Russian River available in Dupont Circle (DC)

Thanks everyone!

 

I wonder what their prices would be if they sold cantillon. It would be a tough choice between making a car payment or a bottle of gueze.

 

That store should be ashamed of themselves and how anyone would buy anything there if there are other options in the area is beyond me.

 

Whole Foods Foggy Bottom has been atrocious since their old beer buyer (Eric) left last summer. Sucks for me since it used to be my go-to place before hopping on the metro from work.

They carry Founders and Bells, but not a whole lot of each. For example, last I checked they had Founders Centennial, Bells Smitten and maybe Kalamazoo Stout. They got some Hopslam. Not counting on them to get KBS.

 

If you come down to my next bottle share there's a Whole Foods a couple blocks away (there isn't one in Ballston) from my place and they have a pretty good selection.

 

True, their selection is much smaller. But they have "some" if you happen to pass by.

Actually I am going to be passing by... right about now.

Yeah I remember Eric had a few convos with him once or twice.

 

I don't see what the big deal is. Insanely high prices at a shop mean that limited beers will actually be available there without truck chasing. Some people appreciate the convenience and are willing to pay for it. $30 for Consecration is not a ridiculous grey market price, those are edging towards $20 up here. The Pliny may be a bit more ridiculous, but considering the hype surrounding it and the fact that it's a far more difficult bottle to locate out here, I can understand it.

In other words, highly priced beer has its place in the market. There are always people willing to pay for convenience.

 

As does our hero, and I still can't picture this idea that people physically truck chase... anyway..

The issue here is more so two problems that have been beaten to death:

1) What the place offers compared to the surrounding area, and by that I am not just talking a 10-20 miles drive in a radius, I am talking a few blocks down the street in comparison.

2) Their disdain for the product(s) itself, and jacking up a price and hoping to cash on feigning ignorance of their customer base once the money has changed hands.

This site is notorious for IPA hop heads complaining about freshness, and sure fresh beer is ideal, BUT an IPA beer a few days 30-40-60 whatever can still be decent... but you have a place selling one of the most iconic beers, that says on the bottle in writing DRINK FRESH DO NOT AGE, for 40 clams that's probably not days... MONTHS old, well.... It tells me they don't care about their customers and think you're just dumb. Or maybe they are just really reallllly dumb also...

Dang I buy that beer at 40 bucks Vinnie better show up with a fresh one and pour it himself

That said this doesn't make me angry, and I am not going to get into this oh it's so disrespectful and unfair to the beer, or some high-horse soapbox mantra, no it's idiotic to me as a customer who pays (hypothetically) and is looking to fork over money.

What it totally makes me is just dumbfounded, that a few stores like this could think we'd be so naieve not to figure this out, it's so blatantly obvious. I feel real bad for the unfortunate tourist or people who go in there without being a somewhat educated consumer. Cause that bottle I can tell you right now, without even going back and walking into that place is

worth

exactly

0$

You can have the most orderly store, cleanest shelves, stick a 50 year aged bottle of Cognac in the window, but this isn't fooling anybody.

The site here is for consumers, and offers place reviews which to me are the MOST valuable asset. Go there and find out where you want to spend your money and more importantly contribute to it.

People complaining about 4 packs of beer, bus fare change differnce, an IPA that's 3-4 weeks old... no ... sorry not feeling it...

This place... is a whole nother story.

 

Consumers in the Internet age largely get what they deserve.

The place may suck. The owners may suck. It may be pure greed on their part that they charge so much more than anyone else for their products. And I'm guessing that anyone who is knowledgeable about beer knows and agrees with everything you just said about the bottles of Pliny they have there. Ignorance of those facts is on anyone that walks into that store and plunks down the money when all of that information is readily available for anyone who cares to look for it. I'm not going to feel bad for them.

We could argue all day about the morality of knowingly selling things well above what it can be reasonably said they are worth, but my point was really just that there are beer stores like this one in every city in the country. They serve a purpose even for the knowing consumer, in that I can pay $11 or $12 for BCBS well after it disappears everywhere else. And while no, I don't think people literally chase delivery trucks around, people DO stalk stores and buy out beer within minutes of its release. Sometimes I'm willing to pay more to get those beers at my leisure. That's when the overpriced stores come in handy.

 

not that auto correct or anything, or trolling or anything right?

you're making lots of friends here kid... [enter ignore button]

 

This would be my chief concern. We're all shepherds of craft beer, whether we admit it or not. Pliny is on every list in every newspaper and men's magazine in the country as a beer you must try. Noobs, wives, unsuspecting family members could easily walk in there, recognize the name and drop $40 on a beer that's been on their shelves at least 6months and is six times the typical retail price. It's the kind of thing that could easily put someone off craft beer for good.

You would never accept this behavior out of a food vendor. Imagine a $48 burrito that's filled with past due barbacoa.

 

Beer shepherds... interesting.. I kind of have this vision of a flock of bottles that we all have to look and care over..

It's so nice to have an intelligent and creative discussion with adults.

It's also rather ironic someone tries to make a point by spelling somebody's name wrong: Sietsema

I think it's what those little kids call "ownage" or something like that...

 

those prices are insane. I'd rather just pay that cash for several bottles-worth in shipping and trade with someone.

 

There are reports that the guys at One West and Barmy bought Russian River stuff from Connecticut Avenue.

Do they still have that Flower Power that's from a few years ago sitting on the shelf?

 

heh heh... not sure guy! Can't say it's a place I really step into (unless I want a good laugh).

You can get all the Flower Power you want now in DC these days

 

The one time I went into Connecticut Ave they had a bottle of Pliny for $30 and it was 2 weeks old. In my opinion it is impossible to brew an IPA worth $30, but at least it was fresh. They do have ridiculous markups on normal, easy to find beers, but I at least like knowing that if I can't find something anywhere else, this place might still have it because of their pricing. Its not like anyone is forced to shop/buy there.

 

As someone has said, you can't gouge the willing... and beer is not a necessity (I know shocking that seems wrong).

The irony is I could understand these prices in DC if subsequent stores nearby were the same. But the irony is they just aren't. It's sort of reminds me of a similar analogy about why a certain region has higher gas prices (Potomac) than other areas (Chilum PG County), but then this place just sticks out like a sore thumb even in a pricey area of living in DC (Dupont Circle).

Just so bizarre, nothing to get angry about.. I mean you just ... don't buy the beer... ya know

Honestly people should go see for themselves, and write up what they thought here:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18508/?view=ratings