Sculpin pricing...have we lost our minds?

My two favorite area IPA's are The Gospel from Skagit River, and 3 Grid by Schooner Exact. I know SE doesn't get a lot of lovin' here on BA, but I'm a fan of most of their beers. I'm guessing you've hit the Fremont and Black Raven beers, they're probably the closest we have to"Rock Star" breweries in WA. If you see any of the Kulshan beers, try those. And some other favorite IPAs: Anacortes, Snoqualmie Wildcat, Snipes, Hop Diggity by Port Townsend, and any of the IPAs by Big Time.

 

I replied twice previously to posts on our pricing and ended up deleting them. Just thought it better to stay out of the conversation, but I'll jump in now:

My experience may be dated, but the last time I was down, I believe they had Bu Weisse (our 2+% Berliner) priced at $4/pint. They have also gone through at least two kegs. My understanding is that it has also been rotated on and off. However, I do not know what it is currently priced at. They generally seem to charge a very fair price at 16 Tons though, and if they chose to raise the price and/or offer a smaller pour, I support their decision. Though it may be low abv, it certainly has a ton of character. I sincerely hope that it has been a good fit for them, and the fact that they ordered another keg tells me it has, but in either case we love the place and wish them the best.

We try to charge a beyond competitive price. Our 1/6bbl kegs of Bu Weisse are priced just above macro adjunct lagers. Some of our others are priced below half of many somewhat compareable offerings. Some arent. We charge what we have to on each beer, not what the market will bear. It makes some a more attractive option than others. If that means that an aggressive low abv beer isnt an atractive option to some people, i fully understand. We cannot, nor desire to, attempt to dictate the final price to customers. It's somewhat telling though when many of our accounts, as well as our distributor, are telling us we need to/should be charging more for our kegs. Hell, our bank account would be in much better shape!

Regardless, I will agree that the Eugene market is very different than most larger cities in the Northwest. Also the last time I was down, the Stein had Golden Canary (Block 15) on tap when we came in. They were quite busy. It was still on throughout the next day. I can't imagine a 1/4bbl of one of the best sour ales in the region lasting two or more days anywhere else I've been. Likewise, Crux was pouring through free samples of their Saison and BA Imperial Stout. I talked with their rep for about an hour, and believe two people tried the free samples.
Some of it likely is price. It seems like there's either a fair bit of 'abv shopping' happening down there (in which case we would have to take a loss on our Berliner to make it an attractive option), or folks are just really into the more traditionally accepted NW styles. Likely a combination of both given the aversion to the aforementioned samples, as well as some of the bottles that languish on shelves. And there's no judgement in that. People should drink what they enjoy. If we or other breweries aren't of as much interest there, of course that's a bummer for us, but I'm honestly happy that there is a sizable and growing craft audience there. Maybe we can convert some more in the future

To the primary topic: I don't know the cost to produce Sculpin is. I suspect it is not inexpensive. At first I was disappointed in the retail price, but after consideration I think it's entirely fair. Oz per oz, it's still a bargain compared to equally hoppy quality brews, the vast majority of which come in 22oz bottles. And that's not a knock on large formats; most breweries look to them to market their beer in the only method profitable. Others do so because the glass itself is of the required density and strength to support certain styles. That's why we're looking into it, while looking at a less expensive option for our Berliner.
Where criticism may be more understandable would in reference to the same beer being disproportionately priced between the different formats. And even then it bears consideration that given the tight budget of most craft producers, you'd likely be paying a higher price across other formats to accommodate a decrease in the larger bottles. We're businesses, and have to pay the bills. It'd be fallacious to assume the vast majority are getting wealthy.

So yeah, we as craft lovers are crazy. We pay a higher price for higher quality and ingredient costs. It wont get you drunk as cheap, but i really dont believe thats why most of us are passionate about the product. Certain beer isn't going to be for everyone. If it's outside of your comfort zone to purchase, move on to something else. I have to regularly. If Sculpin isn't worth the premium over, say, Ninkasi or Deshutes, purchase them. But again, I believe a big difference is in the cost to produce. If there isn't a hugely discernible qualitative difference between Sculpin and other IPA at a lower oz to oz comparative cost, then why the hell would you buy it? I'd say it's one of the best IPA's on the market and is competitively priced. If you want great beer, you often have to be prepared to pay a premium. If you want good beer, you can get by with less. Nothing wrong with either, and each has it's place.

Edit: johnmichaelson, if you purchased a glass of Bu Weisse for $4 or more per 8oz, I'm sorry. Abv aside, it doesn't cost that much for us to produce, which is why we charge what we do. We didn't price it as a 'try' beer, but one that true sour lovers could afford to 'session.'

 

Re: The 'slowness of Eugene. It's probably worth mentioning that without UO students, it's probably quieter there right now than it will be once UO is back in session. Doubly so when there are Portlanders headed down for Ducks games.

 

yes, sculpin is a rip off and yes craft beer has officially become a rich mans game. The explosion in craft beer popularity has also sparked a giant increase in prices in the past few years...it sucks

 

Killed a growler yesterday for $9.99

 

Eh. As long as I can get a six-pack of a decent IPA for under $10 you won't find me complaining, and we have lots of options at that price point. Yes, the extreme high end of craft beer is getting away from many of us in terms of cost, availability, and effort involved. But the vast majority of good to great beers is still affordable and accessible enough that most of us at least get a chance to try them if we're willing to put in the effort.

 

The one Big Eye I ever had was pretty malt-forward, sticky and boozy which was fine for what it was, but isn't my preferred kind of IPA/DIPA. Dorado was much the same. If this was due to freshness then I'd be willing to give it another shot. But if that's how they wanted it to taste then I probably wouldn't.

 

You mean the ones where Bottleworks never tells you if it's in stock or not on that date?

 

Yep, I like Big Eye better too, it's awesome. Really looking forward to Big Eye and Victory at Sea coming to the east side of the state.