How much are you willing to spend on a beer?

I couldn't ever see myself spending (or being able to afford) more than $25 on a bomber, or $10 on a 12 oz. Obviously it would have to be something special. At a bar...no more than $6-$10 on a pint depending on what it is. I rarely drink out, so I might be way off on that number.

 

If I ever see Tactical Nuclear Penguin for $100, I'm in. Not that money is no object - far from it, in fact. But if it's something I want to try, I'll pull the trigger.

 

Threw down $41 a bottle for the latest Lost Abbey beer, Ad Idem, hopefully it's worth it. Before this the most I had spent on a bottle of beer was The Bruery Black Tuesday at $30 a bottle.

 

Generally, I won't spend...

More than $7-8 on a beer at a bar.....(PtY was $8 a 10oz pour a week ago at one of my places).
More than $10 on a 4 pack (Double Jack, Old Rasputin, or Bigfoot).
More than $12 on a 6 pack (Once spent $17 on Xocoveza for the wife....it was worth it).
More than $15 on a 12 pack (Rarely, do I go above that at all).
More than $20 for a bomber. (I spent $16 for a bomber of Sucaba...as a gift for my good friend..and that was the most I have ever spent on a bomber...ever!).

 

Like my alcohol tolerance, my price tolerance has been increasing. Case in point, I was just in my local bottle store yesterday and paid ~$12 for a sixer of Rebel Rouser - this has been the norm lately. Previously $10 was my limit. Well, they had a four pack of Southern Tier Back Burner for $15... yeah, I'll pass... until today, I caved.

 

Not really sure where my ceiling could or would be. For the most part I drop between $40-50 per 24 bottle case ($20-25 per 12 pack) at local distributors, but even then I sometimes second guess myself. I haven't had too many opportunities to buy 22oz. bombers but I would have to consider the quality and whether I would ever be able to get this beer again, that is, will I travel back to this particular brewery or have someone pick it up for me; is this a limited release available in my area only for a short time, etc.

Back in my younger days, when I drank relatively cheap beer at an alcoholic pace, the aim to get wasted often ran in conflict with the contents of my wallet. Since I started drinking craft beers I seldom drink to excess, feeling that quality overrides quantity, although I will confess to giving in to the beer, on occasion, when they are going down easy. Dining out I generally don't flinch at the price of beers, draft or bottle, because we seldom go anyplace "fancy" and when we do it is considered a treat. I don't skimp on the meal so I won't skimp on the beer either. Put in a little OT at work and it's all good.

 

My current limit is $30 for a bomber or 750ml for beers that I love. Some people think I am nuts spending $30 for a Bruery beer like Cuirve or Black Tuesday or 50/50 Eclipse variant, but when the Majors come around in golf a single bottle with get me through 8 hours of coverage so $3.75 an hour is not a bad deal in my eyes.

 

I have spent well over a $100 on a big ass want before! I know I'm crazy but at least I can tell the truth!
I work hard and love beer! I don't spend much on other non essentials so it's my outlet in what I enjoy. If I spend $100 on a super rare BA stout I really want why is that any crazier then spending $250 on a hotel for a night or going to a Bruce Springsteen concert? (Just examples not busting on Bruce lol)!
Not common practice but not opposed in the right circumstance.

 

I get hesitant once a beer gets below around 2oz/dollar.

 

Spent $50 for an on-site 750ml at side project.....Was it worth it? Hell yeah...

 

In all seriousness I also paid $50 for a bottle one time. It was Cognac BA Coffee Dark Lord variant.

Totally worth it. I shared it with 2 of my friends over Labor Day weekend gathering and it was definitely great for the occasion.

 

If I go out I'm probably not buying craft. For me with all that's going on around me and socializing and the fact that the people I know don't give a shit about it, I probably won't enjoy it properly anyways. But for my at home enjoyment or a share I'll pour some cash out. I think $35 is the most I've spent on a bomber. Buy if I want it and I've got the money I'm gonna do it.

