50/50 Eclipse in MA

You have to take into account that Craft bought them then had to ship them to MA so there is a charge for that then any store that bought them is going to add there own charge. The stores may have got them for 20 but they are not going to sell them for that.

 

I was there at 4:15, fully stocked up. Coworker got there around 6 or 6:30, Rebel Yell was gone a while ago and everything else was low. I'd assume they were cleaned out by 8.

 

Those tickers have to tick every rare/hyped beer that comes around. I do not know if there is any beer out there I could pay $30 at retail for.

To the point of transport costs from California - I see a lot of west coast bbl aged brews priced well below $30. Maybe they had to pay some $ to the Whiskey companies to publicly use their brands? Most brewers are not allowed to publicly state the source of their barrels (you can find out by doing brew tours).

 

Eclipse is just an expensive beer, even from the brewery. This year's versions ranged from $20-$22, but also required bulk purchase months in advance, with pickup at the brewery. All things considered, $30 on a shelf in MA is really not that bad of a price, at least relatively speaking. In the greater world of beers, yes, it is very expensive.

As for why Eclipse is so expensive? I dunno. Ultimately probably because they can charge it. The upside of being a small batch limited release with a good rep is people will pay anything for it. I will say they are very good beers, worth $20 at least.

 

I just checked and these were the prices straight from the brewery release in 2012:

Rebel Yell Whiskey ($20/btl, $10 down, limit 6)
Elijah Craig 12 year ($20/btl, $10 down, limit 12)
Evan Williams Single ($20/btl, $10 down, limit 12)
Rittenhouse Rye ($22/btl, $11 down, limit 12)
Old Fitzgerald Bourbon ($22/btl, $11 down, limit 12)
Bernheim Wheat Whiskey ($22/btl, $11 down, limit 6)

The thing that bothers me more than anything is that it is just a 9.5% stout aged in Bourbon barrels, not exactly the most prestigious of barrels either. I think it is more of just a brand thing and the fact that they can charge $20+ and people will buy it up quickly. I just think the days of $15 being an upper tier beer price are over and were very short-lived, it's just simple economics I suppose. $15 limited release beers fly off the shelves so why not charge $20+, especially when ingredient costs are rising consistently too. We shall see if the $30 price point works, hopefully not. At that price I could homebrew a stout just as good and probably have at least $20 left over per bottle.

 

Agreed. Had the Rebel Yell about 2-3 weeks ago, tremendous beverage...

 

But why? I'm not really upset , rather curious. Why Uinta Cockeyed Cooper - bourbon barrel aged (for 5 months?) barley wine, which is phenomenal, imo, costs only $15 and Eclipse - twice as much? Is it just a Grey Goose effect/gimmick or production of Eclipse is really more expensive? And if the later, again - why?

 

$15-20 eclipse varients? Sure.

$20+? hmmm, No thanks.

$30? No way.

 

my sentiments exactly is this beer better than bourbon county which can be had for the equivalent of about $10 per bomber

 

Like I said, because they can. Fifty Fifty is a much smaller brewer than someone like Uinta, so I'm sure there is a bit of cost efficiency there. I believe it also sits in barrels longer. But those factors are likely nominal compared to "because people will pay it".

Honestly, breweries like 50/50 probably should be pricing their bottles at $30 or whatever it takes for them to not sell out instantly. With a small-batch limited release, they're not trying to win over regular loyal customers - only the high-end craving beer geeks who have very little price sensitivity. 50/50 runs their model closer to a winery than a brewery (see: beer futures), and I think you're going to start to see more of that at the high end. (At least from an economic/business standpoint, it makes the most sense)

 

They're very different beers, despite technically falling under the same style monikers. BCBS is a big thick chewy boozy monster of a stout and clocks in at 15% ABV. The 50/50 variants are thin, delicate, and very nicely balanced at only 9.5% ABV. The Eclipse beers are also trying to showcase the various effects of different types of barrels.

That said, I think it's hard to argue against BCBS being the best barrel aged stout bargain out there, and Eclipse kind of falls on the other end of the spectrum.

One last thing - not all of the Eclipse beers are created equal. I haven't had them all, but it's pretty clear from the ratings that they range from awesome down to mediocrity.

 

Shh other breweries might hear you.

 

Good point. Back to rabble rousing about prices being too damn high...

 

Gordon's on main has a ton, $30 per bottle

 

In western mass, they have a case of each, except the rebel yell variant at Table and Vine, pretty much the same price tag though, and they are going fairly fast...

 

Julio's still had all but the Rebel Yell last evening. I picked up an Old Fitzgerald and a Bernheim Wheat (two of the three I haven't ticked - couldn't pull the trigger on the Corn Whiskey, though, given its lone review).

 

That is the only one of this years varients I tried so far, and I give the mellow corn a 3.85. It was balanced and not too boozy or too sweet. I would say it is much better then last years 4 roses and not as good as last years ec12 or rittenhouse rye.

 

I am curious, can people actually tell with some level of certainty that the beer was aged in a bourbon barrel as opposed to a corn whiskey barrel? Call me a skeptic, but I suspect that 99% cannot

 

And to be further skeptical, or even cynical , I suspect that the same 99% would not be able to tell the difference between the barrels of different bourbon brands

 

An interesting point, but this is probably the best way to find out, no? I've had a bunch of bourbon barrel stouts and, in most cases, don't know the brand used. I do know that I have liked some more than others and have generally attributed it to the quality of the base stout and/or the brewer's barrel aging proficiency. How many other opportunities do you have to really put your palate to the test with 2-6 options? I grabbed an Elijah Craig and Evan Williams, so we'll see.