How Much?

So when did paying $20 for a bottle of beer seem ok to me?  I was recently staring at a bottle of brew at the local liquor store priced at $29.99 and was considering whether I should buy it.

A couple of days ago, I was standing in front of a four-pack of New Holland Brewing's Dragon's Milk thinking about buying this interesting brew.  I was already holding another six pack that was priced at $14.  I thought "I can't walk out of the store with $30 worth of beer that will be gone in a couple of weeks."  How did it get to this?

It wasn't that long ago that I refused to pay more than $12 for a twelve-pack.  Paying more than $7 for a six-pack seemed excessive in my not-so-distant past.  However, after I started brewing beer, my horizons began expanding; and so did my beer drinking budget.  I realized that craft brewers were producing amazing beer, but the prices were much higher than what I was used to.  For example, I found that I really enjoy a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Stout that costs $16 for a four-pack.  Giddyup!  Over the holidays, I discovered that Goose Island makes a wonderful beer called Sophie.  We now have a relationship that costs me $3 a bottle.  Sinful!  There was a time in my life when ten bucks would buy a case of Miller High Life, and oh, what a high life it was!  Truly, the champagne of beers!  Now $10 gives me a Friday night with two or three bottles of excellence, not twenty-four cans of mediocrity.  I used to be such a cheap date.

Some of you may be thinking that paying $3 - $4 for a bottle of beer is a pittance.  Maybe you went beyond the pale a long time ago and can't seem to find pleasure in a beer that costs less than $15 for a six-pack.  I am beginning to understand how this happens.  Wine drinkers would probably laugh at me.  A nice Cabernet Sauvignon would easily set you back $50.  There are ten different bottles of wine at my local grocery store whose price exceeds $100 a bottle.  Wine drinkers would tell me to blow the dust out of my wallet and pay for some quality.  However, old habits die hard and I am still trying to figure out where my boundaries lie.

As I stand in the beer aisle, various thoughts swirl through my mind as I ponder my next purchase.  Quality does not come cheap, I remind myself.  I grab a four-pack of an interesting looking stout and walk past the clear Miller High Life bottles with a smile on my face and a twenty dollar bill in my hand.

Cheers!