Pricing and repeat purchasing

If a beer is at the $15/22oz and up level, it damn well better impress the hell out of me or I'm not buying it again. At $12/22, it's got to be damn good for a repeat buy. But, if those same beers were in a more reasonable format, I might buy them again, sooner. So, it's not the price, but the format that's more of a deciding factor for me.

 

For the past 4 or 5 months, I have limited my purchases of any bottle over $10 to be once a month. Last year at this time, i thought that would be impossible to do. Now, it's really quite easy. Plenty of great beers available in my price range and allowing myself a sporadic exception means when a special beer does pop up on the shelves that I do have a healthy interest in, I can always buy it.

As for repeat purchases with bombers, only with my favorites. Stuff like Funkwerks offerings, recently Backcountry's Breakfast Stout, Big Bad Baptist will be bought more than once. 9 out of 10 times, though, a bomber purchase is a one and done.

As for sixers, I tend to stick with mixed sixers. Sixers I buy repeat of are all $9.99 or less and usually have Odell in the name. Would also have Yuengling or Cigar City in the name if they ever made it to my local shelves.

 

4-packs of Backwoods bastard are $10.99 by me. What'd the case cost ya?

 

A bit over $70, but bear in mind I live in PA.
4pks would run me $15-18.

 

There are some beers I will buy repeatedly almost regardless of price. I am pretty sure I have purchased 13 Uncle Jacob's this year. (I like to have a few on hand for "emergencies") I have also gone through a few Very Angry Beasts. To balance it out I will buy local stuff or get growler fills. Currently my balance beer is Lucky 13. It's about $4.50 where I am at, and it has the best bang for it's buck. I don't know what I will go to when it is out of season. I will generally prefer bombers to 6 packs though. I can drink 1 and be content (or better in some cases).

 

$14 12 pack of New Belgium ,Sierra or Sweetwater, $8 mini growler, $10 4 pack or bomber. That would be my average weekly purchase unless there are a bunch of really good new releases that week.

 

My purchasing habits are generally influenced by how much money I feel I'm able to spend at any given time. If I have excess cash and I want to try something, I have no problem splurging, but if I'm strapped and want beer, I have no problem picking up a sixer or four pack of what's good and seasonal, or, if nothing in that realm strikes my fancy, I'll settle for Sierra Nevada/New Glarus/Great Lakes/Three Floyds/Founders mainstays.

 

You're lucky. I could only find Backwoods 4 packs for 12.99 as the cheapest. I don't where everyone is finding these prices but in Philly everything is expensive comparatively..unless I'm just missing something

 

Where in PA did you find cases of this?

 

I like to buy one (bomber, 6er, 4 pack) of whatever comes in to my store that I'm interested in. Not much of a plan, but it works okay, although I don't have a lot of normal suspects in my fridge.

 

The case found me.

 

I generally look at the brewery as a whole, certain breweries such as the Bruery and FFF, I don't buy anything from. Personally, I would love to see them have to lower prices due to low demand, or if they refused to go into bankruptcy and be bought out by someone who would realize that the prices are way too high. They want the same money as a bottle of decent port, they've lost their minds.

 

I purchase singles so I can try everything. Repeat purchases are rare - Anchor Steam is the exception.

 

I buy what strikes me whenever it strikes me. I'm a bit price insensitive.

The only time I really pay much attention to price is when I'm out to dinner or something else. I know I'm paying a premium for the singular bottle at that point, plus the food but the food and wine etc of my date - I'll tend to drink more price conservatively there.

But if I'm buying for the house - get what I want, when I want - price be damned.

 

If I want it, I buy it.

 

Yeah, I felt sheepish buying a Hop Savant (only 9 bucks around here) the other day, but I really want to try it! The problem for me will be if I really like it and need to buy more!

I'm banking on my costs going down over time, because I will be buying less of these annual releases that I've bought to try this year. Some are obviously worth getting every year, but I've come to realize that others, while good, aren't anything worth breaking the bank on.

 

13 a six pack? wtf are you buying? I cringe if I buy a six pack over 8 bucks let alone 9.

 

I've never found super expensive stuff to be better than the good middle of the road stuff. All the best beer out there is in the $10 4 pack - $12 six pack range

 

Find it? No need to find it. I do most of my case business with a retail distributor who will order such things for me if he doesn't normally stock it. He knows that if I order it I'll buy it when it comes in so he's more than happy to oblige.

 

Depending on the brewery and the style I'll pay just about anything once. After that value is important.