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Author Topic: what are some example prices you pay for beer at local stores or the bar?  (Read 2224 times)

Offline fredthecat

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not homebrew exactly, but i was scanning the forum, saw someone got an awesome looking winter warmers delivery pack of famous beers.

i went to check the govt run liquor stores site to see if they'd gotten any new stuff in and saw their prices.

the prices in my mind have gone up and up and up. here in ontario there is limited european famous brewery imports at all (big names: bavarian wheat beer big names(paulaner/schneider/weihenst.)/belgian big names (trappist + etc)/famous british breweries (fullers, sam smith, greene king etc) but the few examples they have are now prohibitively priced for me.

again, dont worry i am FAR from poor! but i am not paying $4.75 for a 330ml of westmalle tripel, when i used to pay ~$3.00 for it 10 years ago.
weihenstephaner = $3.80 for 500ml.
chimay red 750ml is now $8.35, i remember when it was $6.50.
a rogue hazy IPA 473ml can is $4.40.
cigar city brown ale 4x355ml $14.00 - that's $3.50 per small can buying a pack.
hobrauhaus oktoberfestbier 500ml - $3.60

that isn't even mentioning the corked 750ml sours and saisons that are just ludicrous prices like $25 a bottle.

the bread and butter is 500ml cans of german lager and english bitter which are a minimum $2.20 up to $3.00

canadian microbrews are set at a minimum of $3.25 and go up from there if they're IPAs or whatever, but theyre generally very bad and all over the map in quality. i stopped wasting my money trying them.


at the bar, a 341ml (~12oz) bottle of domestic NAIL beer is about 4 or 5 bucks i think. i haven't gone to a bar for a drink in i don't even know how long.


i know that no one here apparently keeps track of the price of their beers per bottle or pint, but im going at roughly $1.00 minimum up to $1.40 max per 500ml bottle of beer i make. Though i don't include the price of the initial equipment I bought when calculating. I do keep track of everything else including estimated bottle cap usage, RO water if I buy any, etc.


even those 500ml cans of lager are starting to bug me as they always go up in price and they never get anything new in ever. i'll be drinking wernesgruner forever in the land of no choice. im making a pale lager soon which should be half the price of these ones and with a lot better hopping and a real beer freshness.

I just can't stand wasting my money anymore on 5 dollar 12oz beers from the supermarket. very annoying.

Offline milanarambasic

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Hey I know what you mean....
I am from Croatia, prices here are lower then in the States
For an example Paulaner can 500 ml 2.4$
Craft beer on tap 4$
I make my homebrew at 0.5$ per 500ml....

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Offline chinaski

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Sorry that I cannot answer your question too accurately as I don't buy beer much at all- 4 packs of 16/18 oz. local craft beers in Vermont run $12-18 or so, no idea about large craft (e.g. Sierra Nevada) or imports.  I pretty much brew all of the beer I drink except when eating out; which I haven't been doing since March.  I'd much rather funnel my spending on ingredients for beer than for beer itself.

Offline Village Taphouse

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A 30-pack of Coors Light is now $22 at the SunStop.  Thanks Trump!  :D

I'm kidding.  No politics.  I don't buy a lot of commercial beer but a sixer of IPA can be $10 to $12 here.  A 12-pack of Shiner Bock runs about $14 although I *did* see it for $9.99 over the holidays.  I can find tall cans of things like Paulaner, DAB, Bitburger, Radeberger, Carlsberg and some others for $4.99 a 4-pack.  Founder's All-Day IPA is something like $14.99 for a 15-pack which is pretty good as long as you like it.  I have it in my bar fridge pretty regularly.  I have a weakness for things like Victoria or Negra Modelo and at my grocery store they're usually around $15 for a 12 pack of bottles.  I think I calculated a batch of homebrew coming in somewhere around $12 for 5 gallons/2 cases.
Ken from Chicago. 
A day without beer is like... just kidding, I have no idea.

Offline denny

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If you know of anywhere you can buy anything for the same price as10 years ago, please let me know.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline ynotbrusum

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I so rarely buy beer, that I found the prices quite excessive when I toured a local liquor store last week that is known for its selection here in the Chicago area.  Sticker shock for someone out of the commercial game for a while.  But for the right beer, I will pay for it. 

I was looking for a La Trapp Oak Aged Quad to fill out a four pack for an upcoming tasting with a monk sponsored by a local homebrew club (We got 3 beers - witte, dubbel and quad, along with a goblet and coasters  for about $20 - some guys got in early and also got the oak aged beer for a bit higher price). I was told that the oak aged beer was available at about $20 at the store, but they didn't have it in stock, unfortunately.

