The Beer Thread

Grab me a bottle of that Parabola and send it my way, willya?

vansmack wrote:
I don't read this thread as I'm a wino and not a beer guy.  But my local Whole Foods has a bar that I like to frequent on Sunday Nights after I drink my way across my city and last night we were joined by some friends of ours who are beer people.

Our friend was talking to the bartender about some special beer that's going to be here on Wednesday and how he has to get here early because they're only going to have 20 boxes and they're never going to reach the shelves in the stores - the only way to get them is to be at the bar on Wednesday before a certain time.

So I asked, "why not just charge $100 a bottle then?"  and it was like blasphemy.  Why is beer so different?  If I want a bottle of Silver Oak, I'm prepared to drop some serious cash, but even the thought of the beer market doing this sent everyone into a tizzy.  Instead, you're all going to queue up like idiots for the chance at what is apparently an enjoyable beer instead of reserving yours by pricing out people, like every other good out there.  I don't get it.  Is the market for craft beers just not mature enough for that yet?     

vansmack wrote:
Silver Oak  

That's some good stuff.

vansmack wrote:
I don't read this thread as I'm a wino and not a beer guy.  But my local Whole Foods has a bar that I like to frequent on Sunday Nights after I drink my way across my city and last night we were joined by some friends of ours who are beer people.

Our friend was talking to the bartender about some special beer that's going to be here on Wednesday and how he has to get here early because they're only going to have 20 boxes and they're never going to reach the shelves in the stores - the only way to get them is to be at the bar on Wednesday before a certain time.

So I asked, "why not just charge $100 a bottle then?"  and it was like blasphemy.  Why is beer so different?  If I want a bottle of Silver Oak, I'm prepared to drop some serious cash, but even the thought of the beer market doing this sent everyone into a tizzy.  Instead, you're all going to queue up like idiots for the chance at what is apparently an enjoyable beer instead of reserving yours by pricing out people, like every other good out there.  I don't get it.  Is the market for craft beers just not mature enough for that yet?     

so what you are saying is that the rich get everything . . . and the poor(er) get nothing?  i have money, but even i find that to be a shit concept.  beer is beer to me now.  there is always a good beer to have, and if i miss the great one, there will always be another great one down the road.  we have too many great things in this country.  every day another new one.  replaced by a even better one.  i gave up on wanting this or needing that.  i just let the beer happen.

vansmack wrote:
I don't read this thread as I'm a wino and not a beer guy.  But my local Whole Foods has a bar that I like to frequent on Sunday Nights after I drink my way across my city and last night we were joined by some friends of ours who are beer people.

Our friend was talking to the bartender about some special beer that's going to be here on Wednesday and how he has to get here early because they're only going to have 20 boxes and they're never going to reach the shelves in the stores - the only way to get them is to be at the bar on Wednesday before a certain time.

So I asked, "why not just charge $100 a bottle then?"  and it was like blasphemy.  Why is beer so different?  If I want a bottle of Silver Oak, I'm prepared to drop some serious cash, but even the thought of the beer market doing this sent everyone into a tizzy.  Instead, you're all going to queue up like idiots for the chance at what is apparently an enjoyable beer instead of reserving yours by pricing out people, like every other good out there.  I don't get it.  Is the market for craft beers just not mature enough for that yet?     

beer is pretty simple. you crush a bunch of grains, throw in some hops, add yeast, and if you want to get extra fancy, you can age it in some fancy wine or whiskey barrels.  the ingredients are abundantly available, and while there is some wonderfully crafted recipes out there, there's still plenty of breweries who could replicate what you do, or maybe even do it better, and for cheaper perhaps as well.

so, a brewery isn't going to price themselves out of the market, and a beer store isn't going mark-up too much and turn away customers or make enemies with their distributor.  too much competition.

it's not like wine, where vines are old and climate is unpredictable. but i don't know anything about wine, so i'm going to stop there.

Hmmm….

walkonby wrote:
so what you are saying is that the rich get everything . . . and the poor(er) get nothing?  i have money, but even i find that to be a shit concept. 

walkonby wrote:
i mean maybe if you had a real job, and tried in school, and did something with your self . . . instead of being a twenty something wanker who plays with records, works at a video game store, or still uses the term "paid by the hour" then maybe you wont bitch about the price of beer, or concert tickets, or cds, or life.

walkonby wrote:
but one just values more delicately what to bitch about, when youve made it in life and have a great job.

i alter my brain and what comes out of it . . . as the hours of the days go by.  the soundtrack of it is killer.


damn new page that now makes this have no sense.

stevewizzle wrote:
so, a brewery isn't going to price themselves out of the market, and a beer store isn't going mark-up too much and turn away customers or make enemies with their distributor.  too much competition.

