Avery Vanilla Bean Stout

At a Costco?

 

$15 is violently upcharged, at the distro level it's around $9. I can't imagine retail places marking beers up over 40%.

 

Just an FYI. I paid $22.99 for a Growler.

 

It's at most Whole Foods at the moment. Alot seen in most NoVA beer/wine stores as well.

I find it to be too boozy off draft. Even warmed up 15F, the bourbon/wood flavors overpowered everything else.

Gonna let it sit for 6 or 12 months just to kill the barrel flavor a little.

 

Any word on when it'll hit st. Louis?

 

Had it last night (Colorado). Very complex tasting, prominent vanilla & chocolate. Interesting, but not a lot of body. I know stouts aren't real heavy on body normally, but it was lacking a bit in this one in my opinion.

$12.99/bomber

 

This beer should be priced Under $10. It is tasty, but not even close to other BA vanilla stouts that are special release.

EDIT: How many of you are going to drink this beer again if it costs you more than $10....

 

How many alternatives are there under $10?

I can't think of any suitable bourbon barrel aged vanilla beers $10 or less. A local Cincinnati brewery here (MadTree) had a coffee & vanilla bourbon barrel aged stout for $12.50 in 16.9 oz bottles. I thought the Avery was just as enjoyable (obviously in a different way). I'd have no problem paying the $13 again for 22 oz bottle. Thought there was a nice balance between the oak, bourbon, vanilla, and "stout-y" flavors.

 

Had it last night and really enjoyed it. Maybe it's just me, but I thought it's vanilla notes were especially complex - very prominant, but not overpowering. I attributed that to the bourbon barrel aging.

 

I haven't been able to get any yet but I will probably liken it to Tallgrass' Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Buffalo Sweat which was low on the ABV and bourbon heat but still an amazingly good beer based on what everyone is saying about it.

 

Anyone seeing this in NJ?

 

People seeing the Avery Bean Stout around $6 are definitely accurate. When I first saw it over the weekend at $6.99, I too thought it was a misprint. There were 6 bottles on the shelf, each labeled at this price. I then thought maybe it wasn't a barrel aged Stout. Especially considering Avery's history of pricing other barrel aged single bottles (12 oz) over $9.99 consistently.

Wonder what the deal is with the price fluctuations? Then again, some thought I was crazy to see Ballast Point six packs priced way too low (either Victory at Sea or Calm). Maybe we start seeing price reductions based on production discounts (COG) brewery's might be experiencing for various reasons. Hey, no complaints here.

 

BTW, didn't Lagunitas release a sub $10 barrel aged beer in the past? I wouldn't be surprised to see them do it.

Also, aren't there State laws that establish the margins alcohol/beer can be marked up? Maybe I'm thinking at the retail level.

What's to prevent a Costco from simply ordering pallets of beer and locking in huge discounts, thus making it nearly impossible not to buy your stash from them?

 

It's crazy to see both the wild fluctuations on price and on how people feel about the beer.

On the price side, I can't imagine that the $6 price is accurate. That doesn't really fit with Avery's typical pricing on the 12 oz barrel-aged beers, nor does it fit with the price point for the other beer in this same Barrels & Botanicals--Sour Raspberry, which I believe was around $13-15.

Sadly, the price point for VBS at my local shop was $18, which also doesn't really fit with the previous price points. I think they were just upping the price because Bourbon Barrel + Vanilla Bean tends to sell like gold, it seems. If I had seen bottles for $6-7, I would have likely bought three without even blinking.

But as noted, it seems like people's opinion on how this beer tastes are all over the place. In this very thread, they are pretty disparate, and I have other friends, some of whom have said Avery VBS was better than beers like Prairie Vanilla Noir (which is one of my favorite bourbon-barrel vanilla bean stouts). It will certainly be interesting to see what I think of it.

 

I thought it wasn't bad but that Sixpoint 4 Beans was better when you consider the price of each.

 

This is a decent beer, but I would not put it at the Vanilla Noir level. I thought that was a great beer. I bought 2 at my local store that definitely does not do the customer any favors with pricing....typically high on everything. It was $7.99 there, hence the notion that it was mispriced. But maybe it wasn't?

 

Yes but 4beans isn't barrel aged. Barrel aging is expensive. So it's not a great comparison to compare a BA stout to a non-BA stout.
ISO: $7 bottles of this

 

Honestly, I'm glad to hear that, because I just traded for like 4 bottles of Vanilla Noir, which is one of my favorite vanilla beers ever. I've not had VR since everyone started talking about how well it's aged, but I'd take fresh Vanilla Noir over fresh Vanilla Rye any day of the week.

 

Just finishing up a VBS bomber and got in a trade. Bottled on 12/12/15 I would say time since has done some good things to it. The Vanilla and Bourbon marries nicely and the finish has rich roasted oak taste.

 

4Beans is a Baltic Porter. So, it's really not a great comparison.