Indeed Haywire 2013 version

I grabbed a bottle, saw the price and I was 80% sure I would of put the bottle back into the cooler. But what the hell. It better be good. (And no I do not buy Surly bottles either since Pentagram.)

 

Tried it and it is a great beer. I would buy it again next year at the same price. Wish it came in a smaller format but know that is impossible with their current setup. Unless they put it in cans... That would be an expensive six pack.

 

Saw it for $13.99 too and passed on it. Grabbed a sixer of Hop Trip and a four pack of Dirt Wolf instead.

 

This was one of the beers that I flagged as a stand out from what I had at ABR. But I have to agree that $14 for a 750 for this beer is a huge stretch. This should be about an $8 or $9 bottle. This will be one of those beers that will show up on tap around town and I will most likely grab a glass when out and probably be paying about the same per ounce out at a bar, as I would be for a bottle. Haywire is similar to Stone 15 (which was phenomenal) in style, but I bought those at $6-$7 a bottle and even out here in MN with the inflated prices at the time, I am sure that it was still <$10.

 

How much is a bottle at the tap room?

 

Coincidentally, I had the opportunity to test out my own theory last night. It was a ten ounce pour at $5.25. That comes out to about $.52 per ounce. Let's even take an once out for head and call it a 9 ounce pour and that still comes to about $.58 per ounce.

For the bottle, at $14 for a 750ml, that comes out to $.55 per ounce.

I am starting to think that they may have made a mistake on the pricing of Haywire in bottles, because the cost of buying beer in a retail container at a store versus a non-happy hour pour at a bar, should be significantly less per ounce and not almost identical.

 

That is wacky, but Its not unheard of for the price per oz for a bottle to be higher then on tap. Look at Darkness-around $20 for a bottle($.80 per oz). Most places run around $6-7 a snifter(10oz?), even on the high end that is $.70 per oz.

It sure doesnt seem to make sense , as in almost every other retail case the bottle/can format is FAR cheaper then you will ever find on tap.

 

I feel compelled to note that Haywire has a higher abv (i think 11.5%) than a beer like Darkness. That counts for something. I bought a bottle and enjoyed the hell out of it.

 

This is why tap vs. bottle prices of La Folie has always baffled me. Routinely $6 a pint, $15 a bomber

 

I felt every bit of that ABV, as well. Not hot, but just bam. It isn't a matter of enjoying it or not, because it is great, just an overpriced bottle.

And comparing it against Darkness' pricing isn't really saying much, as that is well overpriced for a non-barrel aged imperial stout, as well.

 

But the example of Darkness is really an anomaly. It has always been cheaper to drink it at a bar, than to buy a bottle. And for the life of me, I have no idea why Darkness bottles are as expensive as they are.

 

Not to mention that it is much better on tap, and fresh, IMO.