Would you buy into vertical tasting 6pks?

Ommegang did something like this recently where they released Three Philosophers ina box set, 3 vintages. Its a great idea but its not something that i would think makes the brewery money. There is such a small segment of beer drinkers that would be in demand of this.

I've also seen beer stores themselves do this, craft your own vintage 4-6 pack. Great in theory, but you never know under what conditions these beers were kept for 3-4 years. I would only trust in from the actual breweries, like the Ommegang Three Philosophers.

 

Anything that involves a conscious comparison is good for consumers, in my opinion. Thinking about things as you savor them only helps.

 

Over time I have found that the vast majority of beers are best consumed fresh. I don't think it makes sense for most breweries to release vintage beers because if it doesn't taste as good as the fresh bottle all of the blame rests on them for selling beer that doesn't taste good.

 

I am doing this very thing with a 4 pack of st b 12. Bought the 4 pack and drank 1, then marked a date for the next 3 bottles of when I am planning on drinking them. Also use my DFH beer journal to take notes.

I like the idea but not sure a brewery would sell enough to warrant it because most people would only buy one 6 pack.

 

It's a cool idea, but aging beer is kind of a personal process for me. The anticipation and sometimes unexpected results of just a year of cellaring is just too enticing.

 

No, I'd pass on this. It's less expensive to do it my self than it would be for me to pay the mark up a brewery would have to charge for long term storage and the extra labor it would cost them (e.g., a n Aventinus aged in the brewery's Eiskellar for 5 years costs about 4 times what a fresh bottle costs), Also, I'm only going to be interested in a vertical like that on beers readily available to me so if I want to do a repeat with larger quantities I can do it myself.

 

Yes

 

Out of curiosity what aged beers have you have had are better than the fresh version?

 

SN/RR's Brux took a while to develop. (Off the top of my head.)

edit: Probably a more common—and a six-pack—example is Bigfoot. Although I do prefer it fresh, there are a lot of fans of older Bigfoot.

 

I had that one fresh to 6 months but I haven't had it recently. Based on the flavor profile of that one I can buy into that one developing over time.

To add to that I have had a few vintages of BCBS that were better than fresh. The 2008 and 2009 BCBS drank fantastic in 2013.

Also, WWS drinks great with age. The best bottle I ever had was a 2002 opened in 2014.

I am not saying that there aren't any beers that improve I am just saying the vast majority don't improve.

 

I didn't read past the first line of the post, my b and just thought about my own thing. A six pack or even box set of bombers already aged at various vintages would be epic. The only thing would be a concern is what the markup would be.

 

No because you are talking about regular seasonal releases (ie: Bigfoot, Jubelale, Storm King), and there is a limited market amongst craft nerds. Not many age these regular offerings as a routine, and it is more of a fun experiment when it is done. If you were to simply offer a some sixers mixed with vintages, I would say you would get away with charging regular price for them, as many stores also have non-nerds shopping there; beer nerds would consider purchasing a sixer if it were at regular price, with interest declining with each additional dollar per six pack. In short, while a novel idea, not a sustainable sales channel for a brewer, but more of an appreciation gimmick for beer nerds.

Now if you are talking about high abv special releases, then yes you will have a market for those, however you run the risk of out pricing yourself and discouraging fans due to lack of availability. I've seen several year verticals go for several hundred dollars. Again, if I had money to burn and throw away (as that pesky money tends to deserve when you get rich), I would consider purchasing a vertical set for several hundred dollars (or a weeks wages for many). However I would not be making more than say, one of those purchases every 5 years or so, however long it takes to recover my bank account and buyers remorse. Also, with such beers, beer nerds prefer the hunt of acquiring the years each year, so a premade vert pack is like going to Whole Foods to buy venison.

 

Well I'm stll new enough to all of this, but am aging Big Foot...I think I have 3 years right now. Palo Santo from DFH I've heard is great with some time on it. Holding onto the original Bourbon County as well...for my tastes it is very hot at 15% fresh.

Regardless it'd still be interesting. Even if you just tell yourself in your mind that the aged beer is better, perception is reality. Vertical tastings could be fun and then you don't have to do the work/waiting yourself. I'm sure you pay for it though

 

I don't see it working for two reasons (which together simply make it uneconomical for the brewer).

First, the market is small. While you see a lot of discussion in a beer forum like this on cellaring beer and doing verticals, the vast number of beer drinkers (even craft beer drinkers) are not that interested in the topic.

Second, your approach puts the cost of cellaring on the brewer which would then need to be passed on to the consumer in higher prices. Right now a brewer makes his beer, then sells it. If someone wants a cellared version, they supply the cellar space and maintain the proper conditions. If the brewer were going to cellar the beer themselves for later release, they need to convert a portion of their facilities to that purpose. The cost of the facilities wouldn't change, but instead of selling the beer out of it multiple times a year to cover the costs, they would be selling only once every few years.

So, what they would do is end up having four/six packs with limited appeal, at high prices for people who mostly can already accomplish the same thing at home by simply buying a beer every year and generating their own verticals.