Breweries That You Won’t Support Because They Are Too Expensive

Adroit Theory... I only seek out their non-IPAs, but woof...
Generally, I'm leery of ANYTHING that's 20ish a 4 pack at TW

 

Constellation supposedly paid $1 Billion (with a 'B') for Ballast Point.
Whoa, way too rich for my blood.
( Gee, whatever happened to that deal?)

But then, Sapporo apparently got Anchor for a mere $85 Million, but, you know what? Still out of my league.

In fact, I'd imagine even if the next Pandemic Relief Payment comes through, every brewery is still too expensive for me, so I'll just have to be satisfied with buying and drinking their beers.

 

The list of breweries I buy little or nothing from because of their price is too long to type. But I don't worry about it. There is soooo much great beer available today. I look in my DBF and at my credit card statements and all is well.

 

I agree both are typically too expensive compared to competitors. So many great reasonably priced California options. Speedway Stout, North Coast Old Rasputin and Lagunitas Willetized are typically great deals, and with IPAs, you can't go wrong with AleSmith and Beachwood. PtE is more expensive but worth the occasional treat as well.

Not sure how pricing compares in France to here, but MT's standard offerings are priced like their competitors. Stone and Ballast Point are in another price range, so I never really pick them up. MT's Devil's Teeth are excellent but very pricey, I try to pick up a can or two as a treat when hitting California (they never make it to Chicago).

My Take / List:

Breweries that charge what they can, and if there is a market for their beers at higher prices, more power to them. I rather they make profit over the ubiquitous neckbeard beer scalpers that overrun our area.

That said, I'm aware of two breweries that have begun "scalping" their beers recently (double, triple plus over their MSRP) for off-premise consumption, namely Toppling Goliath and Goose Island. I stopped buying TG a while ago, and GI purchases out of a rare taproom visit have dried up except for the BCBS which has also become too expensive IMO. Some East Coast breweries started dropping here with ridiculous prices so I just pass (Jackie O's $1.30/oz BA beers and Equlibrium/Other Half $8-$9 per 16 oz can of NEIPAs).

I've been buying majority local, and even for BA there are significant savings. My favorites are:

Chicago:

• Revolution: $20 IPA 12 can variety, packs, $10 six packs, and great Deep Woods beers at $0.52-$0.63 / oz for great beers (Deth's Tar, Ryeway to Heaven, Straight Jacket).
• Spiteful: $10 IPA 12 oz 6 packs (Chicago's best year-round WCIPA) and $12-$14 for their 4-6 16 oz specialty releases.

Michigan:

• Founders: $15 15 packs of All Day IPA and Mosaic Promise, oh hell yes. And 4 Giants, Blushing Monk and their BA Imperial Stouts are among the best at a reasonable price.
• Bells: Pick up at least a twelve pack of Oberon each year and they come up with some reasonably priced beers across many styles that are great, and their Expedition Stout is awesome.

 

It’s not that I don’t buy them, but whenever Cascade brings something into my market, I only buy one. Their stuff is really expensive up here.

 

Other Half certainly isn't winning any awards for "best priced beer", but then you have some guys who are straight up EGREGIOUS...

TOPPLING GOLIATH
Forager
Prarie
etc...

I'll always admire Hill Farmstead (and Tree House) for consistently putting out world-class beer and not absolutely gouging a hole in your wallet.

Yet I still keep returning to Side Project like my life depends on it...

 

The pattern in my area is that small, local breweries open up their doors with no reputation or track record of quality and want people to pay $17 for four cans of a 5% pale ale or pilsner, and $19 for an IPA or stout. That's always going to be a hard pass for me. You can get away with charging those prices once you've proven your beer is reliably good. Not before (and the lighter stuff should always be $12 at most anyway).

 

Literalist!

 

Toppling goliath is ridiculously expensive 9.00 a bottle for DDH king sue for example. Also levante 18.00 for a 4pak of pale ale and for an ipa your talking 20.00 to 24.00 it's insane

 

$50 per bottle of Mornin' Delight...$100 per 12oz bottle of KBBS...

 

I agree with you on this one. I realize that barrel-aging of sour beers adds a huge cost to the brewery for the price of barrels and the time aging, and the finished product is always very good, but I'm just not into sours enough to buy them regularly. Since Jolly Pumpkin is a Michigan brewery I'd love to support them more (their beers are even much more reasonably priced when compared to Cascade), but I'm just not that big of a fan of sours to buy their beers very often. Kettle-soured beers will have to do when I crave that style.

 

I want to try Bruery Helles but not for $15 a four pack. I stick with very local or imports to keep it reasonable

 

Equilibrium Brewery seems overpriced at the stores in Maryland compared to their website. On their website, a lot of their beers are in the $17-$20 range for a 4pack...which is still a bit much for me. But my local store has 4 packs for around $30.

I'll admit, I purchased a single can to see if the price was worth it. It was a great beer, but I also have more reasonably priced beers that are just as good available.

 

$45 for prairie gift set. 2 bomb. 2 birthday bomb. One glass

 

Stone.
Cascade.

Used to rip on Prairie, but I do think some of their work is worth the price. Not near all of it though. Like wise, I've dropped some money at Side Project, but it's always a special treat, usually associated with a vacation.

 

Sorry for this one, likely to be flamed, but I haven't bought 3 Floyds in many years because I saw them jump their prices back before anyone else had.

Sure, many are catching up now, but it just seemed like a pretentious move by the brewery based on their popularity.

No, I have no solid proof of this, but when they were $2 a six-pack more than most of the others on the shelves, I knew I could find something else.

 

Are you serious?! That's down right insane!

 

Any brewery that charges a ridiculous price for a mediocre hazy IPA.