Beer traders vs. non-beer traders: The Price of Craft

WOW. Back when I was brewing in the early 1990's I was making just under 2 cases for around $40. That was with malt syrup, pellets and whole hops for dry hopping. Has the cost come down or is there a better way to go? I would love to start again at that price. Any info please let me know.


Enjoy

 

I brew all-grain. I buy my malt by the sack and my hops by the pound. A 55lb sack of malt costs me anywhere from $36-50 and a pound of hops costs me anywhere from $10-17. Yeast is the most expensive part but I often reuse it batch to batch.

I drink far more homebrew than commercial beer but I probably spend four times as much money on commercial than I do on homebrew.

 

All grain, for starters, is much cheaper. Malt extract brewing is about as expensive as it gets. That said, ~$40 today will get you around 2 cases using the same stuff you used.

 

Big difference in price between overnight/2-day delivery charges and regular overland delivery charges. Perhaps they were using the overnight and you use the overland?

 

$15 for a DIPA? Uh...wow. Doing all grain and the same thing as you and I wasn't nearly that low. Propane $20 for 4 sessions = $5 in gas, yeast is $8 for White Labs and that's without 20lbs of 2-row or 8oz of hops for a 'lite' dipa.

 

That's funny, I've actually come to the opposite conclusion lately and find myself buying a decent bottle of bourbon or Scotch over a highly priced bomber or 750. A key moment of realization was when I saw the price of Eclipse aged in Elijah Craig 12 yr barrels selling for $35.... when I could have an actual bottle of Elijah Craig 12 yr for only $30!

I still love craft beer, but I think the prices are actually reaching the point (for me) where a decent bottle of booze is actually a better value in terms of nights of enjoyment it will provide and how many friends I can share it with. Eye of the beholder stuff, I know...

 

Right on point. At the end of the night, the purpose of drinking is to get a little drunk. I love my beer, but if it came down to picking between a bottle of black tuesday or a bottle of the yamazaki, the whiskey wins every time.

 

Glad to do it but I recently spent close to $20 to get ONE brew to a good friend only one state away. Shipping companies are really just giving it to us hard nowadays. Also had a hard time telling my wife that I spent that much!

 

I trade and am willing to deal with the cost to get the whales or the shit I love (ie Alpine etc). I do agree that it has reset my idea on 'expensive beer' though.

 

yeah, i'm not sure what comparison people are using.

an $18 six-pack = omgwtf! but it's 25 cents an ounce, $3 / drink.
an $18 bomber = no problem! but it's 81 cents an ounce, $9 / drink.
a $30 bomber = i'll take 20! except it's $1.36 an ounce, $15 / drink.
a $50 bourbon = solid. $1.97 an ounce, $5 / drink.
a $70 scotch = pretty decent. $2.76 an ounce, $ 7 / drink.

which is the most expensive on a per-drink basis? too many people look at the absolute amount they're spending on a single transaction and neglect to factor in the cost over many transactions. most high-end beer is a poorer value than a nice bourbon or whiskey. i'll still buy it, as i love beer, but i don't delude myself into thinking i'm getting a better value. the better value is in the $10 six-pack.

even apples to apples: people complained about $16 sixers of ruination but had no issues with $8 bombers of same. i am convinced a lot of ba's have no idea what the word "value" means.

funny, i've made that point a number of times and pissed off a lot of people who think it's preposterous. but it's obviously a comparison people make in their heads... barrel-aged beer vs. bourbon as a substitutional good.

anyway, i don't really place hard price limits on myself. i quit trading not because i couldn't afford it, but because i was spending time (and money) shipping to get less-good beer in return. that $15 growler of hill farmstead is actually $25 when you factor in shipping, extras, and time (not to mention i'd probably have to give up something ridiculously rare) - i'd rather fill 2 alpines for that.

 

This is what I do. Whenever I travel, I always bring back a few samples of local breweries. My best friend's husband travels for his job and is always up for shuttling a bottle or two home for me too.

I've kind of come around to thinking of craft beer prices as I would a bottle of wine. Most of the time if you do your research, you will get what you pay for. I absolutely hate paying shipping for anything, but I will pay $15-20 for a special bottle of craft as long as I consider the beer worth it. It won't be a pizza night beer, but for a special occasion? I'd spend that much and more on a bottle of wine.

 

trading is fun but it's a terrible waste of money.

 

I got out of trading due to the cost, time, and effort associated with the process. I am happy with the decision that I made.

 

Probably a bit low, yes now that I look at it. Probably more like $25-30 for something aggressively hopped.

 

I see a lot of interesting points and comparisons going on here . . . I wonder sometimes if I'm missing out because I'm not into trading. I'd really love to try it, just send out a couple boxes every once in a while, but I simply can't afford that shit unless I stop buying beer for myself altogether and accept that I'll be drinking one or two beers a week and that's it. To be honest, I feel that I already spend more than I should on beer as it is; that encompasses the stuff I buy for myself, the bottles I give to or share with friends and family, bringing sixers to parties, and the occasional pint at a bar. (I say "occasional" because even buying beer at a bar is exceedingly rare for me—I volunteer to be DD almost all the time, as much because I enjoy doing my friends a favor as because it costs me a lot less.)

Apparently, I need to start homebrewing—my main barriers are time, start-up costs, and liver space, because I feel like it'll probably take me a while to get good enough that I'd be really jazzed about what I'm actually going to drink, and I don't want to find myself sitting on a case and a half of beer I have no interest in anymore. That, and I'm a grad student so I don't have a toooooon of time to really get into it gung-ho.

That said, I should probably get off this forum, get back to reading, and resolve not to buy any more beer for the next week or two. Or get a sixer of Sucks because it just landed in my area. Y'know.

 

Hobbyist/enthusiast/collector versus casual drinker.

Hmm...that's a tough one

 

Ok, thought you were using a giant magnifying glass to boil your wort and using bottle dregs/repitches and some old as sin hops...

 

I understand your logic. For me though, drinking variety is a contributer to good value and I couldn't stick to two varities of liquor and be happy. Also, since my favorite wines tend to be in the $30-$80/bottle range, even very good beer has been proving to be cheaper.

 

I'm new to the craft beer scene and right now I'm interested in trying many different beers, figuring out what I like best etc. Until I've made these discoveries, trading will be worth it, though I can see how eventually it may not be so exciting or worth it financially anymore.

 

Every other form of alcohol has expensive tiers that are socially acknowledged (wine, scotch, bourbon, etc.). Beer has just been chastised as barbaric swill until the craft movement started to change the scene. I don't think beer price is getting out of hand as much as it's just catching up.