Craft Beer: Prices and Snobishness!

squonk

Much a I love Craft Beer, I got put off lately by two things,

1. The Price. The pub I regularly drink in (and I'm not naming and shaming here as I like the place and the staff are a great bunch) hiked their prices lately to the point where it costs me a fiver for their own brews. I think that's crazy. For beers, in Galway the place is one of the more expensive around. Now, the beer is good and the atmosphere is great but after a while you start to think that a few 'bargains of the week' might be in order so that you don't end up shelling out a fiver minimum for every point. They operate a loyalty scheme whereby you get a free pint after every 10 pints of their own brew bought but even that used to be a free pint after every six bought. I'd imagine this pricing is a bit of a turn off. Yes, we'll all go along and keep going but for new punters the prices are obviously higher and may be offputting. Over time too, as life catches up with us, many of us might not have the luxury to go out as often as we like to pubs serving our fancy beer as it costs more to go there than to the local down the road. While pubs are full now, that might not continue over time, especially as offies get more up to speed and stock a lot of good beer nowadays.

2. Snobishness. I was sitting in the same pub lately and asked where the Friar Weisse tap had gone. I got told that they wouldn't be stocking Fran Well from now on because they were sellouts. I thought it was a bit ironic given the Blue Moon tap sitting just feet away from me at the time . Personally I haven't an issue with Fran Well. They've managed to make money out of what they're doing. They produce nice beer and have been lucky enough to sell to a large multinational. Good luck to the guys. I could see a case where if I could buy Fran Well stuff in every old pub or offie ( and I know MC are pushing to make this more of a reality) then, yes, by all means, drop the brewery but I don't think that time has come yet. O'Hara's will never be stocked in the same pub also as management disagree with their marketing methods apparently.

At the end of the day, I, and probably most of us, want to go for a pint and don't want politics or high prices getting in the way of our enjoyment of good beer. it all can be a bit much at times!

ASJ112

In fairness your issues seem to be against one specific franchise of pubs rather than "Craft beer" in general. Plenty of us have complained about that group's pricing before and they are really gouging as much money out of the craft beer scene before other pubs get into it. Who can blame them though they are a business.

As much as I love brewdog punk ipa, am not a huge fan of paying 6.60 for it. Am not sure how much choice you have in Galway, but luckily we have other places to go that aren't ripping us off. 4 euro for Metalman is pretty good.


If you are going to get annoyed by every stupid opinion regarding craft beer, ie: Franciscan Well selling out, you will lose your hair in frustration. They probably just want to sell their own galway bay beers and expensive imports rather than supporting potential competition.

Geuze

I know this pub, I have been there 5-10 times over the last year.

Last week they had four house beers. Two were 4.55, two were 5.00, I think.

4.55 does not seem too much out of line compared to other Irish "craft beers"??

I pay 4.50 for Bo Bristle. Ok, I can get Galway Hooker for 4.20 in a pub that has a lot of volume, and so the prices are keener.

Seaneh

Well just to address some of the points raised in the op.
Yes their prices for their own brews have raised in the last year but that has 2 or 3 factors. They are all a higher abv than they were last summer, since the new brewer took over the recipes have all ben rejiged, the formerly English Pale Ale is now an American IPA, the porter is now a stout and the red is a totally different beer, added to that they have a seasonal which is jam packed with super expensive New Zealand hops and they have no choice but to raise prices, their overheads have also massively increased since they just invested a **** ton of money in a brand new brewery and bottling line. But still, 4.55 for their ipa or red ale is decent value and €5 is a good price for their stout considering the cost of production (lactose and cocoa are not cheap). Their New Zealand IPA is the weakest link but still, its an expensive brew ans I commend their willingness to experiment.

Now to address the apparent hypocrisy in stocking Bluemoon but not stocking FW beers, that is because of a contractual obligation for all bars in the company to stock bluemoon in exchange for Molson paying for all of their hoarding and canopies on their buildings.
The particular bar in question stopped selling Friar Weisse because it didn't sell, was very inconsistent and had the highest wastage of all their draft beers on top of being the worst seller of all the draft beers in the pub so there was no point continuing to sell it. They instead replaced it with Schneiderweisse tap 1 which is an infinitely better heffe.

