Craft beer - off sale prices

yknaa

I've noticed lately the rise in the price of Irish craft beers which may well be down to the recent budget. The majority now are well over €3 per bottle. I really hope they do not price themselves out of the market as the mainstream beers seem to remain at the 3 for a €5 bracket. Would these rising costs put you off purchasing?

squonk

Depends on the beer and if I particularly like it. I can get a 500ml Leann Follain in Tesco and elsewhere for ~€2.90 so that's grand. If it got pricier then I'm start to question things. Also, you're not going to be knocking back LF at the same rate as you'd be glugging Miller for instance. I still think the LF is better value!

Big Nasty

Superquinn and Tesco do fairly good deals on craft beer that works out around €2 / bottle. Prefer SQ's selection myself.

Ruben Remus

yknaa wrote: »

I've noticed lately the rise in the price of Irish craft beers which may well be down to the recent budget. The majority now are well over €3 per bottle. I really hope they do not price themselves out of the market as the mainstream beers seem to remain at the 3 for a €5 bracket. Would these rising costs put you off purchasing?

Good post. I've noticed this with craft beers in general both in pubs and off-licences. For instance, a pint of Irish craft beer in The Oslo in Galway used to be €4.40 but is now €4.55. Not a massive increase, obviously, but it adds up.

One off-licence I frequent had the Dungarvan beers at 4 for €10 up to a few weeks ago. Now it's 3 for €10 - an increase of 83 cent per bottle.

I was also charged a whopping €6.50 for a pint of Brewdog's 5AM Saint in Galway pub The Townhouse recently. I paid it, grudgingly, but left after that one pint and won't be returning in a hurry.

Craft beers have been growing in popularity but, as you said, increasing prices could hinder that progress.

Passenger

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Superquinn and Tesco do fairly good deals on craft beer that works out around €2 / bottle. Prefer SQ's selection myself.

Do Superquinn do any deals on craft beer? Like 6 bottles for e10 etc. Tesco and O'Brien's do similar.

slayerking

Passenger wrote: »

Do Superquinn do any deals on craft beer? Like 6 bottles for e10 etc. Tesco and O'Brien's do similar.

Superquinn do 6 for the price of 5 deal on craft beers and they've also recently done a big push in supporting Irish craft beer which is great.

Passenger

slayerking wrote: »

Superquinn do 6 for the price of 5 deal on craft beers and they've also recently done a big push in supporting Irish craft beer which is great.

Ah great. Will give them a visit and see what they have so.

Ravelleman

slayerking wrote: »

Superquinn do 6 for the price of 5 deal on craft beers and they've also recently done a big push in supporting Irish craft beer which is great.

The individual prices are very high though - the Tesco deal, despite its terrible selection at the moment, is much better value in my eyes.

Sky King

My local offie was selling 330ml Irish craft beer for E2.40 a bottle. That's E14.40 for a six bottle pack of beers!

I don't mind paying over the odds for a nicer tasting beer, especially if it's brewed in Ireland but that's way too expensive.

So I bought some beer that came all the way from america but was somehow cheaper

irish_goat

Sky King wrote: »

So I bought some beer that came all the way from america but was somehow cheaper

It probably didn't come from America...

Sky King

It came from America.

*Edit* And it had more beer in the bottle and a higher ABV, yet was still cheaper.

kindalen

Is most irish craft beer actually bottled in the uk?

BeerNut

O'Hara's (500mls), Trouble, Hooker, Hilden and Franciscan Well (500mls) are all bottled in Britain. I think Crean's may be as well.

Porterhouse, Eight Degrees, Dungarvan, Whitewater, Kinnegar, and West Kerry bottle their own on-site. Franciscan Well bottles its own 1L bottles and the O'Hara's 330mls are done by C&C in Clonmel.

I don't know about Donegal Brewing Co.

slayerking

Sky King wrote: »

It came from America.

