craft beer pricing heirarchy

[burcher]

Given the popularity of strong abv and 'extreme' beers it seems to me there's quite a range in price to wholesalers or retail accounts in the craft beer arena. Maybe more variation/broader range than ever before.

I started thinking about this b/c my distributor keeps saying 'but sierra nevada is only $45 for 1/6 bbl!'. He thinks we should charge the same since we're in the same league, I guess :D

So I'm basing my question on the assumption that the 'low end' for wholesale craft beer 1/6 bbls is maybe $40. What is the high end/what is the range? From my investigations it seems that 1/6s go for up to 100 bones wholesale depending on style/class. This assumes no self-distribution I suppose.

I guess the market will bear this? Are most startups like us competing pricewise w/ the 'large' craft breweries? Is there a 'farmers market' thing going on here where people will pay more for fresh, local products?

Thanks for your thoughts/knowledge

[Howling Henry]

What did you find with your own experience (this being a year old)? I am, right now, where you were when you wrote this question and I love to see what you found. Any info would be used by myself and countless others.
Greg

[einhorn]

Just to chime in, Sculpin sells for $90 wholesale. DFH 90 Minute also is in this ballpark. Prices above that are uncommon at best.

[meadowstream]

All the sixtels of craft IPA that I see are priced between $57 and $60 (with DFH 90 at $100.) Sixtels of higher ABV beers seem to be around $65 per sixtel (but some cheeky craft brewery has its dubbel sixtels listed at $80 - unwarranted in this case!)

[CDangerBrew]

I had considered selling 1/4 bbl's at $70, now I'm thinking more like $80, is this out of line? I have my first two brews in the fermentors right now. Most of my beers are above 6% abv, and I will be self-distributing. What does everyone think?

[HOBWI]

I plan on looking at the current price list of local crafts from wholesalers to bars and pricing somewhere in the middle. No way I could compete with the big craft brewers - economies of scale. I plan on doing a few specialties which can command a higher price if people really like them.

[Brewtopian]

From a retailers perspective I can tell you that the craft 1/6 barrels I buy are about $70 but I've paid as much as $300+ for very high gravity beers like the Avery Demon's of Ale series. If the beer is of good quality and you do a good job selling it I don't think retailing for $70 to $80 for a 1/6 barrel is out of line.

Distributors always underestimate the consumers desire for craft beer and this leads them to do a very poor job selling beer that isn't $65 for a 1/2 barrel