As for not stocking O'Hara's, that comes from the same problem a lot of bars have had with Carlow almost completely ignoring the domestic market ans focusing on their export and contract concerns.
I know a pub in the midlands where a top player in Carlow Brewing spent an evening trying to convince a publican to take on their red ale on draft and when the publican agreed gave hima a card with the breweries number and his direct office number but when the publican followed up 2 days later about getting a Tap installed and stocking the Ted he was continually fobbed off and told "we will get to you asap". 3 weeks later and no sign of a tap being installed or a rep calling him back and the publican installed another Irish beer instead.

Oh, and the pub in the op do stock Leann Follain, and would gladly stock more O'Hara's beers if Carlow showed even a passing interest in servicing the domestic market.

Bogsnorkler

Friarweisse is awful inconsistent in fairness. Worst of the FW's beers by a distance IMO.

irish_goat

Seaneh wrote: »

Oh, and the pub in the op do stock Leann Follain, and would gladly stock more O'Hara's beers if Carlow showed even a passing interest in servicing the domestic market.

To be fair to O'Hara's none of us on here know how their business operates. They started off as an export focused company and they have a contract to supply every Aldi in Ireland and every M&S in the UK so they may not even have the capacity to fully tap into the domestic market. I imagine there's a lot more to the relationship between Carlow and the Cottage Group than simply frustration at their "marketing methods".

Saruman

Just coming to a little more defence of the pub group we all know you are talking about

It might be 10 stamps but those 10 stamps can be gotten more quickly because you get stamped for food purchases over €5. So heading in with your partner. Having 2 pints and main course each will give you 6 stamps. More than half full from a fleeting visit. The stamps are per item so if you have a starter and desert each, that's your 10 right there.
Of course, you are probably better off using their €15 three course meal option. Only one stamp for that but you save a lot of money.
Those prices are based on my Dublin options by the way.

On the other hand, JW Sweetman can charge €4 for all of their in house brews.

Lovely Bloke

Seaneh wrote: »

Now to address the apparent hypocrisy in stocking Bluemoon but not stocking FW beers, that is because of a contractual obligation for all bars in the company to stock bluemoon in exchange for Molson paying for all of their hoarding and canopies on their buildings.

Ok, so the barman was either being a bit of a smartarse by saying they stopped selling it because they "sold out", or he was uninformed and decided to take this tack himself, in which case, he should probably be reprimanded - it's bad form in any business to be bad mouthing the competition.

Did MC happen upon the Blue Moon brand in the same manner as they have acquired FW?

Are they appearing at this year's RDS Festival?

Saruman

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Did MC happen upon the Blue Moon brand in the same manner as they have acquired FW?

No, Blue moon is completely a coors baby. Born and raised in their brewery in Colorado.

irish_goat

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Are they appearing at this year's RDS Festival?

FW will be as far as I know.

Lovely Bloke

Saruman wrote: »

No, Blue moon is completely a coors baby. Born and raised in their brewery in Colorado.

ha, you quoted and answered a different question :P

Saruman

Yeah, fixed it but too late it seems.

squonk

Thanks for the info Seaneh! Your points about the Bay Ale and the Pale Ale changing completely are something I didn't know! I might need to go back to sample those as if they're new then I'll definitely be trying them out. Yes, Schneider Weisse on tap is always good! Thanks for the well-informed post!

Lovely Bloke

squonk wrote: »

Thanks for the info Seaneh! Your points about the Bay Ale and the Pale Ale changing completely are something I didn't know! I might need to go back to sample those as if they're new then I'll definitely be trying them out. Yes, Schneider Weisse on tap is always good! Thanks for the well-informed post!

You definitely should, I found them to be pretty undrinkable when they first appeared, but now, they are making some of the best craft beer on the island, and if it's gotten even better then that's another great step.

Their milk stout in particular is a fantastic beer.

oblivious

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Did MC happen upon the Blue Moon brand in the same manner as they have acquired FW?

No, sandpits lots where their craft wing brewpub in Colorado, they have bee very successful at the American beer festival

Colonel Sanders

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Their milk stout in particular is a fantastic beer.

Agreed. Surprisingly a few Guinness drinkers with no interest in craft agreed when I brought them recently

One commented "it's hard to go near Guinness after that (not just buried at sea but also Leann Follain & a few other bottled stouts) it's bland in comparison"

I told him not to go back to Guinness!

Blisterman

To be fair, the cost of producing a craft beer is generally several times higher than that of a macro brew. For the likes of Budweiser, Carlsberg, etc. we're talking pennies a pint before tax, so obviously the price is going to be higher. Same as any premium product.

