Small batch brews hit the auction block

The most recent Chateau Lafite Rothschild sold for 420 Euros per bottle, MSRP.

 

Not world class to everyone though:

"If I paid $200 or more for a whole bottle of this and found it to be this gross I'd shoot myself."

Anyway, regarding auctions.

"Just hope Hong Kong/China never develops a taste for craft brew as they have done for fine wine."

My only disappointment with them in the coffee industry is with Tawainese (and to a lesser extent Korean and Japanese) roasters consistently outbidding the world for entire auction lots of beans, especially Geshas and the El Injerto Mocca. Yeah, they may not always be the best beans out there but I'd still like the opportunity to roast and taste them myself, and the last few years have made that a very costly pursuit (not as bad as world class wine and spirits, though, thankfully).

 

yet*

 

I'll take it if it means that I can expect to find good and well pairing beer in every nice restaurant.

 

Along with a Cicerone to assist you if desired or to develop recommended beers for each of the multiple courses.

 

Given it is a luxury item gouging does not apply.

 

Then your estimate would be off by quite a bit.

 

Speaking out in regret is fine, so long as it doesn't misrepresent things the way some who speak out do.

 

Just as Westvletern 12 was virtually unknown before the development of websites like this, with ratings and trading and people singing the praises of limited edition beer, the Genie is out of the bottle now. The Skinner auctions are just one indication of growing interest and growing demand. With the shutdown of auctions on sites like eBay it was only a matter of time before places like Skinner began to satisfy the demand created by people who can substitute money for time.

This development is a predictable spin off effect of growth of Internet usage and places like this site. The trading forum here is an auction site, the general forums here offer a place to drive up the perceived value of limited release beers and encourage collecting and collaring for the sake of claiming ownership.

 

Beer will never reach wine levels because of geography - there is finite space to make great wine, however, great beer can be made all over the world. As long as there is a good water source, availability of ingredients, and talented brewers, the high end beer market will always have more supply than the high end wine market if only because a batch of a BA imperial stout isn't affected by weather the same way grape growing season is.

As in any market, there will be an ultra-premium space (wales), but there are so many "premium" craft beers that are somewhat easily attainable that I don't think it's time to sound the auction alarm.

 

High class problems.....

 

What Bruery beer is $50?

 

The Bruery has topped out at $40. The only US beer that's $50 at the brewery release that I know about is BA Dark Lords. Well, and Utopias, but that's barely a beer. No CA releases yet, though we'll get there before too long.

 

Sorta like Scalpers and baseball tickets

 

Let's not get hung up on the technical definition of "gouging." We all know what he meant. This is a beer website, not a economics forum. I get your point, and you are right, but come on... I've seen you correct like 20 people on thier use of the term gouging. We get it.

It's being used here colloquially and the dude is stating his opinion that he hates the idea of prices being jacked up over what the brewer initially intended, through auction or retail. That point is worthy of debate. Some will hate hit, others will have no problem with it. This even holds true for brewers themselves. Shaun Hill is on the record stating that he feels sick when hears stories of his beers being sold for hundreds of dollars. John Kimmich on the other hand doesn't have as much of a problem from what I have read.

 

People use the word to corral the negative connotations of "gouging" used in the proper context, and that is counterproductive.

And by all means, show me "like 20" times I did that. Hell, I'll ban myself if you can find 10. I'll send you a delicious box of beer if you can find 5. I'll admit I'm a pain in the ass if you can find 3. Here, let me do the work for you:
http://beeradvocate.com/community/search/28482802/?q=gouging&o=date&c[user][0]=652165

3 posts, two conversations. 16 months ago and 2 months ago. (The rest of those posts are not me doing what you suggest I so frequently do. A search for "gouge" turns up 0 results, too.........Well, maybe 1 after this post ) Don't let the facts get in the way of a good self-righteous [mini] rant, though.

 

Fair enough... you are clearly not the repeat offender I thought you were. Sincere apologies.

Everything else I said however, remains true.

To be totally fair to you, I will repost a correction:

Let's not get hung up on the technical definition of "gouging." We all know what he meant. This is a beer website, not a economics forum. I get your point, and you are right, but come on... I've seen you correct like 20 people on thier use of the term gouging. Wwe get it.

It's being used here colloquially and the dude is stating his opinion that he hates the idea of prices being jacked up over what the brewer initially intended, through auction or retail. That point is worthy of debate. Some will hate hit, others will have no problem with it. This even holds true for brewers themselves. Shaun Hill is on the record stating that he feels sick when hears stories of his beers being sold for hundreds of dollars. John Kimmich on the other hand doesn't have as much of a problem from what I have read.​

 

What's your point? Petrus Pomerol is $4000 a bottle when it comes out.

 

My point is that top end wine is much more expensive than top end beer.

 

When it comes to BCBS I just make dam sure I stockpile acouple of cases so I don't have to worry about being gouged.