I am waiting for the taproom at my LHBS to open back up after we get clear of this pandemic.  They get world class beers that are worth the high price ($4-8 per glass), since I don't find them on tap at other bars and restaurants that I frequent.
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Offline Village Taphouse

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What's funny is that I see homebrewers discussing commercial beers ALL THE TIME and I always feel behind because I just don't go buy beer that often.  I will buy certain things and park them in the fridge but when people come over they never drink the commercial stuff I have in the fridge.  I might buy something hoppy because people are coming over and they like hoppy stuff and none of my homebrewed stuff is hoppy.  But they always say, "No... I want your beer" and they drink it.  As a result I end up with commercial beer that no one drinks.  I go to the liquor store and see so many beers that I would never buy (Belgians, weird IPAs, stouts or sours, beers with Brett, etc) and I am reminded of how lucky I feel to be able to make beers that I envision. 
Ken from Chicago. 
A day without beer is like... just kidding, I have no idea.

Offline Drewch

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Craft beer in lower Alabama generally runs $1.50-$2.50 per 12oz. Imports are pricier - Saison Dupont runs about $4 per 11.2oz bottle.
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Offline pete b

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A lot of craft beer comes in 4-packs of 16oz cans. $12 is a bargain, some imperials or DIPAs are $20. $15-17 for a well regarded craft 4 pack is common.
There are better deals out there, but if you are in a small town and don't want to drink BMC you might be stuck.
Fortunately the grocery market in town just dramatically increased their selection and I can get some craft beers I like for $12-13 a six pack.
The brewery in town charges $6-$8 for a pint in their taproom.
Don't let the bastards cheer you up.

Offline smkranz

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what are some example prices you pay for beer at local stores or the bar?
« Reply #9 on: January 12, 2021, 08:55:49 pm »
4-packs of Samichlaus are $21.60 at my local shop.  I think I personally bought about half of however much they got in, but there’s still some on the shelf.

Oh, and our local micro, Pub Dog charges $5 for a pair of 8-oz. mugs.


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« Last Edit: January 12, 2021, 08:57:39 pm by smkranz »
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Offline Thirsty_Monk

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Re: what are some example prices you pay for beer at local stores or the bar?
« Reply #10 on: January 12, 2021, 08:56:20 pm »
If you know of anywhere you can buy anything for the same price as10 years ago, please let me know.
Agree. If we take 3% inflation over 10 years that would be about 30%.

Now when you are talking how expensive craft beer is. I had to sign contract for truck load of cans that will be here in 6 month with minimum price increase of 40% from last year.
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Offline fredthecat

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Re: what are some example prices you pay for beer at local stores or the bar?
« Reply #11 on: January 12, 2021, 09:47:03 pm »
thanks for all the replies.

noted. overall i would say somewhat comparable. i forgot to mention that BMC stuff goes for $2.00 to $2.75 per 500ml can and for example labatt blue is $38.50 for a 24 pack. so $1.60 per 341ml bottle of BMC. a major election point for our current premier was to make buck a beers a thing again.



i actually almost never drink what i consider bad beer, ie. BMC, cheapest bracket beer (natty/malt liquor stuff), but i use it as a pricing point in my mind.

also go with price of "basic beer" in germany as a price point.

« Last Edit: January 12, 2021, 09:48:51 pm by fredthecat »

Offline Bel Air Brewing

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Re: what are some example prices you pay for beer at local stores or the bar?
« Reply #12 on: January 13, 2021, 07:58:44 am »
Most of the European cities that we visit have draft beer much cheaper than back here. In Frankfurt, about 3.25 Euro for a half liter.
In Amsterdam, during Happy Hour, a .5 liter of Heineken is 3 Euro.
It was less than that in Prague.

Since we have 5 to 6 beers on tap in our home bar, we have no need (or desire) to go out.

Offline fredthecat

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Re: what are some example prices you pay for beer at local stores or the bar?
« Reply #13 on: January 13, 2021, 09:32:50 pm »
Most of the European cities that we visit have draft beer much cheaper than back here. In Frankfurt, about 3.25 Euro for a half liter.
In Amsterdam, during Happy Hour, a .5 liter of Heineken is 3 Euro.
It was less than that in Prague.

Since we have 5 to 6 beers on tap in our home bar, we have no need (or desire) to go out.

so... how many of them are you?

Offline 4dogbrewer

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Re: what are some example prices you pay for beer at local stores or the bar?
« Reply #14 on: January 14, 2021, 05:07:25 am »
www.thebeerstore.ca

Prices will be going up this spring because of greedy governments.