Quite honestly, it has gotten to the point where I just browse the beer aisle anymore and eventually end up going to the ABC store for a cheaper more refreshing alternative mixer that goes with vodka, rum, or tequila.
Seriously, why are all those craft beers $9.99+ or a 6-pack ? Low production & high transportation costs ??? I mean, $9.99 comes out to $39.96 for a case of beer. Don't get me started on Stella and some of those other beers that are bottling 11.2oz instead of 12oz. The other day, I thought I came across a decent beer with a relatively good price of $8.99 but when I picked it up there were only 4 beers ---- [BLEEP] is up with the 4-packs ???
That's it -- I'm done ranting. Time for another vodka lemonade !!
Craft beer tends to have more ABV per unit. You can spend $9.99 on bud light for a 12 pack with a 4% ABV per can or bottle or spend $9.99+ for a 6 pack of cans or bottles that are anywhere between 7% ABV - 12% ABV. I used to laugh at those hipster beer memes.
I actually enjoy them now. Big fan of Old Rasputin and Dragon's Milk. It's very strong tasting. And a four pack of those are PLENTY for me on game day. Dragon's Milk has a strong bourbon after taste and each bottle is roughly 3x stronger than your big name brand beer per unit.
All beer aside though? I am a Crown & Coke or straight Rakija drinker myself.
Obviously, all costs are higher for craft beer- they buy, say 1000 cases of empty bottles at a time where Bud may buy 100,000 cases or whatever.
I belong to a homebrew club here in MA and we would often go up to the Ipswich Ale brewery to help them bottle beer on Saturdays- it was a ramshackle operation then as we had to catch bottles coming down the line and put them in the cases by hand. The owner appreciated our volunteer work as it kept his labor costs down. It was always fun b/c he'd let us drink as much as we want and bring home all the bottles with misaligned labels.
One time they contract brewed over 200 cases of a scotch ale for another operation and messed it up, getting an extra bag of a dark malt into the mash. It altered the color too much and the buyer did not want it. Ipswich had no idea what to do with it so they called us to just come take it. Everyone raced up there and grabbed 8-10 cases each. Haven't had a scotch ale since.
About 10 years ago, they bought an old clam processing plant in downtown Ipswich and put a shirtload of money into it, including a state of the art bottling line and that was the end of us. Any time any of us go there, though, the owner will spot us a beer on him if he's there.
What was the topic again?
Good beer ain't cheap, and cheap beer ain't good.
(04-28-2020, 07:55 PM)anonymous2112 Wrote: [ -> ]Good beer ain't cheap, and cheap beer ain't good.
Das right.
It also helps to drink local. Although Jax isn't a craft beer shangri la just yet , it's coming along.
Yuengling light is pretty good and is my choice for a "general purpose" beer. It's also not real expensive.