Avery CZAR Imperial Stout

Wow! I have seen beers priced that high or higher for a pint...but have never been able to justify spending THAT much money on 1 beer. There are too many really great beers for 2 or 3 bucks a pint. I am interested in your assessment of this particular beer, if you do try it.

Derek Taylor

You're right, you're probably not worth it.

Dude, come ON. Wine drinkers drop that much on one bottle of nancy-boy grape squeezings when they want something ADEQUATE.

How could there POSSIBLY be "too many really great beers" AT ALL, let alone for 2 or 3 bucks a pint? Your problem is that you need to drink more beer (and pay a reasonable price for it without whining) and stop smoking so much crack.

Well...I, like many others who enjoy beer, do not have alot of cash to drop on one very high-priced beverage. I have no doubt that many of these expensive beers are GREAT, but I'm always too strapped for cash to justify such indulgence....as is the original poster, I'm guessing, since he wanted opinions of the beer before emptying wallet on this beer.

LOL! I meant "too many" in that there are SO MANY great beers that cost alot cheaper. So many that, as much beer as I've tried, I'm still constantly finding new beers in this price range to buy and try.

I have no doubt I'll eventually shell out the big bucks for some of these pricey beers, if I'm financially stable. But most of us can't , on a regular basis, pay 9 or 10 bucks for a beer.

Hell, I'd like to eat steak every night...but most of the time I'm stuck eating beanie weanies or Ramen noodles...

Derek Taylor

Absolutely right, I often have to justify to myself buying a six-pack of Red Hook ESB, let alone spending more on one bottle. That's exactly why I was asking about it first, because I really almost HAVE to know how good a $7 bottle of beer is. :-)

Damn, I thought I was financially on soft ground. Ramen can be tasty, though.... :-)

Lurker Matt

Matthew Gozo wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@mozo.cc.purdue.edu:

I had this year's version, and thought it really, really sucked. Worst imperial stout I'd ever had, and it's one of my favorite styles. I've been told by all sorts of people that previous years' vintages were superior. I likened The Czar to drinking watered-down molasses. No roasts, no hops, just molasses. Blech.

So I guess you know my vote . . .

$7.50 for 22 ounces of a great beer is not bad. That's only 3 ounces away from the size of a wine bottle and you would probably only *need* to drink that one bottle anyway. Hell I paid $12.00 for a four pack (12 oz bottles) of Dogfish Head's 90 minute IPA, and my wife just came home with a 750 mil bottle of a special IPA made here in Colorado by a brewery whose name I forget but it cost over $14.00 --- Haven't tried it yet but I am not complaining about the price.

You'll need to get out of the mind set of "9 bucks for A BEER". That sounds like you're set to pound down 10 of 'em for that price.

_Randal

This is really the reason I posted, to get thoughts on how it tastes. If I hear from enough people that something sucks, I won't buy it. If I hear from enough people that something's good, I probably will. Thing is, if it's not much better than something cheaper, I probably won't want to spend the money.

Thanks for the first real vote. I've seen lots of replies, and this is the first one that actually answered my question instead of talking about getting over the price and being willing to pay for decent beer. I work in a liquor store. I get that better beer costs more. I get a discount on it too. I just don't want to pay more for stuff that sucks.

Lurker Matt

What Derek and I were getting at is that sometimes we don't have the money to find out whether or not that 22 oz beer is that great. I can't afford $7.50 for a bottle of crap. If it's really worth that $7.50, and people who post here are willing to say so, I'd be happy to spend that once in a while. I like to treat myself. :-)

Lurker Matt

The right beer can be worth that price. And 22 oz. for a beer that strong is a hell of a lot of beer.

I've spent more than $20 for a bottle on several occasions (usually 750 ml bottles).

Although, I'm not sure where in the US you're finding $2-3 pints. Certainly not in any of the areas I've been in.

-Steve

Ah, well, that makes more sense. I don't like spending 50 cents on a beer I don't like, let alone several dollars. As long as you're willing to take the plunge sometimes.

Although, you should take the risk every once in a while too, even if you don't know the results for sure. Avery is an excellent brewery, and I would't be afraid of dropping that sort of money on a bottle to try out a new one of theirs. Nothing good comes without taking a chance.

-Steve

Steve, I'm finding these prices in the Dallas, TX area. I am from Louisiana originally and was able to find some very good prices on beer there as well. I lived in Ohio for a couple years and the prices their were aabout the same,around 3 bucks for most of the pint size beers such as Spaten, Julius Echter, Samuel Smith, Belhaven's, Fuller's, Salvator, Stone... For 7.50 I could buy 2, maybe 3, of these and get completely wasted...not that I drink for the effect :)

Derek Taylor

I can get Samuel Smith for ~$2.50 in Indiana.

Just my $.02 :-)

Lurker Matt

"Lew Bryson" wrote on 01 Mar 2004:

My sympathies. Last year, a certain former beer-cellar managing friend of mine and I shelled out $9 per magnum on at least a half- dozen Hanssen's Kriek (and as many Oude Gueuze).

We didn't flinch. I don't think he flinched when they marked down his $25 Rodenbach magnum to $20, either.

But as you sort of imply, it's rare to find a normal-sized bottle of domestic beer that hits two figures. It would have to be stupendous or come with a free hummer to begin being worth that kind of outlay on more than an annual basis.

Witzel

You're talking about the BIG bottles, not the 750s? $24 was the wholesale price! Didja get these on clearance? I'm going to have to kill AA.

Depends on what you mean by normal sized, but 750s of Sam Adams Chocolate Bock for $15.99, Anchor Special Ale for $15.99 and Rogue Imperial Malt Liqu...errr Pilsner for $11.99 approached my choke point.