OT: Beer Prices ?

[(PeteCresswell)]

Has anybody taken the time to compare beer prices between their local beer distributor and various other retail outlets?

[trader_4]

Not sure what you mean. You first say distributor, then retail.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per trader_4:

Bad choice of words on my part.

I call the local beer retailer a "Beer Distributor"... Mea Culpa.

What I really meant was comparing the guy who sells nothing but beer with various other retailers like grocery stores and the like.

[trader_4]

In that case, can't help you out. In NJ I don't know of any places that sell just beer. And grocery stores don't sell beer either. It's mostly in liquor stores that sell beer, wine and liquor. I guess there might be some places that are exclusively wine, but IDK of any that are just beer or beer/wine.

[Mayayana]

| Has anybody taken the time to compare beer prices between their local | beer distributor and various other retail outlets?

For what it's worth.... I used to brew my own beer and now I'm very picky about what I buy, so I'm not sure my info will be useful to people who might be buying cases of Bud Light and want to compare the local package store with Costco, or some such. I also live in MA, where beer and other alcoholic drinks can only be sold at licensed "package stores"

I've been buying only Peak Organic Amber and Fresh Cut for a long time now. I haven't bought watered down beer since high school. (Back when Michelob was the new, "fancy" beer. :) Most popular beer is watered down. Even the popular beers that may be all malt in some cases, like Sam Adams or Harpoon, have been weakened to appeal to mass market. There are lots of beers in New England like that: Mild beer with outdoorsy mountain themes, for people who like to appreciate quality but who don't really like beer.

Given all that, I'd distinguish 3 categories:

1) The mass market products like Bud/Miller/Coors.

Miller doesn't even use hops. They long ago extracted a chemical from hops to use in place of the real thing, because real beer skunks in clear bottles. Bud adds rice. They all reduce malt content to save money and make the beer less "beery" tasting. What they all have in common is a target market that cares mainly about brand image and cheap price. Their customers want weak beer, with little flavor, to drink in volume.

2) The mass market "quality" beers (like Blue Moon, made by Coors) and the down-market "quality" beers like Sam Adams, Harpoon, Long Trail, etc. [The mass market pseudo-microbrews are recognizable because they're available everywhere. Blue Moon signs in bars are now nearly as ubiquitous as Bud signs.] Their target market is willing to pay a bit more for a beer they believe is specially made in some way.

3) High quality, all-malt beer, which by necessity has a limited market reach.

Category 1 is available anywhere, like Coke and Pepsi. Category 2 is available in some stores, especially in urban areas. Category 3 is available only in a limited way. Since I drink a category 3 beer I'm lucky to find it and can't do much research on cost. Nevertheless, I still find surprising differences:

My local store sells it for $10/six-pack. Another store in town sells it for $11. I've seen it higher. The closest store used to sell it for something like $11.50, but now they don't carry it. I can get it cheaper in cases, but the cheap store won't stock cases, and the second cheapest store doesn't offer any bargain. The biggest stores in my area often don't stock the beers I like at all.

[Ed Pawlowski]

State controlled here so there is no comparison to do.

[gfretwell]

We have a discount liquor outlet here (Total Wine) that sells beer cheaper than the grocery store, unless it is on sale at the grocery. The shop and rob places are a mixed bag but it is still less than a buck a 12 pack difference.

[Frank]

Right. State laws vary. Here in DE only liquor stores sell any alcoholic beverage. In nearby PA, there are beer stores and you can buy a 6 pack in a bar but only state stores sell wine and spirits. In Ohio wine and beer can be sold in all stores but state stores control spirits. In CA you can buy all anywhere.

DE gets a lot of out of state traffic because we have no sales tax. Every now and then PA sends revenuers into DE and MD to track down tax cheats.

[Don Y]

Are you buying (treating)? :>

[Arthur Conan Doyle]

Brings back a fond memory of one youthful summer in Ohio. IIRC 3.2 beer could be purchased in grocery stores. Regular beer had to be bought at a liquor store.

[notbob]

That's how it currently is in CO. Nothing but 3.2 beer in grocery stores and no food sold in liquor stores. IOW, no fruit pie with yer can o' Bud. Savages!

Alcohol is a state thing. How a state dispenses its hooch is up to that particular state. I've seen some screwy laws on that subject. The one thing all states seem to have down cold is how much to fine DUI offenders. How efficient of them. ;)

nb

[Don Y]

CT allowed beer (no silly "near beer") in grocery stores (I'll guess wine was also available -- never got into wine). Beer, wine and "spirits" sold at package stores.

Never saw anything that prevented foods from being sold (if you count things like "chips" as food).

Of course, they'd pull a giant "window shade" down over the beer display at 8PM -- though you were free to continue shopping for your other groceries!

Here (AZ), I see beer, wine and liquor for sale in grocery stores. Of course, they tend to favor beer and wine -- with only token liquors being addressed (not the same sort of selection you'd encounter in a packy). There are some large alcohol establishments (e.g., BevMo) as well.

ISTR this was comparable in IL -- though it may be that a separate (legal) entity holds the liquor license (e.g., often "drug stores" and "grocery stores" operated under the same roof; the liquor license may have been owned by the drug store?)

MA is too far back for me to remember. But, I *do* remember really LARGE stores (Martinelli's?) devoted to liver disintegration (i.e., the sorts of places where you use a shopping cart to make your purchases).

[Frank]

It's been 50 years since I went to grad school in Cleveland. I had chaperoned a couple of fraternity parties where they had kegs of 3.2 beer which students under 21 were allowed to drink. Can't recall much about it but beer most folks drink today is probably not much stronger.

[gfretwell]

In some cases that even dips down to the county level. Maryland was that way when I was there. In Montgomery County you could get beer and wine at the grocery store. Spirits were only at county stores. In Prince Georges, just south of them, no beer at the grocery store but they had private liquor stores. These places were closed on sunday. The next county south (Charles) was open on sunday and you could get a mixed drink at the drive through window. They gave you a mixer in a go cup with ice and a miniature on the side. The guy usually would pour it for you tho and throw away the bottle. I bet that has changed.

DUI really wasn't "that" illegal in those days. It certainly wasn't the priority it has become. If you could sign the speeding ticket without puking on the cop they told you to be careful and drove away. Sometimes they just drove away.

[gfretwell]

Alaska was that way when we were there. It was funny because you could go into a little general store sort of place and buy food, hardware and a bottle but when you checked out. you had to walk around to the other side of the counter to pay for the bottle. Same clerk and all, just a different register. Then they put it all in the same bag and sent you on your way. I think one of the other western states was like that too (Idaho? South Dakota?) Don't remember

[Don Y]

Arlington (MA) was *dry*. Step over the town line IN ANY DIRECTION and you could buy whatever you wanted...

[gregz]

Beer distributor 30 pack just over $20. Depends on brand. 6 pack at certain special outlets $7. Bars usually more for 6 pack here in pa. They just started allowing beer distributors to sell 12 packs. No 6 packs at beer distributors.

Greg

[Ed Pawlowski]

PA has some interesting laws to protect everyone in their niche. Beer distributors can only sell full cases (now 12 packs) but bars and delis can only sell up to a couple of quarts.

Liquor and wine are only sold in state owned stores. It was not even self service until the mid 1960s. Used to be you told a clerk what you wanted and he went into the back room to get it.

[Steve Stone]

In my area beer is cheaper at the grocery store, especially imported beer.

[Pavel314]

My favorite is Moosehead, a Canadian beer. A beer joke from my Canadian friends:

Why is drinking American beer like making love in a canoe?

Because it's f***ing close to water!

Paul