Victory Dirt Wolf - Why 4-packs??

When I'm taking a chance on something that I've never tasted before: yes, six is too many. If I know that I like it then I don't care: 4, 6, 12, whatever. But I also prefer the four because I can take home more of an assortment on any one trip.

 

But you know that individual packs of beer are overpriced in PA because of the ridiculous taxes on them, right? $10/4-pack of just about any 8+ ABV beer is pretty much the price floor. As I told you, if you buy it by the case, it's a much better deal. Less than $2/bottle, in fact. The fact that your Wegman's is able to keep it in stock probably has more to do with the purchasing power of Wegman's than it does about the price of Dirtwolf being too high.

 

ask them.
who knows why they do what they do.

But if recent history is any lesson you insult some ones favorite brewery and get ready for the flame throwers....

 

Personally I'd rather pay $16 for 8 beers than $12 for 6 beers

 

“But you know that individual packs of beer are overpriced in PA because of the ridiculous taxes on them, right?” I disagree with that statement. I am able to buy craft beer at good prices at PA retailers. For example, I recently purchased a 6-pack of Sly Fox Pikeland Pils for $8 at a PA retailer. That price translates to a case price of $32 (including tax). There are indeed good prices available to PA beer consumers. Unfortunately it seems that some retailers (like Wegmans) utilize the 4-pack package to maximize their profits.

Cheers!

 

Pikeland Pils is a 4.9% ABV beer. It's ridiculous to try to equate that price with the price of DirtWolf, considering how much more malt and hops go into the brewing of DirtWolf versus that of Pikeland Pils. Just because some beers are priced lower than DirtWolf doesn't mean that DirtWolf is priced too high. It also doesn't mean that the 6-pack price of Pikeland Pils isn't similarly inflated above what it would cost to buy Pikeland Pils by the case.

 

“It also doesn't mean that the 6-pack price of Pikeland Pils isn't similarly inflated above what it would cost to buy Pikeland Pils by the case.” I disagree with you (again). My local beer distributor sells a case of Pikeland Pils for the low 30’s. The six-pack price of $8 is basically ¼ of the case price.

A price of $10 for a four-pack of Dirt Wolf is significantly greater than 1/6 of a case price. As was posted, you can obtain a case of Dirt Wolf for $48. A sixth of $48 is $8. I would be happy for buy a four-pack of Dirt Wolf for $8. That is the price that LCB_Hostage is paying for his beer; he apparently has a retailer that is not using the four-pack package format as an opportunity to price gauge.

Cheers to LCB_Hostage’s retailer!

 

Count me as a fan of the 4pack format, assuming the price per ounce isn't changed, especially with IPA's. There are a lot of beers where I want to give it more than one shot but by the end of the 6 pack i'm starting to get sick of it, so a 4 pack is at least something of a compromise.

 

Yes, but the problem is that manufacturers seize on this attitude as an excuse to offer less product at the same price point. It won't be long before InBev notes the practice and starts pushing 4-packs of their "special" releases (Bud Lime/Platinum/Black Crown) and offering us less for the same money. They'll highlight Bud Light as their "drinkability" beer in 6-packs and try to tell us to "slow down and savor" their limited crap. I admittedly get a little bit slippery-slope at this point, but I truly believe from there, they gain the position to eliminate 6-packs entirely across the board in only a few short years.

In that vein, I'd rather pay more for a 6-pack and stash a couple in the fridge for the next day. 4-packs may make Joe Grocery Store feel like he's making a special purchase and splurging on "the fancy stuff", but I know what I'm buying and if I like a beer enough to buy a pack of it, it's because I want more, not less.

 

Jack, have you checked Whole Foods at all? They'd probably be the cheapest in the area for DirtWolf 4-packs that I can think of. Unfortunately, I haven't stopped in there in quite a while so I'm not sure.

 

Yes, I purchased a four-pack of Dirt Wolf there last week. They are charging $9 for a four-pack (one dollar too much in my opinion).

So, I am able to find a four-pack of Dirt Wolf for less than $10 with some 'effort'. I would prefer to not have to do two stop shopping and go to a separate store (I do not food shop at Whole Foods, a.k.a., Whole Paycheck).

The point I am trying to convey is that I am not a fan of the four-pack format (vs. six-pack) since it seems to me that retailers take advantage of this format to price gauge and increase their prices. It has been my experience that retailers are less inclined to price gauge in the six-pack format.

Cheers!

 

Would you mind telling us where you are buying Dirt Wolf for $7.99?

Cheers!

 

I have not seen it that high. Beermart in Reading has/had it for $38.99 a case, same as the other Victory products. However, I am most frequently seeing it at $42 + tax at most places, including Victory store.

 

Finally! Someone around here who has some damn sense when it comes to dollars and cents and craft beer. I can't stand the idiots who think bombers are the best value in the beer world when in fact they are the worst.

 

Why are people talking in generalities here about 4 pack and 6 pack prices? This thread is about Victory and Dirtwolf and I see it all over NJ for $7.99 for a 4 pack. Those stores that still have Hop Wallop have it for $11.99. So Victory is not beating us down with the format change here. It seems those that say they are getting ripped off have a beef with the store more than they do with Victory. And every time I am down in Philly or SEPA and buy beer, I get ripped off, so there's not much any brewery can do in controlling their prices with the tax situation there.
And personally when you are talking about IPA's and DIPA's where freshness matters, I would much rather only have to purchase 4 rather than 6, especially if it's a year round offering as you are more likely to be drinking it fresh(er) then.

 

They sell 4-paks at Wegmans in PA for $9.99. At a local beverage center its more like $46 a case. Wish it was cheaper, I really like it.

 

The point I am trying to convey is that I am not a fan of the four-pack format (vs. six-pack) since it seems to me that retailers take advantage of this format to price gauge and increase their prices. It has been my experience that retailers are less inclined to price gauge in the six-pack format.

I agree. I remember when Green Flash went to a four pack and kept the price the same. I hardly ever buy it anymore...

 

“It seems those that say they are getting ripped off have a beef with the store more than they do with Victory.” What you are stating there is correct. Unfortunately the four-pack format seems to be inspiring some retailers to take advantage of this reduced format size to increase their prices.

As I posted previously: “I very much doubt that Wegmans would price a 6-pack at $15. If Dirt Wolf was in the 6-pack package it would likely be priced around $12-13. I personally would prefer to pay $13 for a 6-pack. I personally refuse to pay $10 for a 4-pack of Dirt Wolf at Wegmans but I sure that some other beer drinkers are paying this amount since the total price of $10 is comfortable to them; they are not considering the price from a price per ounce perspective. I have an unkind term for these shoppers: stupid shoppers.”

It is just great that the retailers in NJ are charging $7.99 a four-pack. You are lucky that your retailers are not taking advantage of this reduced size format to increase their profits. That is not the case with Wegmans in PA. I would prefer that Victory would not have chosen the four-pack format for Dirt Wolf. The six-pack format would have been a ‘stabilizing’ thing wrt retail pricing. A less than wise decision by Victory, IMHO.

Cheers!

 

Anyone who thinks that a company opting for a lower volume package, 4 bottles instead of 6, isn't trying to get a higher margin out of the deal is living in fairyland.