Question about Goose Island Pricing in PA

It's not just GI, everything is more here. Especially with singles since they're essentially sold on a 4th tier. I didn't even bother trying for a case of the Cherry or BCBCS, but I'm sure for the people lucky enough to get the one (or maybe two) case(s) that most distributors will get will be paying somewhere between $15 - $21 per bottle.

 

Overall the laws here in PA just plain suck. It's so odd going to other states and seeing "beer caves" at gas stations and HUGE selections of six packs and singles at liquor stores or even just bottle shops in general. We need to have these laws changed so we aren't forced to buy cases. I know this really doesn't answer your question, sorry.

 

Delerium Noel is $25 a four pack at Wegman's in Mechanicsburg. All prices suck in PA.

 

In PA the bottle shop/eatery owner pays the same price per case as does the retail distributor who sells by the case. However s/he has higher overhead and labor costs than does the retail distributor. So price per bottle has to be higher at the bottle shop/eatery to stay in business. The creators of the PA version of the 3-tier system wanted to discourage alcohol use /abuse. In other states there is more competition between suppliers. Also some places both in and outside of PA make larger volume purchases and so their costs and prices are lower (e.g. Total Wine, Wegman's). In some states alcohol can be a loss leader ( I.e. sold retail at a price below cost to the retailer) in some it can not. Sales taxes can also vary between and within states, etc., etc....

 

I've found that case prices aren't too bad here compared to neighboring states, but when you get into singles/bombers/specialty beers, you're going to get gouged pretty hard, even at Wegmans and Whole Foods. That's not to say case prices aren't occasionally perplexing (my local distro charges $42 for the Victory variety pack, but only $36 for Victory Golden Monkey, and GM is the most expensive component of said variety pack...). It's really a terrible system of tiers, laws and taxes, and all of it is unduly influenced by lobbyists and special interest groups.

 

The variety case requires more labor. Hand packing 4 different six packs into the case done by humans.

 

I'm aware of that, but a $6 price discrepancy when 75% of the more expensive case contains cheaper beer is indefensible.

 

From what I understand Bottle shops pay more than a regular case distributer but less than you or me would pay for a case from a Distributer. Although I could be misinformed .

 

Damn I pay 36 for the Victory Variety. The 42$ cases of from Victory are Storm King, Hop Wallop and Yakima Glory.

 

I'd guess bottle shops do pay more since by-the-case case pricing and delivery is partly influenced by how large an order gets placed with the wholesaler, so a retailer who buys 100 cases would be able to sell to us at a lower price than someone buying 10 cases.

 

Probably need to find a new place to buy your cases then. Prices can vary by that much from one retail distributor to another.

 

I've heard that too but I've also heard it depends on the distributor. There are some that don't give discounts like that apparently.

 

OP, I also would like to how/why beer is priced higher in PA than other states. Even for regular beer retailers (not eateries), it is more expensive, in my experience.

Take the case of Sam Adams. Much of it is brewed right here in PA, yet it costs substantially more for a case in SEPA than in NJ or DE. So, it's not transportation costs. Taxes on beer in PA are among the lowest in the US, so it is not taxes. A case of SA near me is about $35, at the cheaper retailer - way above suggested retail price.