Why are Stone beers so expensive?

[bottlebomber]

Just be glad you have all those options (and don't even get me started on the cali folks). Some of us only have local access to Stone of the choices you have listed.

It depends on where in Cali you are... An hour south of me I can get just about any beer. In the town I live in, I'll put dollars to doughnuts that your selection is better. We just got Duvel at the "bottleshop" for 12.99. Yay!!

 

[ifearnothing0]

Prices are pretty crazy , but is rather pay too much for something like ruination than drink a free big 3 beer , I just gotta ease back on buying sixers and work on getting my pipeline flowing bros .. Woooo!!!!! Can anybody suggest a good place to order partial mash kits ? Is there a place that's sells clone kits ?

 

[ifearnothing0]

Oh and can anybody post a pic of that Pliny or zombie dust ? I hear alot about em on the but never seen either

 

[weirdboy]

I've never tried to buy a case of Pliny because I'm local.. so I could be wrong, but every other case of RR beer is based on 12 bottles.

The actual cases of Pliny that come to the store are 24 bottles. I just went and bought the maximum Friday morning, and the guy pulled 12 bottles out of the Pliny case and stuck it into a Suppication case for me to carry.


Nevertheless, it was a great price for a great beer.

 

[ktblunden]

Oh and can anybody post a pic of that Pliny or zombie dust ? I hear alot about em on the but never seen either

Pliny the Elder:

Zombie Dust:

Pliny is somewhat accessible for me, but I don't think 3 Floyds distributes anywhere near me, so I've never had that one.

 

[IffyG]

Stone brews range from $9-$11 a six pack at the different shops.

Must be nice. 6 Packs of Stone show up at the grocery store here for around 16 bucks and the price for anything "craft" is rapidly approaching 12 dollars these days...

 

[bottlebomber]

I saw Stone Ruination at the Grocery Outlet, unrefrigerated, for 8.99. I should have gotten one. I'm sure the freshness factor wasn't real great.

 

[BillBeer247]

I saw Stone Ruination at the Grocery Outlet, unrefrigerated, for 8.99. I should have gotten one. I'm sure the freshness factor wasn't real great.

thats a good point, for a beer as expensive as ruination, every store around here keeps it unrefrigerated on the shelf, no place keeps it in the fridge

 

[bottlebomber]

thats a good point, for a beer as expensive as ruination, every store around here keeps it unrefrigerated on the shelf, no place keeps it in the fridge

I think Vinnie would probably bust through the doors with a Tommy gun if he heard the PTE was being treated with such disrespect.

 

[BakRivrBruen]

And that 27-29 cents per bottle includes employee labor costs, taxes and includes amortized equipment costs, utilities, building lease/mortgage costs and so on and so on right?

The difference in 2 row between IPA and Ruination is minimal, less than 10lbs per bbl (about 10%). Ruination does use 30% more hops though

I personally think stone offerings are pretty well in line with good west coast craft beer, especially San Diego beer, but I still rarely buy Ruination and have yet to buy oaked AB simply because I don't want to spend the cash.

FYI $20 a sixer of ruination = $0.208 an ounce. A bottle of Pliny at the brewer is $5 = $0.294 an ounce. I've heard of people paying up to $12 a bottle for Pliny which would be $0.705 an ounce. Obviously Vinnie is gouging people right?

So all those other breweries that make dipa's must be losing money then? I'm sure Stone is barely making a profit at 16-20 bucks a 6-pack. Yes, I would say its gouging people. People are willing to pay for beers with a cult following and the brewers know that. I also think most of them are over-rated but I understand that's just my opinion.

I'm not gonna argue with you. If you can justify the ridiculous price for 30% more hops then good for you. I'm on the east coast so I'll gladly spend much less on a fresher dipa from a local brewery than an over priced, past its prime west coast dipa. The Stones and other high priced west coast brews I see around here are almost always at the tail end of their date or past it. But if I really want a west coast brew, I'll get Sierra Nevada and pay down to earth prices.

 

[BakRivrBruen]

thats a good point, for a beer as expensive as ruination, every store around here keeps it unrefrigerated on the shelf, no place keeps it in the fridge

this exactly!!!!!!

 

[BrewKnurd]

So all those other breweries that make dipa's must be losing money then? I'm sure Stone is barely making a profit at 16-20 bucks a 6-pack. Yes, I would say its gouging people. People are willing to pay for beers with a cult following and the brewers know that. I also think most of them are over-rated but I understand that's just my opinion.

Certainly they're making good money. One just needs to check out the decor at the stone bistro to know that. But I would hesitate to ever use the word gouging in regards to beer. IMHO, gouging should be reserved for things that people actually, ya know, need. Not beer. But that's just one man's opinion.