Personally I think a fiver for a pint of top quality beer is a bargain.

Geuze

Blisterman wrote: »

To be fair, the cost of producing a craft beer is generally several times higher than that of a macro brew. For the likes of Budweiser, Carlsberg, etc. we're talking pennies a pint before tax, so obviously the price is going to be higher. Same as any premium product.

Personally I think a fiver for a pint of top quality beer is a bargain.

I wouldn't quite call 5.00 per pint a bargain, but I accept that production costs for small breweries are way higher than for large plants.

In Nurnberg pubs this Easter I paid 2.60-3.20 for 50cl of Franconian landbier.

(Ok, ok, our excise duty is maybe 40-50c from memory, but don't microbreweries pay just half excise??)

irish_goat

Geuze wrote: »

I wouldn't quite call 5.00 per pint a bargain, but I accept that production costs for small breweries are way higher than for large plants.

In Nurnberg pubs this Easter I paid 2.60-3.20 for 50cl of Franconian landbier.

(Ok, ok, our excise duty is maybe 40-50c from memory, but don't microbreweries pay just half excise??)

Consider also though that everything in Germany is cheaper for a brewery. Raw materials, equipment etc is all made there.

Speak Now

Did Carlow brewing open a pub in Kilkenny?

irish_goat

Jerry Seinfeld wrote: »

Did Carlow brewing open a pub in Kilkenny?

https://www.facebook.com/brewery.corner

It's nice.

Colonel Sanders

irish_goat wrote: »

https://www.facebook.com/brewery.corner

It's nice.

Tis!

Only been there once however. My wife is from Kilkenny so must get myself down again ASAP!

Ruben Remus

Seaneh wrote: »

€5 is a good price for their stout considering the cost of production

I'm sorry, I just fundamentally disagree with this. It's brewed on site, no transport expenses, a relatively weak ABV, and it still costs 45 cent more than, say Metalman or Eight Degrees beers which had to be bought in and transported a fair distance.

Buried at Sea is good but I won't pay €5 a pint for it.

As it stands, I've been cutting back on pints in the pub since the prices of Irish craft beers started to creep up.

Saruman

Ruben Remus wrote: »

I'm sorry, I just fundamentally disagree with this. It's brewed on site, no transport expenses, a relatively weak ABV, and it still costs 45 cent more than, say Metalman or Eight Degrees beers which had to be bought in and transported a fair distance.

Buried at Sea is good but I won't pay €5 a pint for it.

As it stands, I've been cutting back on pints in the pub since the prices of Irish craft beers started to creep up.

Whatever about the price when it gets to Dublin, at the source it should be cheaper than that.

Seaneh

Ruben Remus wrote: »

I'm sorry, I just fundamentally disagree with this. It's brewed on site, no transport expenses, a relatively weak ABV, and it still costs 45 cent more than, say Metalman or Eight Degrees beers which had to be bought in and transported a fair distance.

Buried at Sea is good but I won't pay €5 a pint for it.

As it stands, I've been cutting back on pints in the pub since the prices of Irish craft beers started to creep up.

I can guarantee you that Burried at sea, which is more than 1% abv higher than any of the regular 8 degrees beers or and the metal man beers, has cocoanibs and lactose in its recipe as well as a lot of expensive malts and hops, costs significantly more to produce than metalman or 8 Degrees standard beers.


And you also have to factor in that they (galway bay) just spent well north of 150k on a brand new brewery which dwarfs both of the mentioned breweries in capacity. They price their beers at the most competitive point they can.

Ravelleman

I had Buried at Sea for €5.50 today in the Black Sheep. It was slightly more than I expected to pay but, considering that Dark Arts was €5.10 in the same establishment, I'm not sure I would be outraged by the price. I suppose you could expect the whole vertical integration thing to lead to lower prices but we're not talking about Tesco; this is a pretty small operation.

In the year 2038, when all the new brewing equipment has been paid off, I'm sure we'll be saying that whatever, €17, is a good price for a pint anyway.

BaZmO*

Ravelleman wrote: »

In the year 2038, when all the new brewing equipment has been paid off, I'm sure we'll be saying that whatever, €17, is a good price for a pint anyway.

