How hard is it to get Cantillon?

Well, considering these online shops are the only place you (edit: Americans) can consistently get Cantillon anymore (for now) my guess is that they've had a huge uptick in demand in recent years and have raised their prices accordingly so to speak.

 

$24 isn't bad at all. Sure it's a lot more than you'd pay at the source. But for 750ml of a fantastic beer... not bad at all. Plenty of other beers run similar pricing.

 

Not do be a dick...cheese...burger or anything, but I'm not sure of the logic of comparing import specialty beers to the price at the brewery. I get putting out the info that they're much more reasonable there, but it would be ridiculous for anyone to expect the prices to not be much higher. I'm sure the craft stuff that US brewers send to the EU and UK is priced much higher than we would see it for over here.

 

Is anyone here not expecting the pricing to be much higher here?

It's one thing to be $50 a bottle which isn't comparable to really anything here, and another thing to be $20-30 a bottle.

 

Let me ask you this. How much does a bottle of Firestone 17th Ann Ale run for over in the states. I found it here for 24 Euros which is about $30. With that logic I think perhaps it should be priced much more higher than about $30, no?


This my opinion only but 20-30 for Cantillon for a .75L bottle seems fair but damn 65-80 for one is simply ridiculous. I would even call it robbery but if people are willing to pay that price by all means. Is the product worth 65-80 per bottle, I dont think so and you wouldnt catch me paying that. To each their won I guess. Whats that saying..."A fool and their money..."

 

Buy a few bottles at 80 or so a bottle and pretty soon you could pay for a trip to Belgium. Which is why it is incredibly important to understand what you are in this for - if you want the bottle in your cellar, it really won't do to fly to Belgium, buy a bunch of Cantillon there and drink it. But if you are wanting to try a lot of different Cantillon and other beers, then a trip to Belgium is probably the cheapest way to do it.

 

Right in San Diego. Best Damn Beer always has it and Drie Fonteine. Also have found it at a couple other places but not as often. In fact the last couple time over (last visit was in mid December) I found 7 bottles but could not find a single Pliney or RR sour anywhere. Go figure!

 

I'm pretty sure that a trip like that is not about the destination, it's about the journey. Don't discourage him.

 

I hope belgianshop goes under for this ludicrous excess.

 

Best way to teach those places is to not buy their product or at the very least not buy cantillons at those ridiculous prices. Eventually when their bottles dont move they may be forced to bring down the price. Then again many of those shops dont rely on their high priced products to keep them profitable. So the prices on cantillons on their website will probably remain there. Their money maker is not cantillons so they really dont care if most of their stuff just sits there. matter of fact for them the longer they sit the better it is because later on they can market it as vintage if it has some age on it. mark it up some more and someone will buy that "vintage aged" bottle that they havent sold in god knows how many years

 

They should take down online shops who charge you 60$ a bottle. But I ask myself, who spends 60$ on one bottle of Cantillon?!

 

Package usually comes about 2 weeks from when I order. They use an incredible amount of packaging and insulation, so as long as it doesn't like sit outside on your porch all day in below freezing temps, you should be fine, but I've never ordered when it's super-cold.

 

This, and I would also like to add that it's not in every liquor store you come across in Alberta. Specific stores will have it, but they are still in a minority.

 

I've never had a lambic before, and the only sour styles I've had were Funky Gold Mosaic (a wild ale) and Blood Orange Gose (both fantastic beers). I've read Iris is pretty hardcore for the style, would you say it's not worth getting for somebody unaccustomed to sours?

 

Honestly I think Iris is pretty approachable. I don't think it's too hardcore. I think it's a solid offering for someone newer to lambics.

 

BDBS had 3F this weekend @ $13 and $18 for Oude Geuze and Kriek, respectively. Never seen loons there, though I did see a few small formats elsewhere, but at some pretty brutal markup (like $25/per). You finding any for reasonable prices?

 

The online shops will hang around as long as the market bears them. Sadly for those who don't like the idea, it's pretty cheap to keep an online store open. BTW sought-after American beers do get a healthy premium here but maybe not as much relative to original price, because the original price is probably higher. Well, with the euro declining vs. the dollar, y'all come. By the way, since Cantillon is cracking some of its production bottlenecks, more will be on its way in the coming years. They should be able to get a fair bit more into the bottle, and not because there's a huge back order book locally, if you know what I mean.

 

I was at BDBS on December 18th and picked up four bottles of Cantillon Geueze for 14 each in the 375. Also got a bottle of Drie Fonteinen 750 of Kriek for around 23 or 24. Thought it was good considering how you never see them much. But I get over your way about 6-7 times a year and usually get a nice selection. RR is what I have been striking out on. Go figure.

 

Man, those are great prices for Cantillon 375s -- well done! I've never seen them there. Did see some 3F stuff (gauze/kriek) there recently at more or less respectable prices, though. Funny about the RR -- at least on the sour end of the spectrum, I can find rows of Consecration/Supplication/etc. generally. Should you ever need any spots to check out, shoot me a BM

 

Outstanding! I definitely will. Thank you for the info. I look forward to speaking with you when I make plans to head back over. I usually hang out between San Diego area and Carlsbad. Developed some friendships with the guys up at the Pizza Port there as well as a couple of their regulars. Love hanging out at the bar and talking beer with them. Great bunch! Cheers!