 

[ktblunden]

So all those other breweries that make dipa's must be losing money then? I'm sure Stone is barely making a profit at 16-20 bucks a 6-pack. Yes, I would say its gouging people. People are willing to pay for beers with a cult following and the brewers know that. I also think most of them are over-rated but I understand that's just my opinion.

I'm not gonna argue with you. If you can justify the ridiculous price for 30% more hops then good for you. I'm on the east coast so I'll gladly spend much less on a fresher dipa from a local brewery than an over priced, past its prime west coast dipa. The Stones and other high priced west coast brews I see around here are almost always at the tail end of their date or past it. But if I really want a west coast brew, I'll get Sierra Nevada and pay down to earth prices.

I wasn't aware you were privy to Stone's accounting. How many of those east coat breweries have a production facility the size of Stone and operate their own distribution company with a range the size of southern California? And distribute other craft brands as well? If you're going to compare to SN, compare apples to apples and go by the price of their DIPA Hoptimum, which around here is $10 per 4 pack. That works out to $2.50 per 12 oz bottle compared with Stone's Ruination at $2.66 per 12 oz bottle in the same market. Yeah, that 16 cents is really gouging big time, isn't it?

 

[ahaley]

My first thought..
Were do you get a sixxer of any stone?
I'm in Cali and I've only seen them sold by the bottle for like 9$ a piece.

I like the idea of buying them at a used price, lol never been opened and only dropped once!

 

[bottlebomber]

My first thought..
Were do you get a sixxer of any stone?
I'm in Cali and I've only seen them sold by the bottle for like 9$ a piece.

I like the idea of buying them at a used price, lol never been opened and only dropped once!

You must be talking bombers, right? I don't think even Stone could get away with $9 12 oz bottles...

 

[ahaley]

You must be talking bombers, right? I don't think even Stone could get away with $9 12 oz bottles...

My bad, I should have specified, ya it was a liter I believe. And I haven't seen any other sizes than those... I do like AB, and the smoked porter was pretty good

 

[evrose]

I'm sure Stone is barely making a profit at 16-20 bucks a 6-pack. Yes, I would say its gouging people.

Pet peeve rant.

The purchase of a beer is a voluntary transaction between the buyer and seller. The buyer is in no way obligated to make the purchase, and is unlikely to suffer any hardship were they not to make that purchase. Under those circumstances, there can be no "gouging". "Gouging" is a specific pricing of necessities above normal market value during a time of crisis or need - for example, charging $10 a gallon for drinking water after an earthquake. Beer is not a necessity, craft beer even less so.

/end pet peeve rant.

 

[Jukas]

So all those other breweries that make dipa's must be losing money then? I'm sure Stone is barely making a profit at 16-20 bucks a 6-pack. Yes, I would say its gouging people. People are willing to pay for beers with a cult following and the brewers know that. I also think most of them are over-rated but I understand that's just my opinion.

I'm not gonna argue with you. If you can justify the ridiculous price for 30% more hops then good for you. I'm on the east coast so I'll gladly spend much less on a fresher dipa from a local brewery than an over priced, past its prime west coast dipa. The Stones and other high priced west coast brews I see around here are almost always at the tail end of their date or past it. But if I really want a west coast brew, I'll get Sierra Nevada and pay down to earth prices.

I'm not justifying anything. I consider craft beer to be a luxury, and thus if I decide to spend the $$ on it, I do so knowing it's exactly that. Do I sometimes spend top $ for what I end up considering a meh beer absolutely, in which case I don't buy it again.

You, as an east coaster pay more for a WC beer due to how distributors work, most people consider themselves lucky that they can sample some of the 'hyped' west coast beers. No one is forcing you to pay $3.33 per 12oz bottle of ruination, don't, but I'm willing to be you spend more than that on a pint at the bar and don't consider that gouging.

Just out of curiosity how do you feel about Pliny the Elder, or Green Flash Palate Wrecker or Bells Hopslam?

 

[BillBeer247]

I wasn't aware you were privy to Stone's accounting. How many of those east coat breweries have a production facility the size of Stone and operate their own distribution company with a range the size of southern California? And distribute other craft brands as well? If you're going to compare to SN, compare apples to apples and go by the price of their DIPA Hoptimum, which around here is $10 per 4 pack. That works out to $2.50 per 12 oz bottle compared with Stone's Ruination at $2.66 per 12 oz bottle in the same market. Yeah, that 16 cents is really gouging big time, isn't it?

$19.99 / 6 = $3.33 , not $2.66. Also, SN Hoptimum compared to Ruination is not apples to apples, hoptimum is a special release beer, its not year round

 

[BillBeer247]

And that 27-29 cents per bottle includes employee labor costs, taxes and includes amortized equipment costs, utilities, building lease/mortgage costs and so on and so on right?

