How much is your beer?

Reminds me of the scene in Hall Pass where 3 shots of tequila was $57.

A few of the bottles I stocked up on were in the $20-$25 range for 650 ml and that was in Victoria where the beer is markedly cheaper. Not sure what it would have cost here if it was available.

Unlike wine, however, there appears to be a real top end to where beer prices can go. The best beer doesn't seem to get much more expensive than this.

As I say this, I'm just learning a little bit about the beer aftermarket (black market) where some beers are indeed going for quite a bit of money. I've probably drank hundred dollar bottles of beer simply because I relocated some $10 bottles to a market that has no supply but still some demand.

This came up because I was curious what it would take to get my hands on a can or four of Heady Topper without having to travel.

I'll probably have to travel.

That Heady seems to have a cult-like following.

Regarding the comparison of wine to beer, I know it's not considered by some that one may have a palate for beer.

Grobe, at $20-$25 for a bottle of suds (a large bottle, yes), it seems that beer may be going the way of wine. The way Heady provides their brew is, I think, evidence of complete control of your brand-make people come to you, limit supply, and charge high prices.

I don't really know my wine very well, but from my limited wine experience I think I can safely say that beer has a much broader range and just as much nuance on the palate. Trust me, one can have a palate for beer.

and having said that, it may just be a function of beer culture vs. wine culture. Modern brewers, especially American brewers are much more adventurous and experimental than their vintner counterparts. I've only just recently heard about a couple of vintners deliberately souring their wines, for example.

If I had to guess why this was I think it's probably because of the availability of raw ingredients for hobbyists. I can easily go buy grain and make beer from scratch (and I do) whereas home brewing wine almost invariably necessitates a kit where a lot of the control and creativity is taken off the table before you even perform step one. Paired with the culture of tradition and pomp around wine I don't think this is very conducive to innovation.

$14 for a growler at the local brewery with a return bottle.  This is the best way to get beer.  It's always fresh, never more that a few days old.  The beer hasn't been trucked all over and sat in a liquor store or a distribution warehouse and gone at all skunky.  As a bonus you get to spend your dollars locally and the bottles are recycled in the most direct way possible.

I had to pick up one of their IPAs the other day since it's seasonal and they only make it in the summer, it will be a long winter until they start pushing it out again.

Interesting. I now have a couple of growlers, but I own them and reuse them. They were $10-$12 to fill in Victoria, I have yet to fill them here so not sure how much it will cost yet.

Let me make this request: " Bitte ein Bit ". Yes I recently had the chance to try a Bitburger Beer, not bad ! Btw it is nice to see this thread on the go again. 

My first really good batch of home brew was ready for testing this week.  I've had a couple of flops, but this time I'm really, really pleased.  I brewed an American IPA, and on first tasting it could stand up alongside some of the best IPAs I've had.

I've often heard it said that homebrewers could produce beers that rival the best commercial offerings, and I've often been skeptical, but now having pulled it off myself I'm convinced.  The crappy beer kits of the early nineties are a thing of the past.

Oh, and to keep it on topic, this batch was about $2/Litre.  I've recently started buying raw materials in bulk though and should be able to easily get it down closer to $1/Litre.

  If only the g'dog was still around to appreciate that.     :'(    

In life we can be affected by a variety of disasters involving stock-markets, major storms, earth-quakes, volcanos etc. However here in Alberta we have had a rare and yet serious disaster due to early frosts a snow-storm in September which has caused a shortage of Malting Barley ! This is expected to cause Beer prices to increase across North America as it will be necessary to import more Malting Barley from Europe and elsewhere. First the housing price bubble burst in the US and now this, bad bad news all around.  

I've stocked up, both on beer and malt.

And we know you'll do it! The only issue you'll have in the future would be things that cabby wrote about. Your weather will affect your price, similar to produce.

I mentioned that the prices were higher than what I used to pay. So, unless it was on sale, I didn't bother. Then I found a liquor store where I could get kegs for cheap. Cost is $.46 a brew.

Only issue was getting the keg up three flights of stairs...

And, I wonder if I'll tire of the same beer.

I'm sure his golden ears are burning.

Today I'm sitting here playing around on the computer, having some supper and enjoying a nice glass of Heineken ( & thinking about how lucky I am ). Were I living in the southern part of Alberta near the Town of Cardston getting hold of some Beer would be more difficult. Cardston has had a ban on liquor sales since 1905 and recently voted to continue this ban. The Cardston area is home to a lot of LDS people ( Mormons ) but I myself like to have a liquor store near me. 

Reminder to self: Never visit Cardston.

Stone officially launched retail sales in Alberta this week, and there was a "private" launch party on Monday night at one of our local craft beer bars.  It was a blast, great beer.  Among others, I'm a particular fan of their Black IPA.