Rediculous Price post.

I hear you on the emotional side of things, but if this is an issue worth worrying about then I think it's also an issue worth trying to improve. Using abstract words ("I tend to look at these situations philosophically. The brewers had an intended market and price for each beer they produce, I think it can show a lack of respect to the breweries to sell a product so far above what they wished it to be sold for. Purchasing beer at these prices does not benefit the community as a whole") just makes your point sound wishy-washy and idealistic.

There are practical ways to combat this problem and keep prices down, but they MUST happen on the supply side of the market - and they necessarily entail tradeoffs. Cantillon's handling of Zwanze day is one model, as is the less flashy option of just keeping specialties draft-only (like Bell's and Founders used to do with Black Note and CBS). The tradeoff for those choices, in terms of the "community benefit," is that while prices stay low the number of people who benefit is lower, too. Think about it: because Black Note was bottled, my tasting group of six guys all got to experience it; for six people to enjoy it on tap at a bar (where sharing is, obviously, less common) it would reduce the supply by probably 60oz instead of just 750ml. Is it more in the interest of the community to keep prices low for the few, or to allow both prices and access to rise? I'm not sure it's as clear-cut an issue as you seem to imply, with high prices only causing harm.

The best solution, of course, is simply for brewers to ramp up production of their most highly acclaimed beers so that supply can meet demand at a reasonable price equilibrium. I think over time this will happen more and more; yes, there will always be an "it" beer of the moment, but as the craft market as a whole grows we should start seeing more and more competition at the high end of the price spectrum, and this competition will keep prices from spiking too dramatically.

The best way to stop worrying about prices is to recognize the simple fact that not everyone is entitled to drink every beer, and that regardless of how the cutoff is applied in terms of who gets a beer and who doesn't (whether it's price, timing, or location), someone is going to be disappointed. And you know what? That's ok. There'll always be another great beer.

 

Too many times people suggest simply making more would solve the problem. In many instances if breweries could make more they would. At this point, and I imagine for the foreseeable future, most breweries would have to make some significant sacrifices in order to produce their highly acclaimed beers at a level that supply and demand would even out. I really doubt it is beneficial for the brewers to do so, the cost of the solution seems to outweigh the reward.

 

In certain cases that's undoubtedly true, but every month it seems like another brewery is announcing a major expansion. While the supply of CBS might be limited by the supply of maple barrels, and a place like Portsmouth might actually never be able to make more KtG because of eternal space constraints, I'd be surprised if Bell's didn't use part of their multi-million expansion plan to make WAY more Black Note. Given how fast all the BCBxS beers are flying off shelves, I'd be shocked if a significant portion of all that ABI money didn't go into more barrels at GI.

Increasing production of specialties is indeed a terrible financial idea if space/time contraints mean that it cuts in to production of a flagship, but once a brewery's flagships are being made at a sustainable level (e.g., most shelves seem to be well-stocked with Honker's), it only makes sense for a brewery to ramp up production of anything with unmet demand. Look at Sierra Nevada: for a long time they only put out a few beers, but lately they've been putting numerous high-end offerings on the market (i.e. the 30th Ann. and Ovila series) WITHOUT cutting back at all on their huge nationwide distribution of their year-round and seasonal sixpacks. Obviously most breweries don't have the resources of Sierra Nevada, but I think that's the direction that expansion programs like Bell's are taking.

No brewery wants to be leaving money on the table by failing to meet the demand for their specialty beers, but until they're able to meet the demand for their regular beer's first the specialties necessarily get pushed to the back burner. As soon as more breweries expand production (or cut back on territory) enough to meet all the demand for the normal stuff, they'll take advantage of the demand for higher-end beers by increasing production.

 

I agree completely - stores that try to charge eBay prices without realizing that those prices are only being paid by people in areas WITHOUT distribution are destined to be out-competed by the store across the street that doesn't try to milk every last dime out of every last rare beer. In certain cases they may well sell out at the ultra-high price (especially if they're willing to wait until after all the other stores sell out at MSRP), but you're right that they also probably lose significant repeat business by being so overtly greedy.

 

I would not buy anymore beer at that store period! 200.00 for CBS lmao. Crazy fools.

 

No, some beer/wine store in Olney.