The difference in 2 row between IPA and Ruination is minimal, less than 10lbs per bbl (about 10%). Ruination does use 30% more hops though

I personally think stone offerings are pretty well in line with good west coast craft beer, especially San Diego beer, but I still rarely buy Ruination and have yet to buy oaked AB simply because I don't want to spend the cash.

FYI $20 a sixer of ruination = $0.208 an ounce. A bottle of Pliny at the brewer is $5 = $0.294 an ounce. I've heard of people paying up to $12 a bottle for Pliny which would be $0.705 an ounce. Obviously Vinnie is gouging people right?

12oz bottle x 6 bottles = 72ounces? $20.00 / 72 ounces = $.28 an ounce, not .20?

 

[Jakeintoledo]

I bought a bottle of Levitation. It wasn't all that. I had a bottle of Ruination, and it was okay. I like hop-forward beers to a point. I'd rather have a Bell's Two-Hearted or Rivertown Double-Down IPA. Or my own stuff.

 

[Jukas]

12oz bottle x 6 bottles = 72ounces? $20.00 / 72 ounces = $.28 an ounce, not .20?

Yup, I hit a 0 by accident and didn't catch it.

 

[Onlooker]

I love reading these threads and the sense that people feel as though they are entitled to buy good beer on the cheap. Come on people, we live in a free market society where supply, demand and operating cost goes into the production of a product.

You beat me to it with your post. And I'm glad some others had the sense to also recognize that the market sets the price (for most things, and I won't go further to avoid getting political!). If you wanna buy it at the price they set, do it. If not, then don't. It's real friggen simple.

That said, I won't pay that kind of money for beer. No way. But if they can find enough others to do so, then I tip my hat to them.

 

[BrewKnurd]

That said, I won't pay that kind of money for beer. No way. But if they can find enough others to do so, then I tip my hat to them.

Its not an issue of if. Clearly they do find enough people to pay it. Including me.

 

[igotsand]

I live 10 miles away from the actual brewery and a 6 pack of ruination is 16.59 at my grocery store...
Now if they had their 10anv ruination in a 6 pack I would glady pay 20 bucks for that...

 

[BakRivrBruen]

I wasn't aware you were privy to Stone's accounting.

What are you talking about? Where in my post do I mention anything regarding their accounting?

You, as an east coaster pay more for a WC beer due to how distributors work, most people consider themselves lucky that they can sample some of the 'hyped' west coast beers. No one is forcing you to pay $3.33 per 12oz bottle of ruination, don't, but I'm willing to be you spend more than that on a pint at the bar and don't consider that gouging.

Just out of curiosity how do you feel about Pliny the Elder, or Green Flash Palate Wrecker or Bells Hopslam?

I understand that we as east coasters pay more for west coast beers SOMETIMES but not for all of the time. A six and a twelve pack of SNPA is the same price as a six and a twelve of Smuttynose pale and actually less than Tuckermans pale around here.

You're right no one is forcing me to buy this beer and if you read my original post, I'm not the one that did. It was my buddy that bought it. I was simply stating that I didn't realize it was that much since I never buy it like I used to. When I have bought it in the past though it was always a bomber not a sixxer. I feel the same way about Pliny, Green Flash and Bells. They are good beers but I don't go out of my way to buy them. Almost everytime I see them they are on a shelf with an inch of dust because they expired last century. Even if I found one fresh I don't get a boner over it nor do I think its the greatest beer ever because ratebeer or beeradvocate says so.

I never meant this thread to be a pissing contest. I was simply just curious as to why a six pack of 12oz ruination would be 20 bucks.

 

[bleme]

The only sixxer of Stone I have seen here is their Stone IPA, $8.99, just like the SN, Deschutes, Anchor and other good beer.

I paid $15 for a 25oz RR/SN Brux. Took me a while to talk SWMBO down from that one but it was the first 'wild' beer I've ever seen on the shelf here....

 

[Hanglow]

I paid the equivalent of $6.20 here for a 12oz bottle of ruination It was rather nice, but I wouldn't pay that much again.

I am tight as well though

 

[ifearnothing0]

Please tell me 6.20 for a 12oz bottle is a typo !?!? .. Man that blows ! ... Ruination in no way, shape ,or form good enough to pay 36 buck for 6 beer ... Somebody is gettin cornholed on that deal

 

[Jukas]

Please tell me 6.20 for a 12oz bottle is a typo !?!? .. Man that blows ! ... Ruination in no way, shape ,or form good enough to pay 36 buck for 6 beer ... Somebody is gettin cornholed on that deal

Your own assigned value of worth to an object != everyone elses. A free market of non essential, discretionary dollar items dictates value of an object. If enough people didn't feel item A was worth Cost Y or Market Competition was substantial lower, either the price would go down, or that product/company would likely cease to exist.

