There is an ongoing thread on the topic of Price vs Value in modern beer but I figured in this thread we can concentrate on solely the price aspect and collect some poll statistics as well. I will keep the poll to a simple choice of “yes” vs. “no”.

And please provide further details via posting in this thread.

There are plenty of ways we BAs could ‘adjust’ out spending habits with just a few examples:

• Purchase less beer
• Purchase less expensive beers
• No longer go out to drink beer, just drink at home
• Etc.

Please let us know what you are doing during this time where everything just seems to be so expensive.

Cheers!

P.S. While attending a beer festival in the spring I asked one brewery owner how his business was doing and during our conversation he ‘summarized’ things for him: “I just wish people would buy more beer.”

Price isn't much of an issue for me. I'm mostly into new-to-me strong/BA dark beers to review, and have increasingly struggled to find anything as ciders, seltzers, THC drinks, cocktail drinks, etc displace craft in every store. So I'm spending less, but unwillingly.

Quick prediction: This poll is going to be around 80%–85% “yes.” Most people change their spending habits over time for a variety of reasons.

I answered “no”. The pricing of local and regional microbrews hasn’t really gone up all that much in my area. The cost of imports has definitely skyrocketed but I seldom buy them due to lack of availability. Unless it’s imported, I refuse to pay more than ~$18 for a four/six pack and you’d be very hard-pressed to find one here that cost more than $20-21 anyway.

I went with "yes," but mostly just because of what I've been buying lately. I find myself mostly buying flagship items these days. "The stuff the keeps the lights on." At some point a few years ago I stopped caring about whatever the latest bottle/can was and more about something that I just want to drink with a meal or while watching something on the couch. A lot of it probably goes back to those breweries that release 400 SKU's a year. I couldn't keep up with it and the items I wanted came and went so quickly that I just made a 180.

I also answered no. Can prices have gone up slightly over the past few years while draft prices have gone up a bit more precipitously. However, as I continue to age (and have to watch my alcohol intake), I find I'm drinking less and less. So actual out of pocket expense is about the same.

Answered "yes."

You left out that one could also spend *more* on beer, which is what I've been doing the last 3 years or so. I offset the cost of beer by buying the occasional 6- or 12-pack of Lone Star/Lone Star Light, but 95% of everything I buy is craft or imported, and a good portion of that is buying singles, which is considerably more expensive than buying packs. It's NBW's fault.

That is covered by "Etc."

Cheers!

I voted No because although the last couple years I was mostly trying different wines and now I've been back to beer, I don't really try to save much money buying beer. I always try to find good deals no matter what I'm buying, but I view beer as a priority in my life as much of a luxury as it is. I live without a car, renting apartments, trying not to eat too much, no prescriptions/fairly healthy, etc. I try to cut costs here and there but at the same time I don't want to deprive myself of something that helps me enjoy life. I try to watch my money and not overspend when I can, but I kinda think of it as money comes and goes; spend some now save some later, etc. I've learned with limited releases and exclusive deals that when something is there that you really want, you need to take the chance and get it if possible or you may be regretting it later wondering what to do now with your extra money. Everybody has different circumstances, I feel like I save enough money in certain places so that the things that are important to me shouldn't be neglected. Life is more important than money, and I know some people will say you need money to live life, and I might say you need to live life to use money.

A "no," because I'm primarily a lager drinker and those prices have been fairly stable in my area. A footnote would be that I buy fewer IPAs since those prices have climbed noticeably and, primarily, I drink them with more restraint as I get older. Also, DIPAs seem to outnumber IPAs on "new releases" shelves by at least a 3-1 margin. Naturally, they're even pricier.

Yes for me, but not due to consumer dissatisfaction, rising costs, or anything like that. I just don't drink nearly as much nor as often as I did a few years ago, due mainly to health concerns. If not for that, I would've still voted Yes. I don't buy $20+ four-packs of pint cans, which seem to have taken over the shelves. I'd rather drink Diet Mountain Dew.

I answered yes. I have changed my purchasing of beer lately. Picking up more Shed Mountain Ale and Shed Mountain IPA because $8.99 for a 4pk of good beer pints is a steal in this economy. I've also been picking up more non-craft with Genesee Cream Ale, which I already would pick up on occasion, but it is a more frequent pick-up now for when I want something lighter. If more breweries would stop gouging their prices, they'd probably sell more beer in this market. Of course I do still pick up some more expensive brews that I love, but it is less often.

Unless someone has a time machine all our habits have changed. Packaging is mostly different, prices have gone up across the board. Certain modes of distribution have all but disappeared.

These days I mostly buy a four pack or sixer of drankin' beer now and again, and the vast majority of what I spend is in taprooms and gastropubs when I travel. Occasionally I buy a BBA stout of some sort by the bottle. Bombers almost never anymore (miss that), I used to stack up stouts and barleywines, and I used to go out regularly to my local bars and breweries.

Some of this is post-covid lifestyle, some is getting older, some is that I travel 3 weeks a month, and some is this shit getting dumb expensive.

Yes, less draft beer due to increasing prices. Also some places I liked to patronize have closed and nothing has been able to replace them. I've also been buying more imports as the ones I like the most (Pilsner Urquell, Warsteiner, Paulaner, Newcastle) are generally cheaper than domestic craft equivalents.

I voted no. I have in the past bought whatever interested me at the time, regardless if it was a pricey imperial stout or barleywine, or Belgian import, or reasonably-priced domestic craft. This really hasn't changed for me. I do moderate what I purchase, but this is more to do with what I can reasonably consume over the short term (and also what fits in the fridge).

“No”, my spending patterns have not changed.

I’m really not a price conscious consumer - I buy what I want, when I want it.

However similar to the comment @Domingo made, I definitely spend less time searching for the latest releases (which can be more expensive), and have just been drinking more “heart of the lineup” / easy to get beers. Not for any economic reason, just got tired of the chase.

I guess I’m in a different boat —
When I lost my last job 8 years ago, I felt I needed to economize so I made a spreadsheet of the cheapest alcohol options and concluded cheap gin or vodka was the way to go. I started buying the Trader Joe’s house beers - bad at the time, favoring the big craft brewers (Sierra, Lagunitas…) who sold 12 packs of 12 oz beers at a good price, and passed on buying any special, more expensive options.
I’m now retired and have multiple sources of income and aren’t as worried.

I agree with that. There are lots of really good commercially available beers out there

The capacity of my beererator is always a consideration.
Sometimes I catch my wife hiding overflow milk and juice in there!