Those are all fair points, but I would counter that (in my opinion of course) with the argument of quality. Great Lakes is a solid brewery that I have a lot of time and respect for, but I think that people often give them a little more credit than they deserve. The make AMAZING IPAs, but have yet to show anywhere close to the breadth of styles (with quality of course) that Bellwoods has shown. More specifically, I would say that they have yet to produce much in terms of barrel aged beers that really impressed me (save for Stalin's Choice, which is INCREDIBLE). If GL charged what Bellwoods charged for their barrel aged stuff, it just wouldn't sell.-Liam- wrote:
I admit 'fanboy' was probably the wrong term to use, I didn't mean it in a derogatory way (believe it or not).
I just think that if people continue to pay these prices then it could start a trend that is copied by other breweries that already have a fan base. They could think "Jeez, BW get the public to pay through the nose for their beers and people are literally lining up around the block to buy it. Let's stick another buck onto our offerings and get on that gravy train". This starts to ruin things for everyone.
GLB don't do that; They are selling Apocalypse Much Later Barrel Aged BIPA (10% ?) for $6.50. Their bottles of aged Porters and Stouts (650ml) are around 9 bucks. Yearly released and new IPAs 3.50-4 per can. People line up for these too and are willing to buy up the stock and yet they never get taken advantage of. I have more respect for the company that respects their clientele. I'm much more inclined to spend my loonies with those guys for what are also, I may add, more consistent products.
That all being said, I won't sit here and attempt to argue that Bellwoods prices aren't high, because they are. But I think the quality justifies it. I can accept that not everyone agrees on that point and if the market as a whole feels that the quality doesn't justify the price, the prices will come down in time.
