Tyranny of the "craft" beer

[fredthecat]

This will probably draw a lot of hate but is the reason why ive gotten further into my own kind of homebrewing. I was at a whole foods grocery store today and was unable to buy a beer there. They had a wall of IPAs for fairly cheap prices and then a fridge of belgian/sour/"artisanal" beers for 5 bucks or more. All i wanted was a decent little beer for less than 3 bucks, but im also not willing to waste money or abuse my taste buds withn bmc crap. Trendy craft beer has for me at thia point started to get out of control.

I know this is an extreme example as it was just one particular weird grocery store, but i feel like the trendiness and marketing of "craftisanal single batch local" beer is starting to annoy me.

 

[jekeane]

We can get standard fair local craft here for $7 a six pack. There isn't anything in whole foods that isn't going to be overpriced for one. Two if you are buying singles from any store you are going to be paying more. The money that goes into a lot of the small batch select craft stuff is a lot more than your average brew and they need to recoup expenses and stay in business. Paying more money for a better product is hardly what I would define as "tyranny". If you want to talk tyranny look at the big beer companies and what they do to try and make craft beer less profitable. Like attempting to force craft brewers to sell to a distributor and buy their own beer back at a 20-30% markup before a craft brewery can sell their own brews.

 

[Epimetheus]

Yes, it was a weird grocery store. Whole Foods has a tyranny all their own. Just try and find simple cheddar cheese

In the MA hilltowns where the local grocery is also the bottle shop, there is Bud Lite and the like, and maybe some of the local brewery product.

 

[Cyclman]

Whole Foods sucks. I far prefer a farmer's market, at least there if you're paying more you get super fresh stuff.

 

[bob1852]

Yeah, Whole Foods is the problem here, not craft beer.

Though, it is just another example that craft beer has gone hipster...

 

[JohnSand]

I find plenty of great beer for $3 a bottle, and very good ones for $2 or less. Yes, fashionable beer collectors have driven prices crazy on some styles and names. But Kona, Green Flash, Lagunitas, Great Lakes and many others produce really good beer for $15 a six or less.

 

[agrazela]

$15 a six is what drove me to homebrewing.

 

[shoreman]

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale bomber = $2.50, always fresh.

Craft beer has a few challenges ahead of itself 1. Over flooded market 2. Freshness 3. Over priced beer

We'll see how that pans out over the next 3 years.


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[bob1852]

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale bomber = $2.50, always fresh.

Craft beer has a few challenges ahead of itself 1. Over flooded market 2. Freshness 3. Over priced beer

We'll see how that pans out over the next 3 years.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

You forgot #4: hop availability.

Craft beer uses a ton more hops than BMC. Demand is gonna exceed supply soon.

 

[seabass07]

Are you talking $3 22's? There are plenty of $8 6packs at whole foods and you can grab singles off a 6er. A single off an $8 6pack would probably be $2. I think you're way off on the prices you mentioned.

 

[JohnSand]

$15 a six is what drove me to homebrewing.

You're not wrong, but the OP was complaining of higher prices than that.
Before homebrewing, I was buying beer at $21 a case. But it wasn't very good beer. Now I'm ruined!

 

[ericbw]

$15 a six is what drove me to homebrewing.

I can't imagine what beer would be worth $15 for a six pack. There are enough choices that are around 15 for a 12.

 

[Teromous]

It's hard to help you out specifically because your profile has your location set to "the world" which is extremely vague...but pricing has a lot to do with your location, the store you buy from, the brewery, and the beer. I like to use the TotalWine website to check prices because they are displayed online and are fairly widely distributed throughout my region which gives a good indication on what beer prices are going for. But to use Southern Tier as an example, TotalWine sells Pumking bombers for $2.99 and Unearthly for $7.99. Two beers from the same brewery that are priced differently. They are also selling Alewerks Pumpkin Ale for $3.99 a 6-pack, but that brewery is close by. If all I cared about was buying pumpkin beer, I could get 72oz for a dollar more than the 22oz bomber from ST. Sarnac Pumpkin Ale is sold in a 32oz bottle that looks like a jug, and is only $1.99. It's more expensive in beer per ounce than Alewerks, but if I wanted less beer I could buy this. Do you see where I'm going with this?

You just have to do some shopping around. Not everything is going to have the same price. Again I don't know where you live, but where I am from there are quite a few amazing beers that are still low in cost. If you're out hunting for beers that market themselves with exclusivity...of coarse they are going to be high in price. If you say where you live, I'm sure people can help find you some great low-cost beer.

I don't really worry about the cost of beer too much. If it doesn't give me sticker shock, I just buy what I want. I'm more worried about the flavor than the price. If the price starts getting too expensive, I just find something else to buy or walk away.

 

[rocketsan]

Up here, some 4-packs are $16+


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[seabass07]

Who cares if "some" of them are that much. They can charge what they want. If you don't want to spend that much, then show them by not buying it. The point is that there are plenty of "craft" beers that are reasonably priced.

