New to Ohio (2018)

They should be there for a few weeks, but for them it all depends on bottle count, which sometimes varies greatly between releases. I'd be surprised if they sold out same day, since I've only seen that happen a few times.

 

I enjoy Ohio beer. A lot.

 

just for the record, BB Salted Chocolate was $20

 

$25 for me, still have the receipt and the bottle with the price tag on it. Regardless, they're both way up there relative to other limited Ohio brews.

 

Then your shop marked it up. It was $20 at the brewery.

 

I mean, not my fault, people deal with that for every brewery at most bottle shops. This was 101 Bottles. $5 markup is probably cheaper than driving to Cbus and back...

But really, we're talking comparisons here...BA Stouts. $20 is $20 man. $20 for 22oz is okay while $15 and $17 for 22oz is...not? $20 for 22 is almost JO pricing...almost. And let's just ignore Florida, St Louis and Cali hype pricing...ha!!!

Anyway, just speaking to the double standards here. I don't know why Ohio is so damn strong on this subject (not to mention so damn bad at math), but there's a lot of hypocrisy that's been going around for like at least a half a decade. Now that HoFro also sells in smaller formats, the debate on pricing has got to be over at this point...I mean really.

 

Me too, I buy six packs and rate them all 5/5 no matter what on untapped to piss everyone off. It’s fun.

 

I mean, a four pack of BORIS retails for $17.99 here. Not even the BA version.

For the record, I’ve enjoyed a lot of Hoppin Frog beers and usually treat them as I do for a WRB I really like—I’ll probably buy one of them. I liked TORIS a lot.

I just didn’t think WRB needed to get dragged into it needlessly or it being misstated what BBSCDW actually cost. I don’t know what went into brewing a bourbon barrel salted chocolate stout so I don’t know what kind of margins they are looking at selling it for less than $20.

 

Is that a knock or a compliment? People have been asking for smaller formats for years, at least that's happening. For a company that hand bottled up until recently, that's a big evolution.

Either way, that 4-pack price comes out to 37 cents an ounce. Since they only just started with the 12oz bottles, who knows if this will continue to drop, but they're not really investing in a massive packaging facility to try to bring prices to major producer levels either. Dark App by comparison is 47 cents an ounce.

Not that you're part of the crowd that keeps bringing it up, but I don't know what more people could ask for, especially looking at how small Frog is, and how small they have chosen to remain after over a decade. That taproom is at max capacity every time I go, on a weekday, and people are constantly begging them to expand, if not in production, then at least the space. But they want to stay where they're at for now.

I didn't think I "dragged" WRB into anything, I just remarked on the crazy stuff they're producing and that no one ever seems to talk about them anymore, particularly on here, but really anywhere.

Ultimately I'm just saying that comparing prices, especially around these parts, needs to be more comprehensively aware, especially when they continue to be brought up as if they gouge. That really makes entirely no sense even before making comparisons, but then when you compare the actual size of other brewers both locally and nationally, as well as their pricing, there's really no justification for the criticism, which at this point is a stark double standard.

 

Quick stop at my local shop in Cleveland west side for some 11/08 insane wanderer and fresh bell’s lampshade party ale. Good stuff - nice to have a bell’s double IPA between oracle and hoplam.

 

Fair enough.

I've never really felt like HF is "gouging". I think their price point is pretty high, and like JOs and WRB's bottled 12.6/22 oz or whatever it is, I don't buy it very often. It's more of a special occasion purchase than any sort of regular rotation. That said, I buy a lot of WRB and JOs sixers throughout the year (usually priced around $10.99). I will never buy BORIS at $17.99 (for comparison WRB Dire Wolf 4 pack is $11.99, Thirsty Dog Siberian Night is $9.99, CBC Sohio is $9.99, Founders Breakfast Stout is year round now at $9.99).

In regards to WRB and people talking about them, I'm just glad the beer world is more focused on the breweries that make opaque IPAs I prefer having WRB as the "best kept secret" in Columbus and I constantly fear that the hype train will finally catch up and the best taproom in Columbus will become a shitshow. Their early bird anniversary party usually sells out in about 15 seconds every year and always has me worried

 

Weird segway, but since the beer world is going to give ABINBEV it's annual hall pass and BCBS is about to be all the rage around here, I got to taste the new Bramble (never had the original)...

I didn't expect to come out saying this at all but it tasted to me like a way too insanely jammy version of HoFro's The Jam. No pepper obviously but a lot of the other same notes, and watered down as well so it comes down to a porter type feel. The barrel is almost nullified too. Worse than last year's Northwoods. It's weird but I'd rather drink The Jam, and that's an oddball divisive beer. Some people will probably love all that berry though.

Anyway looks like there will be plenty of variants in state, and all the rest I've had are really damn tasty.

 

Pertinent do our friendly discussion on beer pricing I just saw this posted in a Facebook group:

 

Dayum, what's goin on in Livonia?! Helluva taplist! From what I've heard, their keg pricing is a different beast entirely and it's a pretty good reason they're barely ever on draft around here, but hell this place charges mad bucks no matter what!

 

I just popped a Hop Juju dated 10/12/18 and it tastes much better over a month in.

The alcohol has mellowed and it tastes like "traditional Juju"

 

DankHouse one year anniversary had a ridiculous taplist yesterday.

Morning session had CBS, KBS, Steel Dawn with Ethopian Coffee, BB Oro, BB Coffee Oil, Prairie Double Dunk, BA Blackout/Barley, etc.

Rest of the day had Great Notion, JAFB, Masthead, to name a few. Oh and the latest iterations of Couch Kush'n and Cheech Breath were two of the best NEIPAs I've had all year.

 

Wow, what kind of Great Notion?

Oh and that Steel Dawn is fantastic! Had it next to Maman at Small City, and really...kinda put things into perspective.

 

They had Boo Berry Muffin (ridiculous) and Ripe (also ridiculous) lol

 

Thirsty Dog Rum Barrel Aged Blood Hound. Try it if you can find it on draft, or stop by the Tap House. Wow.

 

I just saw that Cigar City will be launching in Ohio on December 31st.. pretty cool!