When did you STOP looking at price?

I think the total cost of $22 is high but you’re getting 48 ounces of beer. Do you buy bombers at $8, which is equivalent to $17 four pacK and I bet those are not a BA stout.

Isn’t the standard price for a BA bomber like $20?

I think KBS is a good value if you like the beer.

 

Yes - that was the person!

And I agree with the remainder of your post - I remember a lot more whining and elaborate cost per ounce and container size calculations flying around even in the short time I have been around.

 

Interesting. BA Rasputin would be my Exhibit “A” for overpriced beers that don’t deliver. It’s a prime example of why I always consider price of a beer I’m considering buying in comparison with beers of similar or better quality.

 

I was surprised that it was a "Rite Aid" back then when I bought the Samichlaus- wasn't it a "Drug Fair" at some point? It's just a weird store for NJ, shampoo, baby diapers, aspirin, beer... Haven't been there in many years (used to work in Edison and South Bruns., and went to school in New Bruns/Piscataway, etc, etc.)

I miss the old Pino's, on Raritan Ave. across the street - back when they kept the beer in that multi-room catacomb-like cellar of theirs, complete with red bulbs in the rooms. Never found a lot of great stuff but when you did, it was a real "Find". Once they moved across the street it was horrible - brightly lit, lots of windows, WTF. (I vaguely remember that building being the "Unemployment Office"...).

Well, I say "I don't need a bag, thanks..." * for a lot stuff I buy, including for beer in cans - but bottles? Yeah, I want a bag (still freaky about light-struck beer) - well, unless there's used boxes to reuse at the register.

Haven't seen a paper bag in liquor store in the long time (and I'd just recycle or compost them, or use 'em for the BBQ chimney). Those !@#$ plastic bags, tho' - yeah, just doesn't seem right for beer. Plus, I don't trust 'em to hold the weight.

* I love when they throw the bag out after you say it, tho'. Kinda defeats the purpose, but it's their choice, not mine!

 

My feelings exactly.

 

Ah, yes -- those "old people," like... in their 50s and 60s I suspect.

(I know I'm in trouble now, I had an elderly women (70s) in my store the other day -- referring to me as "young man." )

 

Beer is an essential as far as I’m concerned, part of my budget. I don’t have much disposable income, but I’m going to enjoy good beer. Most weeks that’s a $15.99 twelve pack and a $10.00 four pack.
I didn’t stop looking at prices, I stopped looking at beers. I know what beers I’m willing to spend $16/4 on and it’s less than three breweries, and not very often.
I get the high costs, it’s been covered. However, a lot of new breweries are opening and charging way too much for their product. A result of everyone gets a trophy. The consumer will tell these folks, with their wallets, “Your beer sucks, and your prices are laughable” Trust me, it’s happening in Maine.

 

Can't say I never think about price. For me I need to think if a case is >$60 or a 4/6 pack >$16. I have a friend that is so stuck on price that he buys garbage frequently. I keep telling him that he can afford it, which he can, and he is worth it. I have not been able to buy beer that is over $20 a 4/6 pack though. I am worth it, but I doubt the beer is. I continue to look for value - high taste and reasonable price. I am comfortable in the $8-13 range. I have spent up to $85 a case and $17 for a 4 pack. I am balking right now at prices higher than that. As I write this, I am drinking Vitus, which I believe I paid a little over $60 for a case. My highest price case was >$80 for Schneider Weisse Aventinus.

 

I’m in the “if I want it, I buy it” club

 

Now I know why 4 packs of NEIPA cost $25. I love it, so who cares what the price is.

 

Nah, I think it’s more like “ Everyone on social media loves it, so I need to love it too”.

 

Lol. Well played.

 

For years, I wouldn't pay more than a buck a beer. That clearly has gone up. Dramatically. That being said, I'll never stop looking at a beer's price. Never. I may have more expensive tastes, but I'm still a cheap sombitch.

 

With a mortgage to pay, and other miscellaneous bills, why would I not consider the price? If you don't have to consider the price, more power to you. My wallet isn't infinite.

 

A very sensible approach IMHO. Sometimes I reflect on comparing the enjoyment I’m getting from a $1 beer vs a $10 beer. It’s usually hard to say that I’m getting 10x the enjoyment out of the later. I’ve certainly spent a boat load of money on beers over the years but nowadays, I’m able to get a high level of enjoyment at a reduced spend. Hell, even at $2/beer by the case, which will get you many premium beers; it’s still quite a bit less than drinking at craft bars, which I too have cut back on.

 

It depends for me...I don't really have a quality beer store in my hometown so what I end up getting most of the time is just everyday drinking beers. With those I'm definitely checking prices and trying to find a good value.
But the few times a year I go to a bigger city with good bottle shops I splurge pretty hard. I try to keep the total trip around $100ish but I don't really care about prices of individual beers, I'm just buying exactly what I want regardless of price.

 

I’m not sure. For me paying a lot for beers doesn’t hold much satisfaction, more getting beers that you simply can’t buy where I am and doing the same in exchange for someone else. That said I still have no qualms with a £30 750ml bottle of beer

 

I don't have any unique opinions that haven't already been expressed throughout this thread. I might get a ~$25 4-pack of 12oz bottles once a year for a special occasion. Other than that I stay away from the expensive stuff most of it seems like nothing more than gouging but since there are enough people in the craft beer world who don't care about price the companies can get away with it.

 

When I started beer nerding.

 

About 6-7 years ago, with about a dozen fantastic festivals, and several dozen huge bottle shares, I come up with a simple formula.

$1/oz. Once a beer approached that price, I had to ask if that beer was REALLY worth it. And not in a bullshit, hype based way. This is what I realized is the true deal breaker for price/performance for a bottle.

Now it's closer to $1.25/oz. But you get the idea. Everyone should have a line, and stop supporting mediocre beer.

Also, keep in mind, no hobby is worth going into debt for. I have a friend who has well over 1,000 bottles in his "cellar" and is thousands upon thousands of dollars in debt. At some point it became part of his identity, and he just can't seem to stop.