Well, simple supply and demand indicate that this particular beer is not appropriately priced in the marketplace.  If it's THAT good, I'd be interested to see at what price the queue would be exactly the number of people in line to get a bottle.

brewers have to think across their portfolios.  unlike wineries, few breweries are high-end only. they make special limited-releases that could command big bucks, but their bread and butter is the high-volume daily stuff.  they don't want to piss off customers by charging $50 a bottle for one offering - it breeds resentment and doesn't encourage loyalty.  as touchy-feely as this is going to sound, in my opinion there are aspects of equality and equal access in beer culture that inhibit high pricing.  some bands charge a lot for their concert tickets because they can, other bands don't go for the gouge.  i see wine as being the former, while beer is the latter.

Speaking of the terrorists winning…

We are not allowed to bring alcohol into our work building, even if you have no plans of consuming it at work (no, I don't work ata mosque, rather a gov't building). How do they determine that you have alcohol in your possession? Using the x-ray system that they put in place not long after 9/11. Several times I have had to convince security guards that the bottle of root BEER I had in my lunch was not the same as actual beer.

So perish any thoughts I might ever have of rushing out and grabbing some limited special release beer on my lunch hour.

Thanks, terrorists.

ford - that does indeed suck.

my employer and building have no such limitations.  feel free to bring over your limited special release beer at any time ;D

Picked up the 2013 edition of Stone IRS the other day at Whole Foods in Foggy Bottom. Kicking myself for not grabbing the Espresso Stone IRS that was sitting next to it.

Yeah, that blows. Every time I come back from a lunchtime stroll to Modern Liquors, my boss always wants to see what I got. Once when I brought back a 20 yr Willett, he sheepishly asked if I would open it so he could have a smell. Of course I did it. Unfortunately, it's a cork bottle and a third of it leaked out on my bike ride home  :'(

Relaxer wrote:
Yeah, that blows. Every time I come back from a lunchtime stroll to Modern Liquors, my boss always wants to see what I got. Once when I brought back a 20 yr Willett, he sheepishly asked if I would open it so he could have a smell. Of course I did it. Unfortunately, it's a cork bottle and a third of it leaked out on my bike ride home  :'(

He wanted a smell?? Hhahah… recovering alkie?

Nah, my suspicion is he didn't think it appropriate to be drinking 135 proof whiskey at 1:30 pm on a work day. Besides, the smell of good bourbon is right up there among my absolute favorite smells, along with killer weed and fine coffee.

Had this last night… never even heard of it or the brewery, quite tasty.

Tell Tale Hearty Ale

https://www.ravenbeer.com/default.asp?iId=GGIFFD

Picked up a bottle of §ucaba yesterday. Friend says I should age it at least a year as he regrets opening his immediately. Now I need to find some Parabola.

we had a one-year old Sucuba last weekend at last weekend's bottle-sharing party at my place (write-up forthcoming, i swear).  it was indeed fantastic, better than the fresh stuff on tap at the Smoke and Barrel during CBC.  if i got a bottle i'd definitely age it a year.

i've gotten unconfirmed reports that gilley's has sucuba on tap.

how much is a bottle of sucuba retailing for?

and please, please, please let me know if you find parabola.  need me some of that.

It was reported that each and every Total Wine is getting a case of Parabola. It wasn't reported when they are getting it.

I'd almost rather score a Sucaba than a Parabola these days.

sweetcell wrote:
we had a one-year old Sucuba last weekend at last weekend's bottle-sharing party at my place (write-up forthcoming, i swear).  it was indeed fantastic, better than the fresh stuff on tap at the Smoke and Barrel during CBC.  if i got a bottle i'd definitely age it a year.

i've gotten unconfirmed reports that gilley's has sucuba on tap.

how much is a bottle of sucuba retailing for?

and please, please, please let me know if you find parabola.  need me some of that.

sweetcell wrote:

how much is a bottle of sucuba retailing for?

and please, please, please let me know if you find parabola.  need me some of that.

Bought the Sucuba for $14.50. Parabola should be coming out shorty - I had a bottle a few weeks ago that was aged for about a year. Well worth the wait.

picked up two bottles of the Stone Espresso IRS from the FB WF.  they had at least 6 more bottles on the shelf, possibly more in the back.  i won't be touching mine for at least a year.  11% abv.  next available in 2015.

ford: if i can grab a sucuba, i'll happily trade you it for a parabola.  my weekend is booked so even if Total Wine gets parabola at a convenient time for me and i can reserve a bottle, there is next to no chance of me being able to trek out to VA to grab a bottle.  hopefully someone closer will get some.