Why is this beer so expensive?

The 500ml bottle format can go kick rocks, what a f'ing scam.

 

Well having only seen the label/information on the web site I've not had a chance to read the back label.

So they actually use virgin barrels? That's pretty different from what others do.

 

One thing that is true for barrels is that the price does not go up much with the volume of the barrel. There are the same number of parts, labor is roughly the same to make hose parts, a little more wood is used in the big ones. The prices have gone up less than I expected from when many of those small used ones came on the market.

 

According to the back label its 8% new oak with the rest divided between first and second use (for beer).

I was only pointing out the marketing aspect because of the fact that there are a lot of breweries that don't say much publicly about the barrels that they use, and there seems to be a lot of misconception with even people on BA about the details of barrel aging (especially as to how breweries label and market their barrel aged beers and what the terms used actually mean).

 

Thanks for the label information. The new oak doesn't even have to be from a barrel...

Independent of the marketing I can see how the way I worded some of what I was saying wouldn't contribute to clarification. :-)

 

its only a matter of time before trader joes sticks a house label on a bunch of bourbon barrel aged beer and sells it for $6

 

My answer to your question is: it's one of my favorite beers this year. Perfect bourbon presence

 

Paid $23.99 and just it for $21.99. Great price in my mind for these four beers.

Enjoy

 

Because people are willing to pay stupid prices. When I think about how much cheaper it is to drink certain premium spirits than a lot of the beers they are putting out, it really solidifies my perspective and convinces me never to bother with those beers. King Henry was all right by me at $8.99 a bomber, but when you can have, say, a very nice 12-year old bourbon for a fraction of the cost per serving of most of these releases, the beer feels like a rip off.

 

Yes this is exactly how I feel. I think its funny people pay more money for a beer aged in a second hand barrel. Of course this beer says new oak then blended...so what. I can get a bottle of wine aged three years that doesn't cost as much per ounce as a craft beer.

The beer industry is just testing the limits of the consumer. All the barrel aged beers on the market are an overpriced novelty. There is nothing special or premium about these products. They make less, and use artificial scarcity as a marketing tactic.

I'll gladly pay a premium for a beer that actually costs more money to make, but most of these barrel aged reserve beers are nothing but a pompous luxury boutique item marketed to fools.

The folks at Stone make some fine beer. But their craft is not beer its marketing. They are worthy of a lot of praise in the advertising and direct marketing world. That's what they truly excel at. No other brewery does it quite the same way.