How Cheap Could Craft Beer Get?

I can get Sierra Nevada, Sam Adams and New Belgium around here for $15 a twelve pack as part of fairly regular sales (and not necessarily them just trying to move old stuff). Meaning if I was willing to buy a case or two at a time and only hit the sales I could easily keep myself in $1.25/bottle craft beer year round. Obviously a 30 pack of Budweiser is still cheaper if we're trying to buy in bulk to get the price per beer down but that's a pretty damn good value.

 

As JackHorzempa mentioned, examples exist. Caldera Lawnmower Lager is typically $5.69 - $5.99 here while the BMC lagers cost a dollar more than that per six-pack. BMC is cheaper however in larger quantities. Caldera sells their other canned six packs for closer to $10.

 

I can't speak for the early 90's but mid to late 90's (when I started drinking and buying good beer, often called microbrew then) the prices were always a bit higher at least around here. I am basing this on products such as Sierra Nevada, Pete's Brewing Co., Sam Adams, Pyramid, Bells, etc..

 

Full Sails Session brands sell here for around $6 a sixer
Some if the Portland brewing bombers can go for $1.99

 

In my experience, from the early 90's through today, this statement ^ is completey untrue.

 

I started drinking craft in the mid 80's. It has always cost more than craft. And worth the cost!

 

The macros can afford to make smaller margins by selling a larger quantity.

 

fixed and agreed

 

Yup. You can also find Session 12pks on sale (occasionally) for $10.99, which works out to $5.50 per six pack.

 

Thank you lol

 

I've always felt that New Glarus Spotted Cow represents the model for success by small local brewers looking to win over a local beer consumer population in a ever crowding market. Good quality, easy to drink style and low price point comparable to BMC. I agree that growler fills on site at brewery should be cheaper than retail store six packs for same beer, but most every brewery I've gone to in the mid-Atlantic area, they usually charge more for some reason.

 

God I miss Harris Teeter and Port City Brewing.

 

Remember, craft beer is about the love, not the money.

 

Sierra Nevada could be an approximate standard to judge others by. They're cheaper than most, and I'd expect large regional or near-national distributing breweries to be able to price similarly.



Also, for local breweries selling on premises without having to go through the distribution system - those guys should be able to sell much lower than what they currently do. I think consumers are being too lax on price issues with breweries that don't have to go through the distribution markups and transportation costs.

 

I think you make a good observation there. There's no middle man. There's no transportation. There's no bottling cost. It's fresh beer at the brewery. I wish consumers would be more critical of price in this situation, but they are rarely so.

 

You can have "cheap" or you can have "great." Pick one.

The history of the US beer industry shows us that, as does current history in Germany: http://refreshingbeer.blogspot.no/2014/11/narziss-slams-state-of-german-brewing.html

Careful what you wish for. The one and only possible result of cheap beer is...drumroll...cheap beer. That already exists and is widely available for those that choose it. A goal of all beer being cheap might not lead where some might want.

 

I think many people use "cheap" as a synonym for "low priced".

 

It all depends on competition, supply and demand, and the willingness to pay sometimes outrageous prices.

 

Well said. If you want better it's going to cost you.

 

If breweries WANTED to, which they dont, they would have more than likely taken that opportunity when session beers gained recognition. Would have helped them at least sell.