*Edit* And it had more beer in the bottle and a higher ABV, yet was still cheaper.

What was the beer?

Hogzy

I really do think the craft beers are a little too expensive. As has been pointed out. €14-€15 for a 6 pack of 330ml beers is mad. Nowadays when im buying, ill never get more than 2 bottles and that would be a treat for myself.

I was reading an article recently (think it might have been the Irish Examiner) about the expected growth of craft beer in Ireland being around 70-80% over the next year. I really dont see that happening if the prices remain as high as they are now.

Big Nasty

To be fair the cost to produce a pint of macro beer is at the very least half of what it costs to produce a micro or craft beer. Therefore craft beer both in pubs and off licenses tends to be very good value, at least on paper anyway.

That said I'm adverse to paying more than €2 for a beer in a supermarket / off license which is why I normally go for the SQ selection.

Hogzy

MCMLXXV wrote: »

To be fair the cost to produce a pint of macro beer is at the very least half of what it costs to produce a micro or craft beer. Therefore craft beer both in pubs and off licenses tends to be very good value, at least on paper anyway.

Pint of BrewDog is usually €6-€6.50, A 330ml can is 2.70 in my local off license. Considering the over heads of having a pub are much higher than that of an off license then either the pubs are making feck all from the pints of craft beer they sell or the off licenses are making a lot of money from each sale.

Big Nasty

My point was craft brewers are selling their products at a lot less mark up than macros.

Slattsy

A pint of O'Hara's LF is €6.50 in a boozer near me.
You'd want to be off your head to pay that.

Sky King

Agreed.

suicide_circus

Agreed. Prices appear to be creeping up. There is a certain price:quality ratio which i can justify and tipping point.has been reached as far as my wallet is concerned
In the offie now I find myself buying maybe two quality beers to start with and then 4 cheap mass produced bottles to make up the numbers.

Sky King

I can buy a 500ml of quality ale for €2 in Aldi. This is versus €2.40 for a 330ml bottle of Irish micro brewed ale in an offie.

I don't mind paying a little more in an offie or because it's a local brewery or whatever but when it's 80% more expensive they can feck off.

Ruben Remus

The O'Shea's ales/stout in Aldi represent probably the best value for money in terms of craft beer in Ireland today. €1.85 for 500ml brewed by O'Hara's/Carlow Brewing is a great deal.

Guyett

The carlow brewing company stuff is not too expensive as shops can get it direct from the company themselves. I work in an off licence and we stock a fairly decent supply of craft beers. The beer we buy from one certain supplier has gone up massively since the budget (80-90 cent a bottle!! budget increase should only be 10-20 cent a bottle)
What could have happened is that craft beer suppliers might be selling to restaurants and bars at an increased sales price now and the off licences now are being forced to buy craft beers at those prices which is farcical if they want their range to keep being stocked.

Geuze

Slattsy wrote: »

A pint of O'Hara's LF is €6.50 in a boozer near me.
You'd want to be off your head to pay that.

5.00 for 50cl bottle in the Swagman, Wine street, Sligo.

Guyett

its 5.70 in Duffys in Malahide

Ravelleman

€5.20 in Against the Grain last time I was there. I thought that was pretty reasonable, to be honest.

Technocentral

Craft Ciders are really pricy now to, around 4.39 - 4.49 for 500ml means they are a very rare treat for me nowadays.

Colonel Sanders

A lot of people I know are set in their ways mainstream beer drinkers and always will be

Others are open to suggestion but when they come face to face with 15 bottles of Miller for €15 or €3 for a craft bottle (albeit a 500ml craft bottle) I know which they'll choose.

I'm not a "session" drinker really, very rarely go "on the beer". My usual is 2 bottles one evening a week so I don't mind paying a bit of a premium but people having parties etc in their houses are going to buy cheaper stuff. If prices increase any more I'll never go back to macro but I will definitely reduce my intake even more so

yknaa

Ruben Remus wrote: »

The O'Shea's ales/stout in Aldi represent probably the best value for money in terms of craft beer in Ireland today. €1.85 for 500ml brewed by O'Hara's/Carlow Brewing is a great deal.

