Affordable Belgian Style Beers

Vitus is freaking amazing, especially at 9% and $3.

 

I would do unspeakable things for 4 packs of Orval for 8 bucks.

 

Cost of living is indeed significantly higher than in the USA. I am fairly certain, lacking a stastic to back that up that food in general is actually cheaper in the USA than in Belgium. USA does rank higher than Belgium on HDI, one can state that the standard of living is higher there, I do not think that the gap is that big.

Breweries do not get much in the way of incentives. I think that the main reason for the difference in price is that Belgians have been proven by research to be very price sensitive as far as beer goes, much like the German’s. Beer is simply not seen as that much of a luxury product, in USA it is and brewers use that opportunity to jack up the prices.

After all it is not like Belgium is known for low taxes, corporate taxes average 33.99% here, USA has states where these can go as low as 15 %, also places where 39 % is possible, on general they are lower.

I am certainly not against capitalism, I do not think calling out companies on things that they do is anti-capitalist or anything, it is all just part of the system.

 

You guys have made me thirsty. Rodenbach Grand Cru always gets my #1 vote. Ommegang ales are all tasty. You can't go wrong with La Fin du Monde.

 

Actually, he said "Belgian style" Belgium brews quite a few different styles, but there is no single Belgian style. This is a common mistake in the US.

OK, grammer lesson over, grab a beer and go to recess!

 

Many US beer drinkers do not realize that the most popular beer style in Belgium is Euro Pale Lager (e.g., Jupiler, Stella Artois, etc.).

Cheers!

 

Arguably my favorite brewer. I'm happy to pay whatever they charge me and consider it a bargain.

 

I understand there are a lot more than one Belgian style. I stated that based on the fact that he isn't searching for actual Belgian's (from Belgium), he simply wants that style of beer whether it be a dubbel, tripel, quad, etc.

 

all these posts and I don't believe there is a single one mentioning Allagash? $8/10 a 4 pack for some amazing authentic Belgian style brews

 

Oh well, if you want to nit pick - you used the term correctly, it was the OP's error. He should have asked about Belgian styles that are affordable. There is no such thing as a Belgian "style" beer.

I'm going back to recess - I have another beer to finish.

 

Ha, key phrase is IMO. For me, they do come close enough for the price.

 

Nah, that Rochefort 10 price is about right. The place I go to with the best prices has it for $10.

 

Wow! It sells in Quebec for $4.65.

 

$7.50 for Chimay blue? What size? We pay $3.25 for a 33 cl bottle here in Ontario (the most heavily taxed area in NA) and I know you can get a 750 ml bottle of Red Cap for $6.40

 

Yeah Evil Twin does this. I didn't mind since they are a Denmark brewery. Then I find out they contract brew all over the US....
I just can't swallow their price any longer. Lil' B is always in stock at TW, and I'd have to imagine it's because they charge $14.99 for a four pack...

 

Evil Twin actually might be an exception. We have a similar situation with Mikkeller beers which are actually made in Belgium, it seems like they are required to ship it to Denmark & back to Belgium. So they pay taxes & shipping, twice to Denmark. Even if the beer is made like next to your house.

 

St Bernardus Abt - a snip at just €1.68 from Ton Overmars.

 

The multi-tier system is an accumulation of legacy decisions, some foolish and some possibly well meaning but outdated to Prohibition. Agreed on local Belgian prices -- I don't think there's anything 33cl/12oz. or smaller in my grocery that's over €2, with the Trappists being mid rather than top end of the range. That goes for Chimay, Rochefort, Orval, Westmalle, La Trappe... Westvleteren is famously even less at the brewery. Fewer distribution layers means lower costs (and maaan, how the macro distributors in the US get an unbelIEVable rake). All that said, the American market is obviously bearing the export prices that are a nice fillip for the Belgian brewers. And those prices are bringing more domestic supply into the market. Pretty good deal all around.

 

1. Yes, we do have some serious taxes on booze. This is in part because taxes are politically unpopular. Sales taxes are lower here than pretty much anywhere I've been in the world except maybe in Taiwan and China. Certainly everywhere I've been in Europe, and Canada as well. People will do about anything to keep property taxes as low as possible (see Florida constitutional amendments), and there have been huge fights in Congress over things like the estate tax and income taxes. So, the taxes get shifted to things like alcohol, cigarettes, hotel rooms. Anything that they can get through.

2. A lot of things about the alcohol distribution system over here are weird, and most of them stretch back to prohibition. As for why that particular system still exists, those who are making money on it have the money to contribute to the politicians responsible for keeping it in place. It has broken down in some small spaces, such as wineries and breweries generally being able to sell direct to customers at the brewery. But if you want a good example of big beer business generally gets what it wants, look at the recent politics regarding the growler laws in Florida (short version: the standard 1/2 gallon growler is not allowed in Florida under a law that was designed to curb sales on 40 oz bottles of malt liquor that were popular about 20 years ago; the small breweries wanted to be able to sell them; the committee chair *just happened* to have taken some large contributions from InBev and her committee *just happened* to kill the bill).

3. Ahh, I did not know that. Color me informed. I knew Cantillon was small because I was just there in July, but I'm still learning.

Keep in mind the supermarkets I saw were in touristy areas, as I was only in Belgium for four days this summer (2 in Brussels, 2 in Brugge).

 

33cl. I saw a 750ml bottle for $11.99 a couple of days ago. Belgians are expensive here. Everything's expensive, but the British import stuff (outside of the Guinness/Bass/etc.) is about the same price as domestic craft/micro, and Belgian beer is quite a bit more expensive.