Embarrassing beer admission

Listen to this guy.

But not to this guy.

$17 for a six-pack is outrageous. If they want to charge that much for Sculpin, switch to 4-packs.

Edit: Yes, I know the brewery doesn't determine the final price. It has to go through the distributor and then retailer, but obviously the burden does lay somewhat on Ballast Point since we've seen this in a great number of different markets.

 

Pick any Alpine ipa.

 

$14 for a sixer of Victory At Sea is a great deal!

 

Irrationality in craft beer? Nonsense.

 

So $17 a six is outrageous, but $5 for one is perfectly fine?

 

I had this issue deciding to buy Surly Abrasive. Four 4 packs and 80$ later I still don't know if I made the right decision but I will enjoy it and never tell my wife.

 

Because Pliny is worlds better than Sculpin, yes.

 

Just tried my first fresh pliny last week while on spring break. One of my buddies drove out to cali for a grad school interview, and got back a day before we all left for the beach. Had fresh 2 fresh pliny bottles, and super fresh scuplin. Pliny puts scuplin to shame.

However, Orpheus brewing here in georgia, has a dipa named transmigration of souls. Definitely gave pliny the run for its money.

 

Hell yeah. I had their Life.Death.Life.Truth IPA last time I visited Atlanta and, if Transmigration is anywhere near as good, you're right.

 

I love me some Sculpin, but the price point is a big reason its a once in a great while kind of thing. There's way too many other great six packs of IPA out there that cost me $5-10 less.

I do try to keep these things in perspective. When I balk at the idea of spending $15 on a sixpack, I remind myself that at a bar I'd easily spend that much on three beers, or even a pair depending on the bar and what the beer is.

 

It is a good bit tastier then their life.death, 10% alcohol but you can't detect it at all. Smooth, very citrusy, and the hops seem to be matched perfectly, nothing was to overwhelming. It's a lot better on tap, but since they just released the cans for it, at $13-15 a 6 pack it is a steal for how great it is.

Honestly, every beer orpheus has released in cans so far has been pretty tasty. Plum saisons, and dipas. I feel spoiled sometimes...

 

I did drop $17 on a sixer of Grapefruit Sculpin, and didn't feel one bit bad about it. Awesome beer. As far as Sculpin goes, I've had quite a bit of it and so I will generally only buy it if it's really fresh. Usually once or twice a year. Plenty of other options to keep me going the rest of the time.

 

At that price I would pass it by as well. I get the fact that in a bar one is going to pay a premium for what one buys. That is just part of the business. The bar would not stay open too long if they bought the product and sold it to the public at cost. They do have expenses. So for me the comparison of what one would pay in a bar/restaurant to a package store is of little merit.

There are tiers of pricing in many similar products-whiskey/whisky, wine, automobiles, clothes etc. The list goes on and on. The problem comes in determining which product gives good value for the dollar spent. From my perspective that has become a much more difficult determination to make. As "we" continue to buy more and more of products that are sold at inflated prices the trend continues. What we need to do is find those producers consistently that offer good value for the dollar and do not follow the hype/trends and support these people so they will continue to provide high quality at a reasonable price. Find a seller w staff that gives you advice on purchases that you have found to be reliable over time and shop that place even if it sometimes costs a bit more. Not an easy task in today's world !

 

Sculpin at my Von's is about $13.99. It's an IPA that I like and is usually go-to....as on had said, my "par" IPA. If I like something, I wouldn't mind dropping a few bucks for it. Like someone mentioned, it's about $3 for a bottle vs. $7-$8 for a pint at a restaurant. That's just me though.

 

It's good, for me though there are better ones for less $$. Hopefully though if/when they do choose an east coast brewery location the prices will drop a bit.

 

I was lucky enough to find Sculpin in a bomber the first time I tried it. It wasn't cheap, but it was less than a 6 pack. That said, I like it enough to spend the 14-15 bucks for a 6 pack every now and again. It's definitely not a 'staple' beer for me.

 

A couple of years ago I was walking past a bakery with a two block line out the door. "This is ridiculous" I thought. "What is it about this place that made it so special?" I wondered. It turned out it belonged to a celebrity baker who was in the middle of his television-ensured 15 minutes of fame and reaping the fruits of his exposure. "What sheeple," I said to myself, and smugly walked on, reassured that nothing that could make me stand in line like a grade school child for hours on end merely because the object of desire was deemed "totally unlike" other regularly accessible items by outside media and public opinion.

A few months later I was in Santa Rosa, CA eagerly awaiting my first taste of Pliny the Younger and had made it several hours on the street when the irony hit me...

 

I always justify it because drinking at home is usually cheaper than going to a bar.

 

I'm guessing OP doesn't purchase many bombers.

 

I'd have a problem paying that much for a 6 pack if it were the straight Sculpin. However if it was the grapefruit puree Sculpin I'd be all over it. I'm fortunate enough to have access to great local beers here and around Asheville and Charlotte. Like supporting the locals and they put out some amazing beers