The Beer Rant

Out of curiosity, do any of you have any regular beer indulgences that you enjoy, but seem inordinately expensive?

Any more it's -all- becoming somewhat of an indulgence. I've pretty much sworn off a lot of this stuff, not because I don't like it but because I refuse to pay the price. As an example, "back in the day" (That being when my daughter attended Kalamazoo College) I used to visit the Bell's Brewery and enjoyed any number of their products...Anymore, I've found what their new products lack in appeal, they make up for in price. So no, with the exception of the occasional "gift" of Hopslam bestowed upon me by my lovely bride (and only when I've been a particularly good boy) do I "indulge". Again, this is as much in response to the price as the offerings.

Here again, price is somewhat subjective...I've (more or less) drawn my line in the sand at 10 bucks a six pack, extravagant by some folks and conservative by others. As a result I tend to gravitate towards the Schafly and Great Lakes products both of which (IMHO) make good journeyman beers without that cachet of a chemistry experiment gone bad.

I regularly buy 11.2 ounce bottles of Rochefort 10 from Liquor Barn at approximately 7.99 a piece. I can't really justify it, but it's one of my favorites.

Hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do...and I'm not preaching about not indulging yourself once in a while. I'm just poo-pooing this confluence of science experiments gone bad in conjunction with ridiculously high prices.

Also, Steve, what are some of the culprits (expensive beers that suck), in your opinion?

OK...I'll bite (and do so knowing that as soon as I do someone is going to pipe up and call it the saliva of the Gods)...Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA. I've seen more of my friends buy this swill and ultimately pour it down the sink than I care to think about. A pure waste of barley and massive amounts of hops, not to mention 6 or 8 bucks a 12 ounce bottle.

I enjoy quite a few "big" beers, but then, I guess I'm fairly brutish and unrefined.

Hell no your not...You (probably) just have a bigger wallet than I do.

Out of curiosity, do any of you have any regular beer indulgences that you enjoy, but seem inordinately expensive?

Any more it's -all- becoming somewhat of an indulgence. I've pretty much sworn off a lot of this stuff, not because I don't like it but because I refuse to pay the price. As an example, "back in the day" (That being when my daughter attended Kalamazoo College) I used to visit the Bell's Brewery and enjoyed any number of their products...Anymore, I've found what their new products lack in appeal, they make up for in price. So no, with the exception of the occasional "gift" of Hopslam bestowed upon me by my lovely bride (and only when I've been a particularly good boy) do I "indulge". Again, this is as much in response to the price as the offerings.

Here again, price is somewhat subjective...I've (more or less) drawn my line in the sand at 10 bucks a six pack, extravagant by some folks and conservative by others. As a result I tend to gravitate towards the Schafly and Great Lakes products both of which (IMHO) make good journeyman beers without that cachet of a chemistry experiment gone bad.

I regularly buy 11.2 ounce bottles of Rochefort 10 from Liquor Barn at approximately 7.99 a piece. I can't really justify it, but it's one of my favorites.

Hey, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do...and I'm not preaching about not indulging yourself once in a while. I'm just poo-pooing this confluence of science experiments gone bad in conjunction with ridiculously high prices.

Also, Steve, what are some of the culprits (expensive beers that suck), in your opinion?

OK...I'll bite (and do so knowing that as soon as I do someone is going to pipe up and call it the saliva of the Gods)...Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA. I've seen more of my friends buy this swill and ultimately pour it down the sink than I care to think about. A pure waste of barley and massive amounts of hops, not to mention 6 or 8 bucks a 12 ounce bottle.

I enjoy quite a few "big" beers, but then, I guess I'm fairly brutish and unrefined.

Hell no your not...You (probably) just have a bigger wallet than I do.

I hear you, Steve. But I don't think it's that wallet is big so much as that my self-control is limited.

Regardless, I like 120 Minute, but can definitely understand why someone else might not, and I certainly don't drink it very often because of the price point.

I also like Great Lakes a lot, as well Goose (Bud ) Island, which is also reasonably priced.

Ironically enough, while I don't typically buy american macro, I am drinking a bud light a buddy left in the fridge while I'm typing. Don't tell anybody.

I'll probably drink the other one also and close with a Nightstalker

The growler argument is kind of apples to oranges given it's two different bottling/serving styles. At 64 ounces, I'm not going to commit to a growler when I live alone. Bottles are nice as I can have 1 or 2 with dinner. Once the growler is open, I have limited time to drink the contents.

There's a certain population within "craft" beer drinkers who try not to drink the same beer twice. Those people are a convenient market for the "mad scientist" brewers. I tend to just buy a BBC six-pack or another 10 dollar or less six-pack. Helps that I have mostly sworn off "big" beers. Not the fan of "alcohol warming" that I used to be.

So, what am I saying? Just because it's on the shelf doesn't mean you have to buy it. If there was not a market, they'd quit making certain beers. I blame hipsters, because that's how I roll.

Craft beer is becoming what wine has been for over 20 years...a collectable hobby. You can spend $1000 for a rare bottle of wine but it won't taste 100x better than a $10 bottle. It goes way beyond the utility of drinking "good" beer. In some cases the higher the price, the more people demand to have it.

I've been guilty of spending more than I should have on wine (ask my wife), but the enjoyment went way beyond taste.

