Sixpack Sez

Nov. 9, 2007 | Really, REALLY expensive beer

THERE ARE two ways to look at expensive beer.

One is that the price isn't just a reflection of the cost of hard labor, exceptional ingredients and talented craftsmanship, it is a redefinition of beer itself, one that pushes our expectations of the Everyman's drink beyond its pedestrian limits, to the highest realm of distinction.

The other way to look at expensive beer is that it is really, really, really . . . really expensive. Take the just-released 2007 version of Samuel Adams Utopias for example.

You may have already heard that it set a record for the strongest beer ever made. At 27 percent alcohol by volume, it is five times stronger than the average lager, stronger even than some distilled spirits.

It tastes nothing like any beer you've ever popped. Strong, heavy and uncarbonated, it goes down like a malty liqueur.

I sampled it against a fine cognac and an outstanding port, and I'd say it fit in somewhere between. Layered with flavors of vanilla, toast, bourbon, honey and oak, it is impossible to believe that Utopias shares the same roots as, say, Genesee Cream Ale. A single, 24-ounce, copper-clad bottle goes for up to $140.

A case of 12, which is the only way you can buy it in Pennsylvania, costs $1,500.

Now, Utopias is the extreme. Most micros still go for about 30 bucks a case, or about $1.25 a bottle - a bargain in my opinion. But take a look at specialty beer shops - the ones that carry big, high-end, one-of-a-kind premium bottles - and you'll find that American craft brewers have begun pushing things, pricewise. It's no longer surprising to see a single 22-ounce bottle go for $15. Domestic cases frequently reach $200.

Russian River Supplication, one of the most spectacular beers I've ever tasted, costs $14 for just 375 ml. Allagash Brewing in Portland, Maine, produces a series of once-a-year brews aged in oak barrels that have been threatening to break the $20-a-bottle plateau. Pittsburgh's Church Brew Works, whose corked bombers have recently appeared in the Philly area, is already there. While that's a lot of dough, I've always given fine beer a pass because it's really not fair to put it in the same league as $16 30-packs of BudMillerCoors. You oughta be comparing it with a decent wine.

But with prices jumping beyond double sawbucks territory, there's a sneaking suspicion in some sectors that American breweries are jacking up the price of limited-edition varieties simply to upscale the perceived value of their product. The higher prices distinguish their brand from the run of the mill.

One outspoken critic is Chris Lively, who runs the popular Ebenezer's Pub in Lovell, Maine. Last May, in an online missive at BeerAdvocate.com, he urged a boycott against high-priced beer.

"The problem isn't that there's expensive beer out there," Lively told me. "The problem is that some American craft brewers think that they if they put a cork in the bottle with a wire cage, they can automatically get $18 or $20 a bottle, even if it clearly isn't a good beer . . . everyone is trying get rich off this surge."

Lively's call for a boycott, though, was soundly rejected. Small breweries have convinced their customers that the tab is a factor of the cost of high-quality ingredients and production - not crass, image-enhancing price manipulation.

The most expensive sixpack in America

You'll shell out $235 to assemble these bottles:

Samuel Adams Utopias (Massachusetts), $140 for 24 oz. ($5.83 per ounce).

Lost Abbey Cable Car (California), $30 for 750 ml ($1.18 per ounce).

Russian River Supplication (California), $14 for 375 ml ($1.10 per ounce).

Avery Mephistopheles (Colorado), $12 for 12 oz. ($1 per ounce).

Church Brew Works Quadzilla (Pittsburgh), $20 for 22 oz. (91 cents per ounce).

Allagash Interlude (Maine), $19 for 750 ml (75 cents per ounce).

6 great high-end bargains

You can still get some of the very best American micros without taking out a loan:

Sly Fox Rt. 113 IPA (Royersford), $5 for 22 oz. (23 cents per ounce).

Southampton Imperial Porter (Long Island), $5 for 22 oz. (23 cents per ounce).

Rogue Chocolate Stout (Oregon), $5.50 for 22 oz. (25 cents per ounce).

Ommegang Abbey Ale (New York), $8 for 750 ml (31 cents per ounce).

Weyerbacher Heresy (Easton), $7 for 22 oz. (32 cents per ounce).

Stone Vertical Epic (California), $8 for 22 oz. (36 cents per ounce).