WSJO: Why Are Aged Brews Fetching $100?

[natasha1270]

I saw this article online and thought some here might be interested:

Wall Street Journal Online: Why are aged brews fetching $100?

Here's a riddle: What winemaker produces Ommegang Abbey Rare Vos? A 750-milliliter bottle had just arrived at our table with cork intact, and a retail price, according to a chalkboard above the bar, of $16.50.

Actually, Ommegang Abbey Rare Vos isn't a European wine. It's a beer. Next question: Can beer -- any beer -- be worth $16.50 a bottle?

edit: for spelling

Edited April 8, 2005 by natasha1270 (log)

[Rich Pawlak]

I saw this article online and thought some here might be interested:

Wall Street Journal Online: Why are aged brews fetching $100?

Here's a riddle: What winemaker produces Ommegang Abbey Rare Vos? A 750-milliliter bottle had just arrived at our table with cork intact, and a retail price, according to a chalkboard above the bar, of $16.50.

Actually, Ommegang Abbey Rare Vos isn't a European wine. It's a beer. Next question: Can beer -- any beer -- be worth $16.50 a bottle?

edit: for spelling

←

Some beers age beautifully. Barleywines, imperial stouts, baltic porters, and other big, hoppy beers. There are many beer aficionados who will annually put away bottles of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Anchor Our Special Ale, Sierra Nevada Celebration, B rooklyn Monster barleywine, Heavyweight Old Salty barleywine and the once-a-year-brewed Samichlaus. The fun of it is sampling the brews several years down the road to compare them to the current edition. A good dinner party activity after dessert; it can be very entertaining.

[BrentKulman]

Some beers age beautifully.  Barleywines, imperial stouts, baltic porters, and other big, hoppy beers.  There are many beer aficionados who will annually put away bottles of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Anchor Our Special Ale, Sierra Nevada Celebration, B rooklyn Monster barleywine, Heavyweight Old Salty barleywine and the once-a-year-brewed Samichlaus.  The fun of it is sampling the brews several years down the road to compare them to the current edition.  A good dinner party activity after dessert; it can be very entertaining.

←

Last December, I attended a vertical tasting of the last 15 years of Anchor's Special Ale and it was extraordinary how well the older beers were still tasting. It was also interesting to taste the subtle distinctions between the different "vintages." thus demonstrating that the brewmaster's craft is as worthy of recognition as the winemaker's.