Let's Discuss Thirsty Dog's Wulver

The price, bland packaging, and lack of hype are why this beer does not move quickly. It is an excellent beer.

 

These are two of my favorite beers. Even though I'm a Founders homeboy, I must admit that I have a slight preference for Wulver, because it is smoother. BB has become boozier in the past few years. That said, I almost always buy BB. I can't justify spending twice as much for Wulver. Thirsty Dog, are you listening?

 

I've been to the brewery and it's a surprisingly large factory building. They serve 13 states in 3 different BA-defined regions (probably didn't need to be moved to the Great Lakes forum, mods)

 

No hype because it's a Wee Heavy which doesn't get hyped in trading; even Backwoods gets very little interest in the viper pit. Founders is very widely distributed & BB has been pretty easy to get in a lot of states the last couple of years & is very well priced so why would people seek out a $10 12oz bottle when a $15 4pk is so much easier to get? (numbers used are local to me in SW MI)

 

For those who are newer on this site, this has been an on-going debate of Wulver vs. Backwoods Bastard. IMO:
~Wee Heavy is probably the best (slightly edging out big stouts) beer to age in bourbon barrels
~Wulver is different yet equally enjoyable as Backwoods Bastard
~Wulver is much harder to find and more expensive than Backwoods (at least in PA): $7-8/bottle for Wulver vs. $3.75/bottle for Backwoods (I buy a case of this every year).

 

I agree it is the probably the best Scottish/Wee in the world, but...

#1 It t is not a stout or imperial ipa
#2 A serious expansion on #1, I think it falls somewhere around the Schwarz, Brown Ale, Old Ale, Barleywine styles as far as being slightly alienating flavor profile wise.
#3 It is still $24/4 pack (and up). Backwoods usually is $15ish
#4 Due to the price, it commonly collects dust in many places in it's home state. Therefore the availability is not an issue. Off the top of my head, I think TD distributes to about 14 states, so distro is not that limited anymore.
#5 You see a lot of great beers not move like they did 4-5 yrs ago. Just so many options. Many excellent.

 

Sure it costs more than the competition, but I can find it on shelves all year long and it's a fantastic beer. Easily in my top 10 Ohio made beers.

 

I've never had Wulver as amazing as the very first bottled release in OH. There must have been magic in those barrels. Still great to this day but just has never had as much cohesiveness depth.

Every batch I've ever had has edged out Backwoods, though, and I LOVE backwoods.

 

To be clear, Wulver sits on my top 50 list out of almost 1,100 beers. I was trying to provide answers/reasoning for the OP

 

The Rum Barrel Aged Wulver is better if you ever get a chance to try it. I wish they put this in bottles.

 

Great beer! It's available year round in my area. If the price were closer to BB, I'd prob buy it more often.

 

The price is the main reason this beer sits on shelves. Backwoods is 15.00 for a four pack, Wulver is around 30.00 in this area.

 

I frequently see Wulver on the shelves of the store I visit and it has dust collecting on it. Definitely can agree than people are driven away by the price despite how great of a beer it is.

 

It's an excellent beer and one of the best out there for the style. However, it is way overpriced in my opinion, usually $7+ per bottle when I see it. It has never been highly sought after bc it is available for quite a period of time and sits due to price. When I want a great BA scotch ale/wee heavy I am going for backwoods which I can get a four pack of for a few more bucks than one or two wulvers

 

Wulver is on point with other barrel beers for price and awesome. I usually pass on it in the store because it's always there, and I never know how old it is. Whiskey Barrel Aged Cerberus and Bourbon Barrel Aged 12 Dogs of Christmas are also great.

 

Double the price of backwoods and half the beer. Seriously, I think I try every ba scotch ale I see and walk away saying "it just doesn't stack up to the Bastard". In my book the two that come close are Central Waters ba scotch ale and ba last kiss from PW's (only done once in very small quantities).