Transient Reserve Society

Transient has sold their IPA's for $15/4pk (or less), and DIPA's for $20/4pk. I'm not a brewer but I would assume that more hops and that other stuff that goes into beer are in a DIPA than an IPA, resulting in a higher price point? And at $16/4pk for an IPA, seems like Hop Butcher may well be price gouging when compared to Transient's Obligatory, that sold for $15/4pk (or less).

 

Careful with your terms, you don't want the Hop Butcher guys coming in here and flying off the handle at you.

 

::taps sarcasm meter::

 

I was referring to Galaxy Bowl which is a double IPA, so the $16 vs. $22 is an apples to apples comparison.

 

I'm actually entirely in agreement with you in terms of fostering a better understanding of pricing (I'm super curious myself); I'm just saying we don't have an absolute right to know, and it's unclear to me whether or not some of the costs involved are even things they can disclose (special contracts/favors/etc.). But yes, I agree with you that it's nice to know "hop A is more expensive than hop B, so that's why my cans of A are x dollars higher in cost."

My basic assumption (and it's very possible that it's not a great one) is that the trendier IPAs/DIPAs are in general more expensive to produce, since they're fresher, hoppier, and utilize newer and/or less familiar techniques for extracting flavor and feel. I've always thought that the "this beer tastes better, so it's okay that it costs more" argument is okay, even though it's a little ignorant. To me the proof is usually in the pudding; if a beer tastes better, hoppier, fresher, etc., it's probably more expensive to make. I've noticed Half Acre is following similar pricing; their newer IPAs (the hazier ones) are slightly more expensive than some of their standbys, which I assume is because it costs more to make them.

 

We do live in a (relatively) free market. Beer is not exempt from that. Calling a brewer a price-gouger certainly isn't going to help anything.

 

Again, the tone that of a written response comes from YOU

No brewery is required to nor are they very open to discussing how they come up with their prices. That is strategic company information that does not belong to the public. Sorry that you did not get neither the response nor the information that you were looking for but to somehow believe that you're owed that is ridiculous. Or that by not divulging the information that Chris is being sneaky. He knows what his operating costs are along with what price per oz is needed to keep the doors open/expand/hire/etc and no is owed that information.

You say that it is in the best interests of Consumers to discuss the rising prices which is fine but get upset when an ignorant (meaning unknowledgeable in the brewery business) narrative is shot down by a brewery owner that's upset that false knowledge is being spread publicly. He explained why small breweries start with bombers vs cans & why cans are more expensive. He did provide some background & insight but it wasn't what you wanted to hear nor as detailed as you wanted but again you are not owed that information at all.
That is why so many people get irritated by these pricing conversations & say vote with your wallet. I make many choices between buying X beer vs Y beer based on what I feel is the best value to ME. I wish I could afford both but I can't so I choose & move on instead of attempting to tell brewery owners how much that should be spending despite having ZERO information about their operating costs.

TLR - You don't know anything about operating costs or what a beer SHOULD cost so vote with your wallet & move on

 

Getting back to a much earlier point. Why was it acceptable for Pipeworks and Half Acre to charge $0.45/oz for their DIPA's in 22oz bottles when they were "new and upcoming" but not OK for Transient to charge $0.31/oz for their canned beer? By all accounts, Transient should be selling their 4pks for $28.80.

 

You heard it here, Chris! Your fans want $28.80 4 packs. Give them what they want and help make Transient Artisan Ales Great Again!

 

But instead of a reply like that, why not answer the question I posed, given your were whining the most about the $20/4pk pricing.

 

1. Not saying we have a right to know about their cost structure. My point is that if Transient is going to respond at all (again, they don't need to at all), it seems petty to just insult people and make strawman arguments.

2. The comparison across formats is a silly argument to make for exactly the reason Transient brought up. I'm not disputing that. My point is why are they charging $22 for a NE DIPA 4 pack when a brewery of comparable size and scale (Hop Butcher, just as an example) is charging $16 for a NE DIPA 4 pack in the same market? Same brewery scale. Same market. Same product type. Same product format. Vastly different price.

3. AGAIN, Transient has no reason to answer #2, it can be a discussion between posters here. Revert back to point #1.

 

My only fear with this portion of the discussion is, what if the answer is "because my beer is better made and tastes better?" (Not saying this is true)

That's a valid reason for charging more, but not one I want to hear in polite public discussion (because I'm not trying to put down brewers/breweries here).

 

Is there a way to turn notifications off in this thread until it goes back to info about Transient beer?

 

Transient is only open one day a week during the month of January Discuss...

 

Good job!
As a Chicago-area resident, I wouldn't have likely made it out there, but am still just ecstatic they dropped JIL in the city last week! I've had that, some other hops, Buckley Light and a few sours from them and all has been excellent. Love Honeystone, and Crunchy Groove I seem to like better than the average folk here. Have a "regular" Buckley sitting in the wings for a cold winter's eve!

 

The discussion about bomber vs cans was brought up by someone else, not Chris. He responded to the false narrative that was being posted so the strawman argument wasn't his at all; he was merely setting the facts straight.

Semi happy while I rebuild my bank account post holiday season

 

Just to add to the fire, this isn't the first "fiery" response from Transient in this thread. They also mocked consumers for asking for an update as to what was available at the tap room (asking other BAs that is). Rather than the response they gave I would've expect them to either keep quiet or respond with something along the lines of "I know our current method of communicating what's available at the taproom is less than ideal. At this point we don't have the resources to change that, but this is on our radar and we will work to create a more efficient process in the future. Thank you for continuing to buy our price gouged $20 4/packs." Instead people were mocked and it almost came off as complaining about the hype / interest in their beers.

FWIW, I don't think $20 is an unfair price for the quality of beer they're putting out and the current market. However, IMO it won't be long before someone starts mass producing something of equal quality for a fraction of the price.

 

I wasn't aware of that first response, so I can't comment on that, but if there's a history here, I get the complaints/frustrations.

 

The cause of 90% of bickering on BA forums

Is tone the writer's fault or the reader's fault?

 

It's the other guy's fault