tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405633513402883204.post3558437103900641200..comments2024-03-28T13:58:37.846-04:00Comments on The Passionate Foodie: Rant: Are Beer Drinkers Cheap?Richard Auffreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03948647697847819742noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405633513402883204.post-17329648356365777242012-08-27T09:55:41.333-04:002012-08-27T09:55:41.333-04:00Thanks Jason for the detailed comments. It does se...Thanks Jason for the detailed comments. It does seem that the higher end beers are a tiny percentage of what you find in the wine world. It seems maybe 10%, or even less, of beers cost more than $20 yet there are a vast number of wines over that price point. With like the Utopia, there is a market for such expensive beers, but seems much smaller than the wine world.Richard Auffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03948647697847819742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405633513402883204.post-53706207927996559622012-08-27T09:27:51.681-04:002012-08-27T09:27:51.681-04:00I forgot to respond to your trailing questions. No...I forgot to respond to your trailing questions. No beer is not less complex than wine. There is plenty of beer made that rivals wine for complexity. Studying beer can take a lifetime just like wine. <br /><br />And high quality beer is made by lots of producers, most of them small, just like it is for wine. Brewpubs are some of the best places to try small production high quality beers that never see a bottle of enjoyment beyond the building they are made in. This is not as typical for wine. <br /><br />Reputation is absolutely paramount in beer. Not being a beer drinker I'll forgive you for not knowing this one. Most of the named of breweries and beers at the top of the craft beer food chain would be unknown to you just like the names of top tier wine producers would be to the mostly craft beer drinker. Your sake knowledge is a good analog here. You've sought out that information and can wield it. Being ignorant of that industry and its products could be mistaken and result in marginalization of it. That's why we all have to get out and drink!<br /><br />JasonJason Phelpshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14877600888412262376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2405633513402883204.post-79368519739820980472012-08-27T09:05:22.283-04:002012-08-27T09:05:22.283-04:00Making a comparison between beer and wine in price...Making a comparison between beer and wine in price terms can take two different forks.<br /><br />On pure dollars to alcohol ratio, macro brewed beer is about 25-30% the strength of wine by volume. You end up paying about $4.60 for six cans, if bought in a 30 pack, compared to $11 for the single bottle of wine with the same kick. The quality differential here is wide open depending on what wine you buy. Bitching about the beer price here does make you cheap. The macro brewed beers offer me nothing so I'd opt for the wine, and even the mass produced stuff just for the bump in enjoyment it gives. <br /><br />The other fork is a certain commitment to beer brewed with traditional and high quality ingredients. For that you have to stray away from the macro brews. They might be cheap but they don't have the attention keeping character that other beers do.<br /><br />Once you get into craft beer territory the price issues become more interesting.<br /><br />22 oz bottles of quality craft beer will average around 7/8% ABV so still 50-60% the pure alcohol of a bottle of wine. The typical prices her can range form $7 to $12 and then you realize you are paying more for for the beer than the same wine purely based on the buzz you can get. But the expression of the beer and what it is made from may outpace the wine and require you to slot in a different wine at a higher price point, but not always. The everyday drinker isn't likely to do this and thus their perception of it being more expensive. If the beer is well made and deserving of the price then bitching about it is likely ignorance. If the beer sucks then it may well be overpriced.<br /><br />Real beer geeks are much more informed here and will pay even high prices for a single 22oz bottle of beer, especially small productions, cult beers and those with specialty ingredients. Price conversations amongst my brew friends typically come down to lamentations on how demand is driving up prices and some of those buyers aren't really well positioned to appreciate the purchase or how some breweries are pricing high but don't have the quality to match. Such is the business in both beer and wine. <br /><br />JasonJason Phelpshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14877600888412262376noreply@blogger.com