pint, particularly since the entire process will be beer-in-hand.