There's a certain population within "craft" beer drinkers who try not to drink the same beer twice.

Matthew,

If you listen carefully to that segment of the population you'll discover that what is actually being said is beer-geek-speak for "I wasted a large sum of money on a beer that tastes like dirty bilge water and I'll never drink it again". Because if they really DID like it, they would drink it more than once.

OK...So despite my reputation for enjoying a refreshing Budweiser on occasion (and I'm not the only high profile person on the forum who does...but that person's secret is safe with me )

Name names! Hahaha... That s#!+ is swill, confidant.

I would fancy myself a "craft/micro/label of the day" beer drinker and I can agree with some of your points. It's a rare find to see a bell's 6-pack south of $15 which I find absurd. I'm sure they can attempt to justify their prices and maybe it's actually warranted in some instances. Most of the expensive beers are "big" beers, meaning they have a larger hop bill (hopslam), malt bill, or both(120min ipa). With some beers you're paying for rarity, like Founder's KBS, it's brewed once a year so if you get it you pay for it. I know nothing about large scale brewing and prices, but I know on a homebrew level hops aren't cheap. They average $3/oz, you figure a clone recipe of hopslam calls for 12oz for a 5 gallon batch, it adds up. I'm not sure where I'm getting with this and hopefully Roger or David can chime in and add more. In the end I'll keep paying expensive prices for beer, I've paid $20-$25 for a bomber numerous times because it's a hobby I enjoy. Maybe people like me are the prime target for the microbreweries, haha.

OK...So despite my reputation for enjoying a refreshing Budweiser on occasion (and I'm not the only high profile person on the forum who does...but that person's secret is safe with me )

Name names! Hahaha... That s#!+ is swill, confidant.

Nope...absolutely not. I have been sworn to secrecy on this issue...That and dare I say this person is young enough and strong enough to lay a significant ass whipping on me.

Steve, I'm in the same boat you are. I love trying imports and microbrews but I find it hard to justify $15-30 for a four pack, anything over $15 for a six pack is hard for someone with my income to justify. I have been frequenting Valu Market and getting growlers of NABC, etc, but occasionally I see something new or interesting and find myself willing to splurge; and as you said many times I'm disappointed(piss water,lol.)

I also find myself in the same situation with wines and cheeses. Perhaps the only way to get a taste of "the good life" is to pay an arm and a leg for it. I just wish it were more affordable.

Steve, I'm in the same boat you are. I love trying imports and microbrews but I find it hard to justify $15-30 for a four pack, anything over $15 for a six pack is hard for someone with my income to justify. I have been frequenting Valu Market and getting growlers of NABC, etc, but occasionally I see something new or interesting and find myself willing to splurge; and as you said many times I'm disappointed(piss water,lol.)

I also find myself in the same situation with wines and cheeses. Perhaps the only way to get a taste of "the good life" is to pay an arm and a leg for it. I just wish it were more affordable.

You have to define the "good life" for yourself... many people regard a block of Wisconsin cheese and a case of Leinenkugel's as the good life!

UW '93

OK...So despite my reputation for enjoying a refreshing Budweiser on occasion (and I'm not the only high profile person on the forum who does...but that person's secret is safe with me )

Name names! Hahaha... That s#!+ is swill, confidant.

Nope...absolutely not. I have been sworn to secrecy on this issue...That and dare I say this person is young enough and strong enough to lay a significant ass whipping on me.

120 minute IPA, Nut-Brown-IPA, or Pumpkin Ale, no thanks. Not for me, nor St. Eve. Bud in a btl, mayyybe. But I'd always much prefer a growler of St. Ides.

You have to define the "good life" for yourself... many people regard a block of Wisconsin cheese and a case of Leinenkugel's as the good life!

Sounds good to me.

You have to define the "good life" for yourself... many people regard a block of Wisconsin cheese and a case of Leinenkugel's as the good life!

Sounds good to me.

Depends on what day of the week it is....

There's only one real point to any of this, and that's the fact that "x" number of years ago, the questing beer consumer had almost no choice.

Now, thanks to various factors, and in spite of regulations for alcoholic beverages that conspire against every principle of any conceivably "free" market, there finally is a full range of choice.

Now, finally, win or lose, come what may, and still constrained by political, religious and cultural bias (i.e., regulatory madness for alcohol), everyone's far more free than ever before to consult their preferences, their wallets, and to vote with their bucks.

And -- imagine -- have genuine choices.

I can have cheap swillwater fit only for shampooing house pets, or expensive chili-laced Imperial Stout. Even a skeptic/atheist/commie like me comes close to flag-waving when I think about that one, single word.

Choice.

Frankly, the argument against brewing "mad scientist"-style is null and void. If you believe that (mostly) free market innovation makes America great, then you're seeing a perfect example of it in the craft beer segment. Buy it or don't buy it, but comprehend what innovation means to any functional economy.

As for the argument about price, that's nothing more than deciding what's important, and what one is will to spend. I try not to bitch about $1,000 hotel rooms. The fact that I don't pay to stay in them is all that's necessary to say, and more power to those who do.

I feel much better now.

Off topic a bit,did anybody else see this
http://www.dogfish.com/community/news/p ... vember.htm
Discovery channel will be running a show that revolves around the Dogfish brew master.