Sculpin pricing...have we lost our minds?

In this market, I suspect BP is going to have some problems selling it at that price. There are just too many comparable options, at a much better price point.

When I lived back East, the beer sold very well (both bombers and 6 packs), because the perception was that there was nothing really comparable. That's when Sculpin was first introduced into the market (I thought the beer was pretty remarkable as well, the first time I had it, and it's still a beer I like very much). The landscape is a bit different out there today (a lot more options out there now as well), but the beer still sells fairly well out there, as a $15 price tag isn't all that much higher than what most of your better IPA's and DIPA's sell for.

Shrug. Time will tell I guess. The draft version seems to be doing pretty well down here in Eugene, but bottles have been languishing on the shelf, and are clearly not selling as well. I don't think there's any IPA that sells for anything like what Sculpin retails for down here, and I think a lot people are balking at the price. The initial reception for Sculpin was prettty good down here, as it was a beer that most folks had heard about, it has a great reputation, and a lot of people had been waiting a long time for it become available in this market. I think the real test will take place in another 5 or 6 months, after it's been available in the market for a while, and folks are accustomed to seeing it around. Then I'll be curious to see how many people want to continue to pay the premium the beer currently commands (at least in bottles - the draft price doesn't seem all that much higher than what I have to pay for things like RPM, hop venom, Alpha Centauri Binary, Tricerahops, Maiden the Shade, Sticky Hands, etc.). I have a feeling that the current interest will slowly fade, if Sculpin continues to be $3 or $4 more expensive per 6 pack than any other IPA in the market, and $5, $6 or $7 more expensive than most local options.

One last observation... as we all know, PtE bottles sell like hot cakes, even though the 6 pack price tag comes out to over $20 for a 6 pack (using a 3/4 of the cost formula for the typical $5 sale price for a 16 ounce bottle). Of course, most everyone seems to feel that elder is in a class by itself, which is why people have no problem shelling out that kind of money for it. My impression is that the folks at BP see sculpin in a similar light, and so are counting on customers to happily shell out a similar premium price. That thinking has worked just fine for them in some other markets, so I think it's understandable that they'd try to do the same thing here. I'm not sure that thinking is going to work so well in the NW, but I guess you can't blame them for trying.

 

??? They bottle date Sculpin.

 

"Is craft beer headed in the direction of Grand Cru Bordeaux where the 'collector' market is dictating prices that all but a few drinkers can afford?"

Clearly the answer to that is yes (as leedorhom mentions). However, I think it will be a while yet before anyone has to pay $800 for a 6 pack or bomber of the top beers on BA. Even now, by comparison, even the most expensive bottles of beer cost nothing like what collectors are willing to shell out for the top chateaus in Bordeaux and Burgundy. So I think it will be a while before most of us are priced out of the current market. :-)

Still, even if we are slowly heading in that direction, I wouldn't worry about it too much czechsaaz. While I'm fairly certain I'll never get to partake of another bottle of Lafite, Mouton, Margaux, Haut Brion or LaTour (I never have had the opportunity to drink Petrus, Le Pin or DRC, and am pretty certain I never will), I think the point everyone is making, is that doesn't mean I can't drink great wine (or that we won't be able to drink great beer). It's already becoming very difficult to find and/or pay for some of the more exclusive and expensive beers on the market today, but even if I can't drink most of the BCBS variations anymore or any of the barrel aged Hunahpu variations, that certainly doesn't mean I can't and drink a wide range of well made RIS. I can live that.

 

Folks here in Eugene seem to be a lot more price conscious, from what I've seen so far. Also, I don't think the craft beer market is nearly as sophisticated or large as what you have up in PDX, nor does the population seem as affluent. So those are all factors that seem to affect the sculpin market here in Eugene.

It's the same with some of the De Garde stuff I see on tap around town. I think the Bu Weisse has been on tap over at 16 tons for going on a month now. For a lot of folks around here, the beer is just too expensive, and I'm not sure all that many folks are familiar with the Bereliner Weisse style either. My guess is that up on Portland, the keg wouldn't have lasted the week. However, here in Eugene, well...

 

My bad. You're absolutely right. They just have the "enjoy by" date on the side.

That's what I was referring to, but you're right. They aren't the same thing by any means.

 

One thing I do know. You really do not want to buy any sculpin that is past its "enjoy by" date. The few times I bought some that were a few weeks past the enjoy by date, the beer was flat out awful (maybe not undrinkable, but pretty close to it).