Haha, Euro?!? We'll be back to using punts by then! :P

Knifey Spoony

Seaneh wrote: »

And you also have to factor in that they (galway bay) just spent well north of 150k on a brand new brewery which dwarfs both of the mentioned breweries in capacity. They price their beers at the most competitive point they can.

Just curious here, but with the new brewery are there any plans to bottle any of there beers? Or are they even in bottles now? Just that I've heard so much about their beers (especially the Milk Stout) that I really want to try them, but I've never seen any of their stuff down around Cork.

irish_goat

Knifey Spoony wrote: »

Just curious here, but with the new brewery are there any plans to bottle any of there beers? Or are they even in bottles now? Just that I've heard so much about their beers (especially the Milk Stout) that I really want to try them, but I've never seen any of their stuff down around Cork.

As far as I know a bottling line is being put in. They're focusing on installing their new tanks and stuff first just.

Ruben Remus

Seaneh wrote: »

Burried at sea, which is more than 1% abv higher than any of the regular 8 degrees beers or and the metal man beers

No it's not.

According to the blurb about it on the wall in The Oslo it's 4.5%, which is just a shade higher than Metalman pale ale and lower than any of the Eight Degrees beers.

Seaneh wrote: »

And you also have to factor in that they (galway bay) just spent well north of 150k on a brand new brewery which dwarfs both of the mentioned breweries in capacity. They price their beers at the most competitive point they can.

No, as a consumer, I don't have to factor that in. It was a business decision that they made which has absolutely no bearing on what I choose to do with my money. I wish them all the best with it, but they're a business, not a charity.

I only have a limited amount of money to spend on beer so I look for what can give me the best quality/value for the price paid. If I have €10 in my pocket for beer, I can currently spend it on

a) 5 bottles of Leann Follain in Dunnes
or
b) 2 pints of own-brand stout at the Cottage Group pubs

That's not a difficult decision for me.
.

Saruman

Ruben Remus wrote: »

If I have €10 in my pocket for beer, I can currently spend it on

a) 5 bottles of Leann Follain in Dunnes
or
b) 2 pints of own-brand stout at the Cottage Group pubs

That's not a difficult decision for me.
.

Two things. Firstly... 5 for €10 on Leann Follain in Dunnes? Nice one

Secondly, you can't compare the two. There's a reason many people still go to the pub to drink. It's probably the social aspect that's the main reason. You get something at the pub that you don't get at home.
There's also the fact that you are getting draft beer, something that is in my experience, almost always better than what's in the bottle. I don't buy bottled beer in pubs partly because of that and partly because I can get the bottle so much cheaper at an offie and drink it at home.
When I'm in a pub, I want a pint of beer from a tap, be that keg or cask.

Berty

Knifey Spoony wrote: »

Just curious here, but with the new brewery are there any plans to bottle any of there beers? Or are they even in bottles now? Just that I've heard so much about their beers (especially the Milk Stout) that I really want to try them, but I've never seen any of their stuff down around Cork.

irish_goat wrote: »

As far as I know a bottling line is being put in. They're focusing on installing their new tanks and stuff first just.

Noreast Beers http://www.facebook.com/NoreastBeers?ref=hl will be providing the route to Market for their beers on a Nationwide Basis outside of their group.



I can't wait to get my hands on their beers myself. You know....................for sampling purposes.

Ruben Remus

Saruman wrote: »

Two things. Firstly... 5 for €10 on Leann Follain in Dunnes? Nice one

Yep, I took advantage of that last week. O'Hara's pale ale, Old Peculier, and a few other decent beers are also included in the offer

Saruman wrote: »

Secondly, you can't compare the two. There's a reason many people still go to the pub to drink. It's probably the social aspect that's the main reason. You get something at the pub that you don't get at home.
There's also the fact that you are getting draft beer, something that is in my experience, almost always better than what's in the bottle. I don't buy bottled beer in pubs partly because of that and partly because I can get the bottle so much cheaper at an offie and drink it at home.
When I'm in a pub, I want a pint of beer from a tap, be that keg or cask.

I understand what you're saying and it's true that draft beer in a pub is fresher and generally more enjoyable than bottled beer at home.

But my point is that I only have x amount of money in total to spend on beer and the rising price of Irish craft is resulting in me visiting the pub less frequently and drinking bottled stuff at home more often. Ridiculous pricing like €5 a pop for Buried at Sea just a few feet from where it's brewed doesn't help matters.