Totally agree and the O'Shea's brew is lovely.

For me the tipping point is over €3 per bottle in an off-license/supermarket. Like a previous poster I'll buy a few but will also top up with a mainstream cheaper product.

Lyaiera

yknaa wrote: »

For me the tipping point is over €3 per bottle in an off-license/supermarket. Like a previous poster I'll buy a few but will also top up with a mainstream cheaper product.

I've talked to a few of the brewers who are totally happy with people doing that, and actually advise people to take that strategy. They want people to buy one or two bottles of their good beers to start the night with and then if they feel they're too expensive, once they're a bit lubricated move onto something cheaper and with less flavour.

If everyone in the country started off with two craft beers before moving onto Tuborg or Fosters in pubs, or bottles of Miller at home craft beer would still grow hugely.

Ravelleman

Lyaiera wrote: »

If everyone in the country started off with two craft beers before moving onto Tuborg or Fosters in pubs, or bottles of Miller at home craft beer would still grow hugely.

The problem is that this seems to limit them to the market of enthusiasts who drink one or two beers for the taste experience. If that's how they think then they may never reach the point where the less discerning buyer actually purchases a couple of craft beers to 'warm up'. They're mixing up two distinct drinking mentalities. That's that not to say that the two groups are mutually exclusive.

Anyway, I'm not sure how sound that is from a growth point of view. Perhaps they've thought it out better than I have.

Technocentral

Lyaiera wrote: »

I've talked to a few of the brewers who are totally happy with people doing that, and actually advise people to take that strategy. They want people to buy one or two bottles of their good beers to start the night with and then if they feel they're too expensive, once they're a bit lubricated move onto something cheaper and with less flavour.

If everyone in the country started off with two craft beers before moving onto Tuborg or Fosters in pubs, or bottles of Miller at home craft beer would still grow hugely.

Silly strategy, I never drink the lager piss of the kind you mention so I'm hardly going to go on to drink it after good beers!

Mr Benevolent

Sky King wrote: »

My local offie was selling 330ml Irish craft beer for E2.40 a bottle. That's E14.40 for a six bottle pack of beers!

Pffft, I've paid €50 for a six pack of Westvletern and it was worth it.

Ruben Remus

Mr Benevolent wrote: »

Pffft, I've paid €50 for a six pack of Westvletern and it was worth it.

Look at Mr Moneybags over there...

Sky King

Mr Benevolent wrote: »

Pffft, I've paid €50 for a six pack of Westvletern and it was worth it.

Well done.

Mr Benevolent

Sky King wrote: »

Well done.

Try it, you'll agree with me. The world's best beer - bar none.

Scortho

Mr Benevolent wrote: »

Pffft, I've paid €50 for a six pack of Westvletern and it was worth it.

In Ireland?
if so where?

Mr Benevolent

Scortho wrote: »

In Ireland?
if so where?

McHugh's in Killester. Most very good offies will have it.

Scortho

Mr Benevolent wrote: »

McHugh's in Killester. Most very good offies will have it.

Hmm the missus will probably kill me but ah well i might pick up a pack

Heroditas

Technocentral wrote: »

Craft Ciders are really pricy now to, around 4.39 - 4.49 for 500ml means they are a very rare treat for me nowadays.

Brewers find it hard to purchase apples at low prices. Bulmers have the market sewn up.
I can't remember where I heard that, think BeerNut might have said it once.

BeerNut

A lot of the cider producers (they're not brewers) have their own apple supply, so it's not that. Cider is just more expensive to make. There's no reason to suppose it should be priced similar to beer just because they're both long drinks.

pleasant Co.

BeerNut wrote: »

There's no reason to suppose it should be priced similar to beer just because they're both long drinks.

