Rant: Low Volume Pour for ABV Deemed "High"

I agree it's not just raw ingredients that add to the cost / pricing. There are several variables at play beyond the cost of raw ingredients and ABV. For instance, Lagers take more time in the tank than Ales, so even though a Lager's ABV is lower and or Raw Materials may cost less, the brewery is foregoing brewing more beer if their tanks are holding lagers.

Also, to barrel age a low abv beer like saisons or a high abv beer like imperial stouts has several additional costs, including the space these barrels take up, the actual barrel costs not incurred for other styles, and the risk of loss if you end up not being able to use all the barrels (or barrels leak) that you don't face with non barrel aged beer.

The margin isn't absolute (we will sell this beer at $13.39), but rather a tighter range than you may envision. There is merit to your point about breweries sacrificing margin short term over the past 2-3 years due to the very sudden and substantial cost increases to brew (raw ingredients) package (aluminum cans) and ship (trucking / gasoline) they experienced. But setting aside the recent high inflationary phenomenon, successful breweries plan / budget for beers to stand on their own, with each priced to absorb their portion of fixed and variable costs.

Small breweries which do not distribute have had extra wiggle room because they are not sharing profits/sales with distributors and retailers and can keep the full profit on sales out of their breweries. It has been the larger sized breweries and regionals which have been hammered at retail and stuck with stagnant or declining volume. Many have either retrenched or in several cases sold out to the largest conglomerate breweries, which can scale costs and have more control over product placement at big box stores.

 

Charge me what you've gotta charge me, just give me the big boy pour.

 

Around here it is an 8oz pour AND a higher price for the high ABV stuff. No bueno...

 

that would be legendary

 

You mean a supporting character actor from a TV show?

 

Why not!?!

 

I work in the legal world, so I can give you a perspective based upon my experience.

The potential for liability is a powerful motivating factor for businesses of all shapes and sizes. I'm guessing that part of the decision to serve high abv beers in small vessels is the desire to insulate the establishment from exposure to civil litigation.

I'd also venture to guess that scarcity and cost are equally compelling factors for the diminutive glass size.

That said, I can tell you that I get charged up like a teenager when I encounter the rare occasion of a server (who probably doesn't know better) tapping me a high abv beer in a pint glass. This last happened to me just before Christmas - fortunately, I wasn't driving. The lovely, but clueless, server tapped a number of high abv stouts into a pint glass for me. I did not object and tipped more generously than usual upon leaving the fine establishment.

 

They do have half pours for half price. So I was half pissed off that day.