MT/Great Notion Fortunate Sun

I remember the good old days picking up a 4-pack of 2010 BCBS for $20. Just sitting on the shelf gathering dust. Had to be talked into buying it by Spence, the beer guy at my local Central Market at the time.

 

Whenever I find myself grimacing at the price of these 4-packs, I usually convince myself by comparing the cost not to 22s but to having a pint at a bar or wherever. I can spend 5$ for a pint can or $7.50 for a pint at Chuck's. Which I still do frequently, of course.

 

I agree about City of Dreams. There were so many wallet-busting 4 packs this past year and I refrained from buying any more than the occasional single. The funny thing is, looking back, I can hardly remember the name of a single one. There's probably a lesson in there somewhere.

Truth. But you forgot to mention the $10 six pack. Seriously though, you allude to a bigger issue, which is that literally everything in the Bay Area is too expensive. I wish it hadn't taken me 35 years to get out of there.

 

A common and recurrent sentiment, to be sure, and one I know you (and others) have previously expressed. Of course, probably most everyone would, so long as the pricing yielded equivalent or better value. One reason I haven't cared for FW's move to the smaller format is that the cost/oz has actually gone up slightly. I'm sorry, but that half-misses the point of 12oz bottles, not that I've ever fully understood the pricing ratios for beer. If you buy milk or soda in a large container, you pay less for the same amount. But if you buy beer, you pay more? Was someone soused when they devised this scheme? Feel free, anyone, to educate me on what I've missed, as I don't care to dip my toes too deeply into the history of beer economics. (I find it interesting, but not that interesting.)

Please don't quote me on this, and I'd never presume to speak for anyone else, but I sort of dimly remember hearing at a certain bottle share several months ago that Fremont was hoping to move to 500ml bottles for these sorts of beers. As long as they price them proportionally (and I have never felt that Fremont has ever, or would ever, overcharge), that, to me, would be a step in the right direction. Not the Holy Grail, mind you, but something better, and something close.

As for the preponderance of $18-$22 4-packs of tallboys hot off the canning line, I can live with that, personally. As others have mentioned, it's still a better value than the price for most bombers or pints (+ tip) at a local bar/taproom. A fair number of those beers actually cost more to make, because they require more ingredients, and, in some cases, time. Some of these breweries are also young, small, and doing the best that they can to survive and grow in expensive markets. That's important to keep in mind, too.

If you wish to lament the rise of luxurious, art-bestrewn 4-packs, just go down to your local gas station and buy a 6-er of some great local stuff for 9 bucks. There's no shortage of options. Problem solved.

 

agreed, not sure why they did this

 

I picked up a 4-pack of Fortunate Sun last night.

This is a terrific beer.

 

I don't see these prices going away anytime soon. In San Diego you often see growler fills for $24-$26 depending on the alcohol content. I think I paid $14 for a 32oz once for an especially delicious triple IPA. If the beers are especially good and the quality control is there I have no problem paying $20-$22 a four pack for double IPAs. Hell Monkish is selling out every can release within 2-3 hours at that price no problem though they have some sort of resale value secondary market that keeps that going. The alternative is either overpriced bombers or tap only beer, neither of which is great.