My thinking would be that they're in direct competition with craft beers, so would want to be comparably priced, but if that isn't cost effective then what can be done.

BeerNut

pleasant Co. wrote: »

if that isn't cost effective then what can be done.

Teach customers the difference between cider and beer. It's basically the same as the difference between wine and beer. Squeezy fruit vs. boiley grain.

Also: teach customers the difference between cider and alcopops-pretending-to-be-cider, like Bulmer's.

Scortho

pleasant Co. wrote: »

My thinking would be that they're in direct competition with craft beers, so would want to be comparably priced, but if that isn't cost effective then what can be done.

They're not. They're in direct competition with the likes of bulmers. Likewise craft beers are in competition with the likes of Heineken and bud.

For example
I drink beer. I don't like cider that much. Stonewells and aspall are nice but I prefer ales better so I'm nearly always going to go for the craft beer option.

On the other hand a lot if my friends won't drink beer but will drink cider. While its hard for me to convince them to try the likes of leann folainn, it's easier to convince them to try something like stonewells!

pleasant Co.

Scortho wrote: »

They're not. They're in direct competition with the likes of bulmers. Likewise craft beers are in competition with the likes of Heineken and bud.

For example
I drink beer. I don't like cider that much. Stonewells and aspall are nice but I prefer ales better so I'm nearly always going to go for the craft beer option.

On the other hand a lot if my friends won't drink beer but will drink cider. While its hard for me to convince them to try the likes of leann folainn, it's easier to convince them to try something like stonewells!

It looks like you're saying that in your experience there are only beer drinkers, and only cider drinkers and no drinkers of both. I don't disagree with Beernut's point, but yours doesn't hold water for me.

Scortho

pleasant Co. wrote: »

It looks like you're saying that in your experience there are only beer drinkers, and only cider drinkers and no drinkers of both. I don't disagree with Beernut's point, but yours doesn't hold water for me.

It is in my experience. Most of which is among students though so it may be more skewed.

At the end of the day if I love my ales, im not going to be going to buy craft cider because its 50c cheaper.

Don't get me wrong, there are people who drink both, but there's also a lot who'd drink one or the other.

Craft cider doesn't need to compete with craft beer, it needs to compete with mainstream cider brands.
And likewise for craft beer. Craft beers external competition is the mainstream beers and internally it's its fellow craft brewers.
With my friends who I know are bulmers drinkers, im not going to go plonk a porter or ipa down in front of them, I'm going to give them something made from apples by a craft maker.
Then when I've convinced them that many non advertised ciders are tastier than the advertised ill try progress them onto beer.

I used to only drink cider. It was palatable when I started drinking 3 years ago compared to Budweiser or Heineken. Then I ended up having an erdinger and realised that there was such a thing as nice beer!
I have had cider a few times since, but it doesn't do it for me to the same extent as beer.

BeerNut

Scortho wrote: »

mainstream cider brands.

There aren't any. Bulmer's and Stonewell have as much in common as Buckfast and the Kiwi pinot noir of your choice.

Scortho

BeerNut wrote: »

There aren't any. Bulmer's and Stonewell have as much in common as Buckfast and the Kiwi pinot noir of your choice.

True, but what the mass market considers cider is different to what you consider cider!
Likewise what You consider as beer eg. Mikkeler beer geek breakfast is totally different to what the market considers as beer eg Heineken.
The only thing that Heineken and mikkeller have in common is that they're in liquid form and contain alcohol.
I'd say if you were to ask most of the people outside of this forum to name a brand of beer, it'd be a mainstream one.

BeerNut

I disagree. Heineken and Mikkeller are made from the same stuff in a way that Bulmers and Stonewell aren't.

Scortho

BeerNut wrote: »

I disagree. Heineken and Mikkeller are made from the same stuff in a way that Bulmers and Stonewell aren't.

Now I'm confused!
Care to elaborate please?