Saruman

I understand, times are harder for some.
The good news is, now that they have their bottling machine, you will be able to buy their beers in an off license and drink them at home. Though I doubt you will get 5 for €10 deals.

Ravelleman

It will be nice to have an Irish milk stout in bottles, not that I'm tired of Left Hand or anything.

the beer revolu

Expecting the consumer to pay a premium to fund a large investment and expansion is a very flawed business model IMO.
I think there is a misconception that the craft beer market isn't price sensitive.
It will be interesting to see how pricing develops.

slayerking

Seaneh wrote: »

I can guarantee you that Burried at sea, which is more than 1% abv higher than any of the regular 8 degrees beers or and the metal man beers, has cocoanibs and lactose in its recipe as well as a lot of expensive malts and hops, costs significantly more to produce than metalman or 8 Degrees standard beers.

On their website, they list buried at sea as 4.5 %?

In general, its the hops that are the most expensive ingredient in a beer, so hop forward beers tend to cost alot more to produce. Buried at sea is not a hoppy beer, and cocoa nibs and lactose would only be used in small amounts overall (I dont think there too expensive anyway either). And malt is very cheap actually, regardless of type.
I'd take a guess that something like Metalman pale ale actually costs more to produce given that its quite hoppy.

Ingredients wise, beer is quite cheap to produce and the more you make, the cheaper it is. Its the equipment, tax/excise and cost to package/distribute that cost the most. Couple this with the fact that everyone along the supply chain takes a cut. Given the fact that these beers are brewed by themselves, there is virtually no chain, this is why their own beers should be infact cheaper to sell.

Seaneh

Knifey Spoony wrote: »

Just curious here, but with the new brewery are there any plans to bottle any of there beers? Or are they even in bottles now? Just that I've heard so much about their beers (especially the Milk Stout) that I really want to try them, but I've never seen any of their stuff down around Cork.

One of the owners is actually started the trip to The Netherlands on Wednesday to take delivery of the bottling line him self in one of their vans and as far as I know it will start being installed early next week with the bottles, hopefully, not far behind. the bottles and labels and caps are all in the brewery ready to go.

Seaneh

slayerking wrote: »

On their website, they list buried at sea as 4.5 %?

In general, its the hops that are the most expensive ingredient in a beer, so hop forward beers tend to cost alot more to produce. Buried at sea is not a hoppy beer, and cocoa nibs and lactose would only be used in small amounts overall (I dont think there too expensive anyway either). And malt is very cheap actually, regardless of type.
I'd take a guess that something like Metalman pale ale actually costs more to produce given that its quite hoppy.

Ingredients wise, beer is quite cheap to produce and the more you make, the cheaper it is. Its the equipment, tax/excise and cost to package/distribute that cost the most. Couple this with the fact that everyone along the supply chain takes a cut. Given the fact that these beers are brewed by themselves, there is virtually no chain, this is why their own beers should be infact cheaper to sell.

The website is incorrect, its the current batch is 5.3%, and it has been over 5.5% abv at times.

There is a mectric ****ton of cocoanibs in the brew as well, and they are anything but cheap, its not like they grow locally. And you'd be surprised about the IBU level of BAS, it's a lot hoppier than you'd realise, the hops are needed to stop the lactose from making it a sickly sweet desert beer.

Oh and as for hops being expensive, yet they are, but I can tell you now what Full Sail, which is probably the most hop forward continuous brew from any of the Irish breweries, costs less to make than BAS does.

The reason BAS and Voyager cost more than Full Sail and Bay Ale is they cost far more to make because of the speciality ingredients.

Seaneh

the beer revolu wrote: »

Expecting the consumer to pay a premium to fund a large investment and expansion is a very flawed business model IMO.
I think there is a misconception that the craft beer market isn't price sensitive.
It will be interesting to see how pricing develops.

They are still priced affordably, Full Sail and Bay ale are both, AFAIK, the cheapest beers in all of their bars (or the same price as other Irish craft beers @ €4.55 a pint in Salt house, The Cottage and The Oslo). The only ones that are more expensive are, shock horror, the ones that cost more to make.

Ruben Remus

Seaneh wrote: »

The website is incorrect, its the current batch is 5.3%, and it has been over 5.5% abv at times.

The description of the beer on the wall in The Oslo must also be incorrect, then, as it lists the ABV as 4.5%. How very odd that the brewery is misleading people as to the strength of its own beers.

