Hay Merchant Bottle List

I think I might pass on this, had I seen a DR9 I would have gone in an instant

 

Good to know.

 

I stopped in today, turns out the bottles in the "cellar" section ($45 hair of the dog, $25 bodacious, dr10, non farmhouse Black Metal etc) cannot be taken home. Slightly annoying seeing as how most of the other stuff on the bottle list is the same shit I can walk across the street and buy at specs for a few dollars less

 

Most places that sell bottles are around twice as expensive, so the non cellar stuff is appropriately priced. Its not really for people that know you can buy the same bottle across the street.

 

So not worth it

 

I just got back from Merchant. The non cellar bottles are reasonable. I have paid more for Orval at Gingerman. The bottle list is decent, but nothing compared to the tap list. Though the cellar bottle prices are ridiculous. $45 for Wild Devil? It is a good beer, but that sat on shelves for ever when it hit Houston. There is no way that bottle should be priced like that. I guess Hay Merchant knows their customer. Cause I saw more than one party buy a bottle...

 

I was just in there a few moments ago and will say this, the Orval is 6 months old and worth the money.

Also tasted a bottle of Flanders Fred and Wild Devil... both good beers, but may not have been 100% worth the price point...

From what I understand, what Hay Merchant is going for is a "Cellar List", meaning beers priced at a premium because they are the only place that has those beers available for retail sale. (Ex: Only 5 Bottles of Wild Devil available anywhere for purchase according to Victory themselves). Yes, some of the beers may be priced a little high, but no doubt people will still eventually pay for them.

 

Obviously cellar time is subjective, but I'd much rather buy a case for $67 including tax and wait 6 months.

Flanders Fred was a stretch at $20, and Wild Devil was a $10-12 bottle when it was available. And as far as only 5 bottles of Wild Devil left anywhere... what? I picked up plenty in Austin in the fall, and a number of online retailers still have it available. This ain't OG Soleil de Minuit, friends.

Of course you're right, people will pay for them. But that doesn't mean I can't think they're silly.

 

Solid points Matt and for the most part I agree completely... Their goal is to offer beer that enthusiasts will seek out because they don't want to go through the trouble of tracking it down or expending effort.

People will pay, but it doesn't have to be me.

 

I'd pay that much for DR10 is I was desperate to finish a collection set, I hear too many horror stories about how SA stuff doesn't age well unless it's kept under perfect conditions.

 

Please don't pay $17 for DR-10. In fact, I will have a bottle at Nobi. Or maybe I"ll hang onto it a little longer. when I had that beer in 2012, it wasn't worth it.

 

Appreciate the feedback all. I probably wouldn't have done it anyway but I am tempted to try previous DR releases since I was still in the matrix until I took the purple pill #13 and found the Zion that is BA.com.

Edit: Also I haven't heard anything about that being too much for Bodacious so if it is still there next time I make it to HM I may have to splurge on a bottle of that!

 

Just come to my fun horizontal once the set is complete!

 

My trading value on my OG Black Metal Bottles just skyrocketed. lol

I could see $25, maaaaybe $30, but come on now! Srsly?!

 

From what I understand, those bottles were all bought at retail price, not cost, so pricing seems right.

 

That still means 3-5 x retail. People would screwer other bars for that.

I'm not a big fan of Appologists.

Their normal bottles are priced very well I must say.

 

I don't see a problem with the prices on the cellar bottles, since they are upfront with the prices and those beers haven't been really been readily available for at least a year, so there is a premium on them. I would rather have the opportunity to overpay than for them than not.

That being said, I probably won't be buying any of those.

 

Its funny how behind the beer scene Texas is in general and how sheltered the beer nerds are.

Go visit Tørst, Churchkey, City Beer Store, Toronado, Sergios World Beers, and many others and see what they charge for cellared bottles. While the bottles there may be of a much higher caliber, these prices aren't outrageous given how quickly even low quality barrel aged beers can disappear within moments of hitting shelves here.