Does anyone buy really expensive ales?

Question

I like quality beer - Czech pilsners, Bavarian Weis, etc. However, I don't pay more than $3-4/bottle of beer at specialty liquor stores. I was wondering if there are many people who pay $6, $8 or even $12/bottle of ale. If so, how many do you buy? Do you just drink one bottle to savor it over dinner or you drink more, take it to a party, etc.?

Answer 1

I've up to $15 for a .375 L bottle. If it is something special especially a barrel aged sour it is worth it. If a certain brewer charges a lot for a bottle and it's simply because of status I won't do it.

Answer 2

In most cases 'good' beer really isn't that much more expensive than the alterative.  If you consider ABV vs. servings then you generally wind up with either the same cost or marginally more.  This doesn't account for price gouging, imports, and special edition beers but you catch my drift.

With that said I regularly pay what some people would call a high price for beer but to me it's simply the value of the beer.  Lambic takes a lot of care to make so I understand the cost, Belgian quads take both time and raw ingredients so I get that, barrel aged double coffee cherry licorice porters are obviously a bit rare and weird so I also get that...  

I have purchased some outrageously expensive beers in the past but these were generally extremely rare beers or imported beers from very small breweries.

2 that come to mind are...

Westveleteren 12 = ~$26 for a single 11.2oz bottle

Brew Dog IPA = $17 for a 22.4oz bottle

I usually save them for special occassions or cellar them (possibly for trades later).  If I drink them I almost always cook with regards to the beer.

Answer 3

It depends on what type and brand of ale I am buying as well as the size of the bottle.

If I am buying something that comes in a larger bottle, I would only buy one at a time unless it is something that I really like or that I don’t see everyday.  Flemish red ales would fit into the latter category with me.  I’ve been known to buy as many as two or three bottles at a time.  

When it comes to the really expensive vintage ales, I only buy one or two bottles.  I drink one immediately and age the other for a period of time.  I’ve done that with beers such as the vintage, barrel-aged beers like J.W. Lees Harvest Ales and some of their other beers.

Most of the time, I try to have really special beers, ales or not, by themselves so that I can fully appreciate their unique flavors.  I have had beers paired with food before and although the pairings were generally good, you do lose some of the flavor profile of the beer to the food in my opinion.  Also, there is always the possibility that the pairing won’t work out and the taste might be off.  This is especially the case with beers, as many brewers realize that their vintage ales don’t have the same exact consistency from year to year as vintage wines.

Answer 4

I buy much the same beers as others here. I do like to purchase a case for Barleywines that I plan on cellaring so that is an increased expense.

I have always enjoyed Belgian Abbey and Trappist ales. The increases in availability and quality production techniques has increased their $. But many styles of Belgian orgins are quality and perhaps a bit elevated in price (justly so).

Kwak, St Sixtus, Deus, Duvel, Chimay, St. Bernardus, Corsendonk are a few.

I still have a single bottle of Utopias from the last production year (not this year -d**n!).

Save them/Savior them/tastings/etc.

Answer 5

I buy kriek lambic at around $14 for a 750ml and if you ever tried it you would too! you can get the smaller one for about $7

Answer 6

I have purchased Chamay, a Belgium Tappist Monk ale for around $7 for a 16OZ. bottle.