 

[Denny]

This will probably draw a lot of hate but is the reason why ive gotten further into my own kind of homebrewing. I was at a whole foods grocery store today and was unable to buy a beer there. They had a wall of IPAs for fairly cheap prices and then a fridge of belgian/sour/"artisanal" beers for 5 bucks or more. All i wanted was a decent little beer for less than 3 bucks, but im also not willing to waste money or abuse my taste buds withn bmc crap. Trendy craft beer has for me at thia point started to get out of control.

I know this is an extreme example as it was just one particular weird grocery store, but i feel like the trendiness and marketing of "craftisanal single batch local" beer is starting to annoy me.

I'm sorry you are so easily annoyed at such a minor thing.

 

[Denny]

I can't imagine what beer would be worth $15 for a six pack. There are enough choices that are around 15 for a 12.

I will gladly pay $30 for a bottle of the right beer. I have had the opportunity to try a $250 bottle of beer.

 

[ericbw]

I will gladly pay $30 for a bottle of the right beer. I have had the opportunity to try a $250 bottle of beer.

Was it made from elf giggles and dry hopped with the happiness of a bride on her wedding day?

My real question is if it was really that amazing. I mean amazing enough to spend YOUR $250 on? Or was it just really good. I'm curious because I've never had the opportunity. I think you get what you pay for, but there must be a point of diminishing return.

 

[JohnSand]

I think there is a point of diminishing return, as with everything. But to me the point is that there is a beer for every budget. And each of us has his own standard as to what we will spend for what we get. I happily pay $3@ for great beer, just not every week.

 

[rodwha]

We can go out to eat and spend that money on a very nice meal. There's just no way I'd spend that on one beer, though I am more "frugal" than SWMBO as I generally wouldn't drop $250 on a meal as easily as she does.

 

[Denny]

Was it made from elf giggles and dry hopped with the happiness of a bride on her wedding day?

My real question is if it was really that amazing. I mean amazing enough to spend YOUR $250 on? Or was it just really good. I'm curious because I've never had the opportunity. I think you get what you pay for, but there must be a point of diminishing return.

It was a curiosity. A rare, 74 year old bottle of Ballantine Burton ale. Not the greatest beer I've ever tried, but it was worth it from a historical point of view.

 

[ericbw]

Is that the one they made for VIPs as special gifts? I think most expensive drinks are rarities or curiosities.

 

[Weezy]

Whole Foods? We call it Whole Paycheck.

 

[jensek]

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale bomber = $2.50, always fresh.

Craft beer has a few challenges ahead of itself 1. Over flooded market 2. Freshness 3. Over priced beer

We'll see how that pans out over the next 3 years.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

1. It's not a "flooded market". If it was then prices wouldn't be rising.
2. If you are worried about freshness then only buy beer with bottling dates or best by dates.
3. How can something be over priced if they have customers willing to buy it at that price? Sounds like they have it priced right.

 

[MaxStout]

Judging craft beer by the availability/cost at a Whole Foods is kind of like going to Aldi and complaining about the selection of cereal. Whole Foods carries beer that fits their target market, and it usually comprises only a tiny part of their overall shelf space. Take the time to look around at your local liquor stores and I think you'll find some good choices. Many offer "mix-and-match" 6-packs for $10-$12. A great way to find new beers without breaking the bank.

WF isn't the only place to buy beer.

 

[jensek]

You forgot #4: hop availability.

Craft beer uses a ton more hops than BMC. Demand is gonna exceed supply soon.

Not a real issue. It would resolve itself relatively quickly. Rising hop prices will cause more acreage of hops to be planted and harvested.

 

[Calichusetts]

These threads remind me that people in other areas are getting screwed in terms of prices. I mean, I only go to craft beer stores but some of the quotes on prices are just insane. I don't even pay these for the best of the best. Maybe Mass has a better distribution system.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Once again, it all depends on where you are.

Look around the "most you've ever paid for beer" thread. Bombers or 750mls of sours and special releases regularly top $20 here. I've spent as much as $50 for a 750, $85 for a 6 pack, or as much as $15 for an 11 oz pour at a bar. At the GROCERY STORE, ubiquitous craft beers like SNPA or Sam Adams are still $10-12 a sixer. Even the local guys are even more than that. And if you factor in that you were talking about Whole Paycheck, you'd be paying substantially more than that around here.

On the whole though, I agree. At least around here, the cost of craft beer is high enough that it's substantially cheaper to brew my own.

 

[FatDragon]

I find plenty of great beer for $3 a bottle, and very good ones for $2 or less. Yes, fashionable beer collectors have driven prices crazy on some styles and names. But Kona, Green Flash, Lagunitas, Great Lakes and many others produce really good beer for $15 a six or less.

And if you're buying the local craft brew instead of stuff that comes from across the country, you could probably cut that price in half... Sierra Nevada's year-round offerings typically go for $7/sixer in Chico where they brew, while you might pay $12 just a couple states over.

 

[bob1852]

Not a real issue. It would resolve itself relatively quickly. Rising hop prices will cause more acreage of hops to be planted and harvested.

Except for patented varieties like Amarillo, Simcoe, Citra, Summit, etc. that aren't widely available for new/expanded growers...