Your claim that the Galway Bay beers "are still priced affordably" is extremely subjective. You might consider €5 a pint for Bured At Sea affordable but I, and I suspect many others, don't see it that way.

Saruman

Ruben Remus wrote: »

The description of the beer on the wall in The Oslo must also be incorrect, then, as it lists the ABV as 4.5%. How very odd that the brewery is misleading people as to the strength of its own beers.
.

That's a bit of a sensationalist statement. They are not misleading anyone. There have been different versions of the beer since it came out. It started off as a much stronger beer than it is now. It was 6% and then due to mashtun limitations, it was dropped to 4.5%
What it is now, I can't say for certain.
The most they can be accused of is laziness in updating their website etc.

Ruben Remus

Saruman wrote: »

That's a bit of a sensationalist statement. They are not misleading anyone.

Nothing sensationalist about it.

Seaneh has asserted, definitively, that his information is much more accurate and reliable than the Galway Bay Brewery website AND the wall of its own brewpub.

If Seaneh is correct in his assertion that Buried at Sea is currently 5.3% ABV then you can't possibly argue that it's not misleading to have it listed (two days ago) as 4.5% on the wall of its own brewpub.

BaZmO*

I think you're all getting too hung up on this. It's just business, and businesses tend to charge what they can get away with. Value for money is a subjective thing anyway. If you think they're charging too much, you have a choice not to buy their products (there's no real need to defend it either) and if enough people agree with you, they won't be long realising this and they'll have to adjust their prices accordingly.

Ravelleman

Ruben Remus wrote: »

Nothing sensationalist about it.

Seaneh has asserted, definitively, that his information is much more accurate and reliable than the Galway Bay Brewery website AND the wall of its own brewpub.

If Seaneh is correct in his assertion that Buried at Sea is currently 5.3% ABV then you can't possibly argue that it's not misleading to have it listed (two days ago) as 4.5% on the wall of its own brewpub.

We must contact the Director of Consumer Affairs, post haste.

irish_goat

Beer Baron wrote: »

Noreast Beers http://www.facebook.com/NoreastBeers?ref=hl will be providing the route to Market for their beers on a Nationwide Basis outside of their group.



I can't wait to get my hands on their beers myself. You know....................for sampling purposes.

Send some to Derry.

the beer revolu

Seaneh wrote: »

their overheads have also massively increased since they just invested a **** ton of money in a brand new brewery and bottling line. .

Seaneh wrote: »

And you also have to factor in that they (galway bay) just spent well north of 150k on a brand new brewery which dwarfs both of the mentioned breweries in capacity. They price their beers at the most competitive point they can.

Seaneh wrote: »

They are still priced affordably, Full Sail and Bay ale are both, AFAIK, the cheapest beers in all of their bars (or the same price as other Irish craft beers @ €4.55 a pint in Salt house, The Cottage and The Oslo). The only ones that are more expensive are, shock horror, the ones that cost more to make.

But you seem to be very much justifying the fact that they must charge more because they've made a big investment.

Seaneh

the beer revolu wrote: »

But you seem to be very much justifying the fact that they must charge more because they've made a big investment.

No, I just stated it as one of the reasons why their beers aren't "cheap" (and probably never will be), they have pretty big overheads.

Some of their beers (Voyager, BAS) are more expensive than others (Full Sail/Bay Ale/Stormy Port), because those beers are more expensive to make.



They will be doing growler fills soon though, branded growlers are currently on order from the UK, they will be using the screwtop 1liter types, like the brewdog branded ones.

So that should make their beers a bit more affordable to everyone.

Seaneh

Ruben Remus wrote: »

The description of the beer on the wall in The Oslo must also be incorrect, then, as it lists the ABV as 4.5%. How very odd that the brewery is misleading people as to the strength of its own beers.

Quick, call the Ryan Line.

Lovely Bloke

The way some of you are treating that lad is tantamount to bullying.

Christ almighty, the slightest criticism of Irish Craft Brews generally, Galway Bay specifically, is met with this cringey closing of the ranks.

Fact is this. People have X euros to spend on beer. It's a balancing act between quality and quantity, for some people that balancing act is harder than it is for others, or they want different things from their beer drinking experience than others.

If you can't accept that, and just want to jump down people's throat when they point out something they don't like about your mate's brewery then maybe you need to take a look at yourself.

Dizzyblonde

Let's keep this thread on topic please. If it degenerates into a slagging match I'll close it.