$15 pint of pale ale

Don't blame Meadhall. Don't blame MBC. Blame the people who continue to pay these outrageous prices.

 

I visited Meadhall last week on a trip to Boston...tried ordering 5 beers and each time was told that they didn't have it. I, too, left and went to CBC, where I enjoyed the hell out of some Rye Rye Rocco.

 

I live within a ten minute walk to Bukowskis, Meadhall, CBC and Lord Hobo, and that is certainly the order I rank them.

4) Bukowskis - The food is actually pretty good, but it's so greasy that it's somewhere I rarely eat. Their draft selectoin and prices are fair, but the service is horrible. I'm not a service snob by a long shot (all I ask is that my beer and water arrive in a reasonably timely manner), but I come from work wearing a collared shirt and I feel shunned. Opening the front in the summer is very nice, however.

3) Meadhall - I find the food to be mediocre at best, the beer prices are always high for the beers I want, and so I settle for a very good beer at a fine price. The upstairs is really cool and their events are great, but I never go there unless they're having an event now.

2) CBC - I love CBC. Their beer is incredible. Pretty much anything coming out of their unbelievably extensive barrel program is going to be at least pretty good and is often fantastic. They always have something out of a barrel, usually a wild ale, and always a cask on. Others object to the food, but I think it's better than Meadhall's. I rare get any entrees, usually the GF and I order the Quatro Formaggio pizza and one of the daily special pizzas and split them. Their beer prices are also very reasonable (especially for their standard offerings). The outdoor seating is a huge plus in the nice weather.

Interlude - If you are looking for pizza and beer, Emma's is right across the street from CBC and two blocks from Lord Hobo. This is the best pizza in all of Cambridge/Boston for my money.

1) Lord Hobo - My favorite bar. First off, the tap list is 40 beers deep and always has a couple I've never heard of and a half dozen I want to try. Their takeovers are great, the selection is varied, and the service is awesome. The guys who run the place care about great beer, great food, and running a great bar. Their new chef has seriously stepped up the food, and their truffle fries are rivaled only by Saus.

My 2c.

 

this is actually more ludicrous than philly pricing of MBC beers, which i previously thought to be impossible. bravo.

 

5-6 bucks a pint up here in Maine. Posts like these make me glad I go straight to CBC and Lord Hobo in Boston. Easy to get to, easy to park and affordable. Meadhall is entering Lions Pride territory with that kind of pricing.

 

That isnt a fair comparison price wise as kegs are typically cheaper than bottles. So comparing the bottle price and saying just double it is not right. Go to a bar in PA (not including philly) and a pint of Yuengling is about $2.

Say a bar charges gets bud for 0.50 cost and charges a 6 times markup to $3.00, they make $2.50. Why should they make $7 for selling a draft of peeper? Why the additional cost for a draft beer?

 

I don't know the cost of a keg of Peeper so I can't answer that. All I am saying is if their bottles are high priced their kegs likely are as well.

 

They distribute to Virginia?

 

Yes, as of a few months ago. So far we've gotten MO, Lunch, Zoe, Peeper, King Titus, Mean Old Tom and Lil' One which I think is their full lineup. We get it very quickly from bottle date too which is surprising.

 

Am I crazy? I had a taste of RR Rocco from someone else's glass and it seemed pretty heavy on the diacytal, which I can't stand (something I think I've noticed in other brett-heavy, not-too-sour CBC beers like Om). I loved the Colonel sour porter they were pouring though.

And yeah, MBC is too pricey and Meadhall's beer menu has plenty of high-priced tiny pours, though I gather many of their pint pours are reasonably priced.

 

Does their stuff move?

 

CBC has the best food out of all that you mentioned. Every time you go there and buy a pizza you are seriously missing out.

 

I assumed their bottles included the bomber tax, which almost never carries over into keg/pint prices, e.g., $7 bombers are often $5-7 pints.

 

I like their food too...I need to get over there soon.

 

People still go to Meadhall??

 

To start they did as everyone wanted to try the stuff, now I am not so sure. The only beers I will buy again thus far are Lunch and King Titus, going to try Lil' One soon. It is just hard to justify the price when we get so many other great beers that are cheaper.

I'll be honest, I have no idea what a bomber tax is, or even if something under 22oz is considered a bomber, but they are priced above everything else I see except stuff like Evil Twin and Mikkeller, so wouldn't the competition have the same tax to deal with?

 

I believe a keg of Peeper is around $130 for a 1/6, which is quite high.

 

The "bomber tax" of which is speak is just the much higher price-per-oz of bomber beer, not an actual tax per se.

 

All they have is 500ml bottles though right? I have nothing to compare the price to like with some other bombers.