 

Chicken dinner

 

I find that $10 for anything (pint in a bar, bomber, six pack) is a mental barrier. Beyond that, you really have to convince me that it's worth it. I might pay up to $15 for a bomber of something interesting. Sidenote, overpriced beer seems to be an American thing. In Belgium, 750ml bottles of Cantillon beers or a 330ml bottle of Westvleteren can be had within my price range.

 

$1 per ounce is my limit ... very few beers reach that threshold, most of them from Prairie Artisan

 

Any single 22oz over $15 or 12oz 0ver $10 and price really factors into my decision to buy it or not. That being said I've paid a lot more than that.

 

It depends on what it is. I manage a restaurant in Burlington that gives me an amazing discount on Beer ($3.00 drafts our list is all local VT beers and $5.00 Heady Toppers/Focal Bangers which are usually $6-9 anywhere in town) So its really hard for me to go to a bar and spend $5-$7 on a beer I can get at my workplace for super cheap. I have no issues buying 4/6 packs of whatever knowing that the unit cost is a lot less than a bar but buying beers at a bar has now become a matter of scrutiny.

 

[I prefer to buy 12 packs of Keystone/PBR/etc for a cheaper-per-unit price anyway. I can't stomach paying seven or more dollars for a single beer at a bar anymore. Been there done that and it's just not worth it to me anymore.

I agree. How many of these so called high priced quality breweries can make green beer like Keystone does for Saint Patrick's Day!?

 

at most $25 a four pack no more than that

 

PTY was $8 a 10oz glass. i would do $10 a 12oz bottle. PTE is $60 a case. Well worth it but not my everyday buy. Being in Oregon you can find great 22oz bottles for at most 9.00 for a IPA/double IPA

 

2015 Rare @ - $ 59.00 Ouch ! - Will open in a few years ! The most I ever spent for a single . ! I Hope it's worth the $$. !!

 

It's all a rip off. Thus , we make excuses.

 

$12 for Rebel Rouser?? Wow. It's $8.99 here.

 

yes, I agree that we need your style too, otherwise we are all just lemmings, that said I mput down 35 bucks a week on great beers that are well crafted and thus the high price.cheers

 

Drinking keystone/PBR/BMC is a worse value than double the price for craft IMHO. Little, if any, enjoyment derived, so I've spend a couple bucks for nothing. I'd rather spend a few more and actually enjoy something.

 

$10.50 for 120 Min

 

The difference being, it is hard to find a cheaper, same-quality replacement for a Springsteen concert. Sure you can go to a local dive, pay $5, and watch a local band play covers, but that is nowhere near the quality of a Springsteen concert.

In the beer world, it is very easy to find a beer with the same (or higher) quality of that $100 bottle at a fraction of the cost and effort. Let's be truthful here. Why are people paying $100 for that bomber? It's not because that beer is 10x the quality or that they will enjoy it 10x more than another beer. It's because they want to tick it and be able to tell people that they've had it. We all know this is the case.

 

100% this. People spend money on things they really want - especially little luxuries, but people get hung up on expensive beer... if you want it, and can afford it, just buy it already! Given the direction of craft beer, if you want to try the high end stuff, you either pay with time and effort, or pay with money... Still paying either way.

In the last month I spent $230 going to an AC/DC concert (awesome); I paid double face value because I got the tickets on stub hub last minute. I also paid $200 for a 2 bottles of beer; Hommage + Framboos (awesome). Again, I probably paid double what retail would have been because I bought them on the secondary market.

I give very few fucks about the mark-up, because my choices were to miss out on the experience, or pay 'extra'. Sure, I could dedicate hours of my life, and a lot of frustration, to maybe getting both things cheaper (could still miss out), or I could buy them with a few clicks online...

 

I'd say my limit would be $1/oz., but I'd REALLY have to want it bad. And even then I'd have to think twice. It's just beer.

 

Not a fair example though. You can go to lots of concerts for $20-30 that are awesome but aren't exactly the same as Bruce Springsteen. Hell, some of them you might actually enjoy a bit more than Bruce Springsteen depending on your musical tastes and preferences, the people you go with, the venue, or even just your mood that day.

