New Packaging, Lower Pricing on Tap at Ballast Point

I used to get Calico for $8 a six. Sculpin was over $60 a case, now it's around $48-50 but calico has disappeared.

Hi west VAS could be interesting but I bet it's more than Lagunitas Hi west by a mile. I paid less for a case of Hi west then the cost of VAS.

Enjoy

 

Excuse me for being a little cynical, but isn't that part of their strategy?
Low ball for market share
then squeeze

 

All that market research crap talk. I love it lol.

Just make great beer like you used to and the rest will follow.

Or how about this. Other breweries have caught up to your quality at almost half the cost. Your fake 'quality' niche is on its last legs.

They're doing it all wrong but I'm not in debt a billion dollars.

All they need to hear is, Price sculpin to where it competes with other ipas and boom. You're making money. All that research and words used for no reason. They don't need to rebrand or create new beers. The sculpin line should be your bread and butter at a lower price point, bottom line.


Consumers can see through crap. They may like the discovery series but they won't continually buy $15 sixers of sculpin. That's not sustainable or realistic. A lower price is realistic.

Holding sculpin on a pedestal may be their downfall. 20 other breweries are doing better ipas for cheaper. It's competitive and making new beers and new labels will only mask their issues for a very small time frame.

I know Of a local brewery that came into my area with $12 growler fills of core offerings. Other local places were charging $9-$10 for theirs. Eventually this place dropped their prices because people were keen to the fact the quality wasn't much better. Sculpin was a cool kid when they first get to new markets. But that allure is falling flat.

 

I posted the below in the other Ballast Point thread:

"Constellation then hopes to trade consumers up to the pricier Sculpin IPA, which retails for $14.99."

There is plenty of old Sculpin IPA on my local beer retailers shelves. My guess is that consumers do not want to pay 15 bucks for a 6-pack of beer which lead to old inventory at retailers.

Ballast Point does not need to do a lot of marketing research here: if you over price your beer people will not buy it.

Canned Sculpin IPA is a pass for me. There are plenty of other good lower priced IPAs available for purchase and they are not old.

Cheers!

 

You are spot on. My first case of Sculpin was about $80 back when it came in bombers many years ago. I still remember that case as it was stupid expensive and also a few months old so it sucked.

 

Yeah I saw their Pumpkin Down for $10.68 and I couldn't believe it. Just 6 months ago the same store had their Red Velvet for 16 bucks.

 

Thanks for sharing. I'm a big Sculpin fan, so I disagree with your take on that specific beer, but that's cool - plenty of great beer choices for every palate and every budget. My key takeaways from the article:

- 80% of the "craft beer" drinkers they interviewed were unaware of Sculpin. Where exactly were these "craft beer" drinkers from, Tristan da Cunha?

- BA Victory At Sea!!!!!

 

Sculpin was mind blowing the first few times I had it then I started to feel like the journey to the east left it for the worse. Same with Racer 5 and a few other early IPAs I cut my teeth on.

At this point there are far better IPAs local and not for a much better price or a worse price that matches a higher quality beer. It's not even top 20 in its own state let alone expecting people to buy it for $15 elsewhere.

I'm glad adding fruit and "natural flavors" to thier same boring lineup gave them a push but I can't bring myself to buy anything from BP anymore except the very occasional VaS.

 

Sculpin used to be $17.99, then it was lowered to $15.99. To be honest I wouldn't buy it at $9.99. There's better options even assuming I could find it less than 6 months old. Grapefruit Sculpin maybe, but not the other stuff they brew, their DIPAs come off as sweetish and malty..

 

Cutting your prices to grow your market share does not work. Many buyers will think you have lessened your product. The ones who don't will resent it when you move the price back up.

 

Ever since they started distributing in Indiana (around two years ago), most of their beers have retailed for 9.99 to 10.99. The only stuff I've ever seen in the 14.99 range is Sculpin and Victory at Sea. So nothing is changing except for the package. Sculpin will remain overpriced and only suckers with money to burn will continue to buy it.

 

I enjoy the beer but for the price I pass since I can get fresh local IPA for less and its way better. If I am in pinch and its Sculpin or Bud of course I am rolling with Sculpin but won't go out of my way to get it at $16.

 

Fathom is a lager....but they are now going to market it and label it as an IPA???

 

What are their options? They were priced too high from the very beginning. There was a brewbound article from a couple months ago that talked about BP and Constellation brands. Basically, the Mexican imports were doing more than their fair share of growth, while BP was doing just okay.

Sounds like they want to trick consumers with lower prices on some beers, and still try to hold Sculpin to a higher standard. IMHO, consumers are beyond that point. I think they'll spend all of 2018 trying to maintain that $15 price point. They may just take the ride or die approach and be too stubborn to lower its price point. IMHO, the beer geek will go for a tried and true $10 sixer regional or national, or for a super local product in the $14-$22 four pack/16oz range. And BP is trying to stand right in the middle. It's not gonna work out.

As beers and shelf space is getting more competitive than ever, I have never seen breweries increase their price points (only lower), so it would make sense for them to say, they are lowering the price to compete with others. I dont think too many will be wandering around to seek out a $15 sixer of IPA. The more hardcore beer geek is already spending that and more on local DIPA four packs. So I'm not sure who they are trying to market here

 

According to their website they are marketing this beer as an IPL.

https://www.ballastpoint.com/beer/fathom/

Cheers!

 

Sculpin has the appearance of "die" at my local beer retailers today. Expecting this beer to rise from the dead by following the same old approach (i.e., high prices) sounds very unrealistic to me.

Cheers!

 

This is a quote from the article:

"It also repositioned Fathom India Pale Lager as an “easy drinking” West Coast-style IPA that checks in at 6 percent ABV."

 

It would appear that they have not updated their website to be consistent with this new marketing?

I wonder whether they also made a recipe change (fermenting with an ale yeast strain now?)?

Cheers!