Finding a Happy Medium

Nailed it. It's a joke how many are putting out brewery only 18 dollar four packs of 16oz "NEIPA" cans and hyping them on social media while entirely lacking the beer quality. Not going to name names but this shit is rampant now in the northeast.

 

I am an example of someone who has been drinking "craft" beer for over 20 years. I have always seen it as more of a treat then an every day thing. I am at a point where I can afford to drink whatever I want whenever I want, however, some of the prices are just simply silly.
I now find myself buying the local "growler of the month" special more often.
We have definitely reached saturation point with too many breweries, and some of the subpar places will start to thin themselves out for sure.
As for prices, it all depends on whether or not the particular breweries are selling all of their available quantity at those higher prices. When they stop doing that, the prices will naturally come down

 

Prices are out of line to what is being offered. I tend to stick with traditional styles for that reason, they are usually less expensive.

 

where art thou $10 - 6 packs we refer to? here in NY the $12-16 is the norm.....

 

Around here it varies from $7.89 to $10.99 depending on a few factors, primarily ABV and/or how limited the release.

 

Lots and lots of $17-$22 four packs being released now. I'm very choosy at that point, recently passed on a $17 four pack of a porter because it didn't taste as good as Black Butte Porter, but picked up a $20 four pack of an IPA that was phenomenal. I have no issues with pricey barrel aged beers, even a pricier smaller release from time to time, however I am getting a little concern as these pricey four packs are becoming price setters for other beers that don't warrant it.

 

Personally, I think the high priced 4-packs and bombers are maintained by the newcomers to craft beer. They have less background experience trying different beers and are understandably going to rely [often unconsciously] on other sources of information to guide their purchases, like hype, word-of-mouth recommendations, rating sites like this one, showing off their "hauls" etc. These consumers are in that fun exploration frame of mind, and a few extra bucks here and there is no big deal to get the experience. Eventually, people try grow out of that though, and when they do they look for the value craft beer [assuming they don't drift away from beer in general]. As long as new craft beer drinkers are joining the fold, there's probably going to be a market for high priced beer.

 

You hit the nail on the head there. At that price it better be something special. I don't mind paying that for BA brews and special limited releases if the quality warrants it, but I'm not paying that for everyday flagship table brews regardless of quality. And some breweries nowadays do seem to set that as their entry price level. I'm not down with that. I will stick with SA and SN before I will pay that for "regular" craft beer, whatever that may mean.

 

Almost no one "balks" at an $8 bomber anymore. But picture it like this.
An $8 bomber is the same thing as a 6-pack that costs $26.18 ! And most of these bombers that are $8-12 are not barrel aged, not extremely expensive beers to produce. We've known bombers are a bad deal for a really long time, but realistically bombers should be $4-7 and the BA stuff and huge TIPAs more like $8-10. I've seen "hoppy wheat" and "Belgian-style pale ale" bombers for $12, and it's just getting out of hand. These are not expensive beers to make, and they just sit on shelves because even at half the price they would be a tough sell.

 

I've passed on lots of beers in that price range for bombers too, but at least with a bomber you can try one for less commitment. I'd pick up 4 x $8 bombers for $32 over 4 x $20 four packs for $80 to try a beer. The markup on bombers is traditionally higher too though and the value on a 4 pack is usually better. Still when every 4 pack is $20+ than all beer becomes pretty elitist rather quickly.

 

Quite so but as long as people are willing to pay that the marketer's cannot be entire wrong.

 

My Beer Budget.... Spend until I can't pay my rent. Then, ask the landlord if he likes beer.

 

And if he doesn't?

 

As long as people will pay what the brewers are charging they will charge whatever. When enough people start balking at paying higher prices brewers will figure out how to brew less expensive beer. There will always be people who are willing to pay a King's ransom for beer brewed by vestal virgins under the light of the full moon. But then there are others who just want a beer to eat with a hot dog or to drink in front of the fire after shoveling snow. Brewers will figure that out.

 

I don't think my view is necessarily held by everyone else around here, as the whole cost:enjoyment ratio is about as subjective as it gets. When I say I buy cheap stuff as much as I do, it is generally when I'm out at the bar. Drinking at home, I am usually having less, so will be drinking in that mid-tier category. In that case I'm usually spending about the same per serving at home as I pay for a Pabst when I'm out (give or take). My ultimate aim is to try to pay between $1.50 and $3.00 per 12 oz. of beer (fancy nice stuff excluded). If I go to the bar and order $6 pints of New Belgium, my bar tab at the end of the night is usually a lot higher than I'd like, and as I said before, to me personally, the amount I enjoyed those NBs vs. the Champagnes is not proportional to the difference in price. I'm sure plenty of others disagree.

Local craft around here is currently OK, but still kinda young. Some breweries are starting to branch out and try some interesting stuff and I'd say results are mixed. I think we'll be in a great place in another few years.

 

I sampled a nitro stout at a local brewery, enjoyed it too. I was about to order a full pour & noticed it was $8 for 9 oz.
I've had stouts as good for $6 a pint, so I passed.

 

I home-brew also. I agree the cost for a batch is lower than buying commercial, The 'gotcha' is I had to buy several hundreds of dollars worth of equipment and spend on other consumables to make my 'cheap' beer. Still, any serious hobby costs money and mine lets me create a delicious product that will also get you a buzz, so it s a win! IOW I don't brew just because it's a way to make cheap beer.