 

[weirdboy]

Please tell me 6.20 for a 12oz bottle is a typo !?!? .. Man that blows ! ... Ruination in no way, shape ,or form good enough to pay 36 buck for 6 beer ... Somebody is gettin cornholed on that deal

To be fair ANY beer in the UK is roughly twice as expensive as in the US.

 

[verbhertz]

Your own assigned value of worth to an object != everyone elses. A free market of non essential, discretionary dollar items dictates value of an object. If enough people didn't feel item A was worth Cost Y or Market Competition was substantial lower, either the price would go down, or that product/company would likely cease to exist.

While what you say is true, expensive is a relative term and I agree with it!

 

[ktblunden]

$19.99 / 6 = $3.33 , not $2.66. Also, SN Hoptimum compared to Ruination is not apples to apples, hoptimum is a special release beer, its not year round

I'm comparing the price of Hoptimum here to the price of Ruination here. It makes no sense to compare the price of Sierra Nevada in California to the price of Stone on the east coast. Here Hoptimum goes for $10 per 4 pack and Ruination goes for $16 per 6 pack.

Also, I'm not the one who decided to compare the price of a pale ale to the price of a DIPA. Seeing as how Hoptimum is the only DIPA SN puts out I simply compared like to like.

 

[ktblunden]

What are you talking about? Where in my post do I mention anything regarding their accounting?

You were the one insistent that Stone is making a ton of profit by gouging their customers. Therefore you must know exactly what their accounting balance looks like. The cost of a different brewery's beers has absolutely no relation to how much profit another brewery is making.

 

[BillBeer247]

the reason ruination is probably expensive is because stone wants their normal IPA to be priced comparable to other IPAs($10 a 6pack, give or take a buck or two) but they cant have ruination priced the same otherwise it would outsell their regular ipa to much

 

[bottlebomber]

Your own assigned value of worth to an object != everyone elses. A free market of non essential, discretionary dollar items dictates value of an object. If enough people didn't feel item A was worth Cost Y or Market Competition was substantial lower, either the price would go down, or that product/company would likely cease to exist.

True. People spent an average of 5 hours waiting in line for Pliny the Younger this year. If I add the value of my time, I spent $190 dollars on the short pint. Nobody made me do it, I was not gouged.

 

[BobBailey]

How is it that I am under estimating the amount of hops? I know exactly what it takes to make dipa's and I know how much hops cost. I can brew this beer with the cost of hops roughly being 27-29 cents per bottle and that's buying hops by the ounce not in bulk. Add the 2-row and crystal and that's still a damn cheap beer to make. But as long as people continue to buy overpriced beer then they will continue to sell overpriced beer.

As a former businessman, I feel the need to point out that businesses, especially in California where Stone is located, have the cost of doing business factored into their pricing which are above and beyond the cost of ingredients. These costs include property cost or rent factor, utilities, equipment cost and maintenance, labor, taxes and regulatory fees just to name a few.

Stone produces exceptional products and can command a higher price for them. When the price is such that people no longer buy the product it will then be too high. I like Stone products and feel that I'm getting my moneys worth when I buy them. If you do not feel they are worth the price, you simply don't buy them. That's the way free market economics works.

Happy Brewing,

Bob

 

[Hanglow]

To be fair ANY beer in the UK is roughly twice as expensive as in the US.

Yeah most beers are a bit expensive, one reason why I got into this homebrewing lark

I just got that one bottle of Ruination from a shop online who import a lot of beers, out of interest really. You can get SN Torpedo from large supermarkets here for about $3.30 equivalent

 

[Calichusetts]

Its a free market...ruination is $18 a 6er at my stores...Fireston Walker Union Jack is $11...guess which one I regularly buy? If that is the lowest Stone can sell if for or the distributor charges, then I'm out. I'm also pretty sure Stone is crying reading this right now knowing they lost out on the 20 6ers a year I would buy.

I don't need a hop/grain bill breakdown to determine what I buy. I'll buy whatever tastes good at a reasonable price. If something comes along cheaper and tastes great...I'll buy it

 

[DPBISME]

Well, they are in California... and everything is expensive there.... realestate, taxes, energy, and labor.

Those costs need to be passed on to someone.

I know I ran a Steel Fabrication plant in San Francisco, the only way the company was able to stay in business is because the owner hired folks that spoke no English; this kept hios labor costs down.

I mean if you are going to start a new manufacturing company that uses people instead of machines you need to do it where the average cost of a house is not $400,000.