$15 pint of pale ale

CBC and Jack's Abby both make better beers than MBC. In fact, that's not only my opinion, but the general opinion of the site based on the reviews. JA's two highest rated beers, KR and JU score 4.41 and 4.38. MBC's two highest, Lunch and Zoe, score 4.37 and 4.28. Insignificant, probably, but don't talk like MBC is somehow world's above these other breweries when in fact they don't even rate as highly.

You're fully entitled to your own opinion, just don't act like you speak for everybody else.


As for the pricing... if you seriously don't get it after reading this or any of the other 1000 threads about MBC pricing, you are sticking your head in the sand and don't want to understand. We want the prices to come down so we can buy more of the beer because we like it. Nobody is bitching because they are "a little" overpriced. They're arguably the single most overpriced brewery in the world today. That's quite a feat. And yes, there are hundreds and hundreds of breweries releasing beers at $3.50 or lower per 500ml. Basically anything in a 6-pack fits that criteria, with room to spare.

 

You have never actually been to CBC and had the good stuff I take it then. Plus JA is overall better than MBC, you talk about doing different and say MBC. CBC and JA are doing much more different stuff than MBC, all great breweries only one has pricing issues though.

 

I agree with that, it is absurd, and they shouldn't charge that, but it's one of the most popular beer bars around boston....you're going to get upcharged for popular beers . Peeper on tap around here is is $5.50 a pint.

 

Just to do the math for the folks.
1/6bbl of peeper is $125 I think.
So, the cost per ounce is $0.189, which makes an 8.5oz pour cost about $1.60. So the normal bar markup and they should be charging about $5. so, yes this sounds a bit expensive to me.

Yes, MBC charges a lot for their beer, but not nearly as much as others both domestic and imported. Vote with your wallets folks and buy the beers you like and if they are local??? even better.

 

Can we please get back to bashing both MBC and Meadhall in equal parts

 

Sure, if we're talking something sour, barrel-aged, or uber-high-ABV...but I'm genuinely curious: Who else domestically sells a standard Pale Ale for significantly more $ per oz than MBC? Even using the low-end estimate of $6 for a 16.9oz bottle of Peeper, that's $.355/oz (or $25.50/sixpack) for a 5.5% APA.

Since you say that MBC charges "not nearly as much as others," I'm assuming that you're seeing shelves lined with $30 sixpacks of IPAs. I'm not, and I feel sorry for you if you actually are.

 

It's 87% margin and that is high

 

If someday MBC changes to 6 packs for $2 a bottle or whatever you think is adequate, you will probably be the first to bitch about how it doesn't taste the same. You pay for quality. And they are most definitely not the most overpriced brewery in the world (thank you for the dramatics). Lost Abbey's 350ml bottles are all priced at around $17, allagash single bottle 350ml releases are $15, DFH 120 and WWS $9 a 12oz. bottle, and basically all Mikkeller. As much as I'm sure you and everyone else that lives in MA or wherever is upcharging bottles thinks that by complaining on a social website, it will lower the price, it won't. There are plenty of people that enjoy their beer and are getting charged fair prices for it. I just can't believe people are worried about a $6 500ml bottle, yet they don't blink an eye when they pay $16 for a 4 pack of founders or $26 for a 750ml of Black ops (Cue the new thread about how these beers are far superior to MBC). Like I said before.....if you want to drink cheap beer, don't drink craft beer.

 

You realize that it costs significantly more for a brewery to make barrel aged and sour beers than it does to make a pale ale, right? Ingredients, barrels, cost to store beers that take a long time to condition, opportunity cost of spending a lot of time on barreling a beer when that time could be spent turning over more batches of a cheaper/quicker beer, etc. Also, most threads about Black Ops would probably tell you that folks think that's overpriced as well. You're just looking at bottom line dollar amounts, not what that dollar amounts is getting you per ounce. I like MBC beers a lot, agree that the quality is excellent...but your argument doesn't really hold up.

 

Yes, there are a lot of beers that are more expensive than MBC. But look at what you're comparing: Lost Abbey = barrel-aged, often heavily fruited wild ales; Allagash = spontaneously fermented, barrel-aged wild ales; DFH 120 and WWS = ~20% ABV monstrosities; Mikkeller = imported, gypsy-brewed, and often high-abv and/or barrel aged; Founders $16/4-pack = cheaper per oz than MBC, and also either high-ABV (e.g. Devil Dancer) and/or barrel aged (e.g. Backwoods Bastard); Black Ops = high ABV and barrel aged (and also overpriced according to the consensus around here!).

Let's do a price comparison for the domestic breweries you've listed who brew APAs/IPAs, which would actually be a fair comparison to MBC: Brooklyn Pennant Ale and East India Pale Ale = ~$9/sixpack; DFH Shelter Pale Ale and 60 Minute IPA = ~$10/sixpack; Founders Dry Hopped Pale Ale and Centennial IPA = ~$11/sixpack. MBC? $25+/sixpack equivalent.

Why are you so surprised that this upsets people around here? We all want to drink their beers, but we don't see the point when they cost well over twice as much as comparable beers from the competition.

 

At most it costs MBC $.03 an ounce for the liquid. The bottle is $.15, label $.02, and a cap $.01. So the total cost of the bottle of beer is $.66. Assuming Davl22 is correct about $5.99 in Kittery and using the higher end of wholesaler and retail markup of 30, that mean MBC is selling its product to the wholesaler at $2.94 over a 400% markup. Industry standard is about 45%.

 

It's actually 81.67%

Sell $15
Cost 2.75 ($110/40 pints) Technically you get 41.28, but industry standard calls it 40 pints from loss due to foam and over pour.
Margin 81.67%
Gross Margin $12.25

 

It's $110 in the latest mass bev journal. Did the business math just above.

 

ah, but that's the rub. if you ignore the price, MBC is a very good brewery. if you accept the fantasy that "you pay (directly) for quality," MBC gets a lot less out of the $$$ than the superior breweries we've mentioned in this thread (the ones whose beer is higher quality, more diverse and innovative, and significantly cheaper).

 

CBC is a much better brewery than MBC. I'm a fan of MBC but its not a comparison. CBC has a 20 year head start, but still. And Jacks Abby sells 500ml bottles for $3.50.

I had a pint of MBC Mo at Vee Vee 2 weeks ago for $7. So its obviously possible to sell MBC beers in Boston at a reasonable price. Plus serving a pale ale in an 8.5 ounce glass is fucking stupid. That would take me 2 minutes to drink. And considering the service at Meadhall, you'll wait 7 minutes to get a beer that takes 2 minutes to drink.

 

55 12 oz beers * 15 = $825.00
$110.00 cost

$825-$100/$825 = 86.6% Margin - Pretty simple math
New tap systems get 98% yield if done right.

If you have a sloppy bartender then I agree with your math

 

Heady is $4 for 16 oz and Peeper is $5.99 for 16 oz. hmmmm

 

And bootleg HT is no more than about $10/pint around here.

 

$3 at the brewery...