fosters $70.00 bottle of beer

OK, I admitted I'm not a beer connoisseur but.... I don't understand how in the world beer can be that expenses. Wine is overpriced in most cases when it gets that expensive but at least it spends time aging where as beer is that's drank fresh so it's not as if they have a lot of overhead storing it while it ages. In my opinion is nothing they can do to beer and make it worth this kind of money! Just give me some of our great local brews when I'm in the mood for one, I'm sure they taste just as good or better and cost a H___ of a lot less.

OK, I admitted I'm not a beer connoisseur but.... I don't understand how in the world beer can be that expenses. Wine is overpriced in most cases when it gets that expensive but at least it spends time aging where as beer is that's drank fresh so it's not as if they have a lot of overhead storing it while it ages. In my opinion is nothing they can do to beer and make it worth this kind of money! Just give me some of our great local brews when I'm in the mood for one, I'm sure they taste just as good or better and cost a H___ of a lot less.

You would be surprised how good some of the beers that are made to be aged taste after a bit of time in the cellar. There are many Belgian beers that are brewed with that purpose in mind. They tend to be higher in alcohol (10 - 15% ABV) to stand the test of time, but with a little aging, they are amazingly complex. Most can be drank fresh, but several years can actually help the beer mature. Certain stouts, barley wines, Belgian strong ales are made for cellaring.

Every year, we do a holiday beer tasting. I always set back a few bottles of last year's vintage and taste them side by side with a fresh version of the beer. I would easily say that 99% of the time, the aged beer is preferred over the fresh.

Don't get me wrong, $70 does seem high. Most of the beers I speak of retail between $10 - 15 a bottle. There have been a few breweries lately that have made beers that are priced in this range. Ironically, brewers of mass swill like Carlsburg and Fosters have tried this in the past year and to success as well.

OK, I admitted I'm not a beer connoisseur but.... I don't understand how in the world beer can be that expenses. Wine is overpriced in most cases when it gets that expensive but at least it spends time aging where as beer is that's drank fresh so it's not as if they have a lot of overhead storing it while it ages. In my opinion is nothing they can do to beer and make it worth this kind of money! Just give me some of our great local brews when I'm in the mood for one, I'm sure they taste just as good or better and cost a H___ of a lot less.

I'm not a beer connoisseur, I just like drinking different beers, and the best one I've ever had was aged three years and ran me...six bucks a glass I think. A bit different from that $70 750ml bottle, but I have spent in the $30s for similar sized bottles.

I don't know that I'd spend $70 for a big bottle of the bbc old fella, but I could see myself dropping forty or fifty, it was that tasty.

I'm intrigued by this. Like Todd said, most beers that sell for high prices don't have an MSRP around $70. They're simply aged versions of limited editions beers. Beers like Hair of the Dog's Dave, Three Floyd's Dark Lord, and Sam Adams' Utopia are gigantic beers with tones of malt character and an ABV to match. The hoppiest beers that age well are generally the maltier double IPA's and some heavily hopped barley wines.

My point being, I've never heard of anyone trying to make a lager that would age long enough to be worth $70 at retail prices. Looking at Foster's on Ratebeer.com, their highest ABV beer tops out at 5.5% and their best rated beer gets a score that puts it in the bottom 12% of all beers. I somehow doubt this beer will be worth the money.

Foster does not care whether this is "worth the money". They only hope that they will sell enough to make worthwhile. For goodness sakes, it is in the Queens cellar, therefore it must be great. As somebody once said "theirs a sucker born every minute". Probably more like every second.

It's not unknown in the retail world that it sometimes helps to RAISE the price, therefore it is worth more.

For goodness sakes, it is in the Queens cellar, therefore it must be great.

I've always heard that Her Majesty is a beer geek!

I've always heard that Her Majesty is a beer geek!

Her late mum was, for sure. She liked cask-conditioned ale, as all of us bloody well should.

Sam Adams makes Utopias, an extreme beer that changes hands for up to $500 a bottle. The empty bottles sell on ebay for $175 up. This "beer" is 27% ABV. I sought one last year for a Christmas gift for a son-in-law.
This beer is extremely hard to find. I was told that 5 bottles were allocated to Kentucky. For $150 I managed to buy a bottle. This uncarbonated beast is served at room temperature in a brandy sniffer.
The taste is difficult to describe but includes things tossed in during the fermentations (vanilla, nutty, fruity, maple sugar) and aging barrels. For a good description go to beeradvocate.com.

I was told that 5 bottles were allocated to Kentucky. For $150 I managed to buy a bottle. This uncarbonated beast is served at room temperature in a brandy sniffer.

$150 for a Utopias is about right. It is only released biannually and in very limited quantities. I'm not sure how many bottles made it to Kentucky in '07 but I know there were only 20 bottles for Louisville. It will be back out some time around November (just in time for those holiday gifts) and with a few more bottles available than in the past.

I was told that 5 bottles were allocated to Kentucky. For $150 I managed to buy a bottle. This uncarbonated beast is served at room temperature in a brandy sniffer.

$150 for a Utopias is about right. It is only released biannually and in very limited quantities. I'm not sure how many bottles made it to Kentucky in '07 but I know there were only 20 bottles for Louisville. It will be back out some time around November (just in time for those holiday gifts) and with a few more bottles available than in the past.

If you want to talk about demand for this beer, I've got a request list for this one that is 10 people deep right now. The list started about 9 months ago in anticipation for the beer's release this November.