Same thing with beer - it doesn't matter how good the 'other beer' is - it could be amazeballs, but it isn't a substitute for the real deal. The experience matters. Sure there are tons of Raspberry sours that are potentially almost as good, or even better than the bottle of Framboos I bought (see post above) but they aren't the same. The experience I get cracking that bottle around my dining table with a few friends and enjoying the entire event isn't something I can replace. The purely clinical and remote, unemotional beer flavors are only a part of the experience.

 

Ah, the Fear Of Missing Out. Driving up prices of craft beer since 2001.

 

Mine was 30 - 40 for Rodenbach Caractère Rouge. At the time, the cost made me think twice about buying it. It's all about mind set, like others have said...if you want it badly enough. I expect I'll exceed that price in the future, since there are several whales I plan to buy.

 

Whatever you need to tell yourself to rationalize your irrational behavior, I guess.

But you get yourself into a circular logic situaion. The only reason those beers are "an experience" is because of the price. The only reason they are that price is because of the hype and people being duped into believing they NEED that experience.

Believe me, i know plenty of people with this mentality. Only beers that are expensive and hard to get are worth having. If it's easy to get or inexpensive, it must not be good. Ignore quality, ignore taste. Just follow the hype train and do what other people tell you to do. Let's call it what it is: irrational.

 

Generally speaking..a six pack I'm cool with up to $11.00-ish (hence Sculpin is out). For a non BA bomber, $12, barrel aged bomber $20.

That being said, I am somewhat flexible to pay an extra few or so in what I can a "convenience fee"..examples: if i'm just jonesing for a sixer of zombie dust, I'll once in awhile pay the $14 rather than drive my ass down to the brewery to get it, or as in this year I just wanted a couple bottles of bourbon county and rather than sit outside freezing I gladly paid $15 each and saved myself hours of driving/waiting in line.

 

I feel like this is a slippery slope as the more people there are willing to shell out outrageous sums of money for a beer the more common outrageous prices will become. That being said I'm definitely guilty of over paying for something I really want to try.

The brewery that immediately comes to mind for me is Cantillon. The one time I've seen any of their beers on the shelf in a store was a couple years ago and it was a Lou Pepe Gueuze for $42. I definitely struggled with the price for a few minutes before committing but was happy that I did. I ended up opening that bottle on my wedding day and it was delicious.

I think the limit for me is $2 an ounce but that is only in the most extreme of circumstances.

 

FOMO is different; not the same thing at all. This isn't anxiety that I might be missing out on the latest and greatest, this is actual knowledge from past experience that something super classic, world renowned, and that I really enjoy is available, and I have to decide if it is worth it. Not the same thing.

I've seen Bruce Springsteen in concert - it was great, but not exactly my thing, so I wouldn't go overboard to see it again. $100 or $120? Sure, I would buy a ticket, but not at $200 or $300. AC/DC however, I would happily pay 3 times face value to see them in concert any day, because they are one of my absolute favorites - I derive more pleasure from that experience even though they are both 'a 2 hour rock concert' - I know I will love AC/DC.

Same logic can be applied on the beer front. I personally think it is nuts to drive for hours / stand in lines / pay exorbitant prices for things that are new and unproven. I wouldn't pay a huge price or invest my time and effort (same thing as money; it is all opportunity cost, I'll get to that in a minute) in something just because 30 people online have told me it is the best thing ever. I have no prior reference point or experience of that specific beer, and frankly hype whalez have often disapointed me. That said, plonk a bottle of Fou Foune in front of me for $100 and I will take it every time, because I know I love it.

Oft misused term - it is only irrational if you haven't thought it through in a logical and reasoned way. I have. This isn't about hype for me, it is about opportunity cost and the end experience (see above - I am not standing in lines for latest and greatest). It all comes down to what you view money as. To me, money is simply a means of economic exchange - it is a way to equate my time and effort and exchange that for goods and services. Invest time + effort in my job = money. I am entirely agnostic to price - I am evaluating if something is worth my time and effort using money as a means of exchange. The price of something has absolutely no bearing on the experience I am going to have - the object and my experience of it (both sensory and emotional) does.

Now for me, I am fortunate, so after taxes etc... I net $100 for an hour of work. My time however is limited, and unless I want to become a fat alcoholic, I only have capacity to drink a handful of beers per week. Thus, for me, it is actually irrational to invest time and effort unless I am getting something pretty darn good - I am almost always better off paying a substantially higher price if I get higher convenience and/or higher quality.

Now, the best framboise I can have in my local area easily is Boon Framboise. It is on the shelf for $9 a half bottle, so call it $20 a full bottle once you add tax. I still have to stop off at the store on my way home from work and buy it - so that takes me 15 minutes. Thus, the net cost of bottle of Boon Framboise to me (equating time and effort as money) is $45. Framboos I bought online in less than a minute for $100 including shipping. For me, the real opportunity cost of a bottle of Framboos is about an hour of work, whereas the Boon opportunity cost is half an hour. Is it worth 30 minutes more to me to have Framboos instead of Boon Framboise? To me, yes.

That math changes completely if I only made $10 an hour at work. Under those circumstances, a bottle of Boon costs me $22.50 ($20 plus 15 minutes of my time) and the Framboos still costs $100. The gap however in terms of my time is huge. The Boon opportunity cost is 2 1/4 hours, whereas the Framboos is 10 hours. Under those circumstances is the Framboos worth almost 8 hours of my time and effort? Maybe, for some people, but most likely not. Hell, the Boon Framboise is starting to look like a bad deal compared to a 12 pack of sierra nevada pale ale for $13 or $14 at the grocery store.

Very long and rambling post, I know, but the fundamental point is, relative price differences should actually matter less and less; time / opportunity cost matters more - especially as the value of your time increases. Behavioural Economists like Dan Ariely put it much more eloquently than me, but the truth is most people spend a huge amount of effort to save small amounts of money and that is irrational behaviour. True, what is 'a little' or 'a lot' of money varies by person based on their own personal wealth, but to simply profess that my behaviour is irrational is idiotic - it is highly rational given my personal circumstances to simply pay high markups online and buy the best - I am maximizing my utility.

 

Recently I spent $20 on a 16.9oz Allagash James and Julie at a pub I go to . I shared it with a friend and her sister and the bartender poured it into small snifters for us . Really nice sour . A bit of a splurge but would do it again sometime for a nice bottle to share .

 

Usually just depends how bad I want something. Spent $44 on two Hopslam 6 packs but it was worth it. All this new Stone 6ers being $18 to me is kinda crazy though.especially when Ruination 2 is only $12. Ill prob fork over $25 for a bottle of 120 if I need to when I finally find that shit.

At the same time, when you consider postage costs, or driving like a 3 hour round trip for a long haul, things start to get expensive too.

Still, all things considered it's ALOT cheaper than other hobbies especially reloading.

 

$15 a can for Heady.
$40 for fff BA Behemoth
$50 a four pack for some vintage Bourbon County
$25 for a bottle of Pliny

I'm a sucker though.

 

Another long rationalization of irrational behavior. Your whole long scenario falls apart in two seconds for several reasons.

1) Only your working time is worth $100/hour. An individual is more than his work and your non work time has a different value than work time.

2) Even if we did value all of your time at $100/hour, you can easily spend those same 15 minutes searching the Internet deciding what you want to buy.

3) But most importantly, you can go online and buy Boon for that same $9, which pretty much negates your entire argument.

I have no problem paying a higher price for convenience and quality. But that's not what people who think like you are doing. You are paying for the hype.

My local brewery is bottling a maple coffee stout for next week. I got a preview the other day. It is off the wall ridiculous. It is better than anything you have in your basement.

But this brewery is not on the hype train yet. Bombers will be $10 and will not be able to pull a lot on the trade market. Even though I am telling you this beer is better than anything you have, you will not be seeking it out because it's only $10.

This brewery could very well end up on the hype train at some point and this beer could very well bring $100 on the secondary market. My perception of, appreciation of, and "experience" with this beer will not change whether it sells for $10 or $100. But people like you, your perception will change if it gets hyped and starts going for $100. At that point, you will NEED to have the beer you will NEED to have the experience, despite the fact that it's the same as that $10 bottle, lest you miss out and somebody else gets to drink it instead of you.