10 August 2009

Beer at $25 a stubby! The Canberra Times as consumer advocate?

| Clown Killer
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The Canberra Times online is running an odd story about the cost of a stubby of beer at the Belgian Cafe in Kingston.

Before digging deepier I imagined that this would have been a little puff piece on some new and exotic beverage from some distant land or a super-premium offering form one of our local brewers, but that was not to be.

Apparently the Belgian Cafe is simply charging a hefty margin on a product – Chimay Blanche, made by Trappist monks in Belgium – that may otherwise only cost punters between $6-9 in bottle-shops (or $11 over the bar in a Sydney venue – if you’re prepared to discount the cost of travel I suppose).

Whilst the margin seems steep I can’t help wondering where this is going. Is it the begining of a campaign to protect unwitting Canberrans against over-priced goods?

Will the CT now start a crusade against restaurants and cafes that slap a healthy mark-up on wine? And what about plates of pasta? Surely $18 for a serve of spaghetti is simply blatant gouging when compared to the cost of nipping into the IGA and getting the ingredients to take home and whip up the meal yourself?

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VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy8:52 am 27 Aug 09

$25 is a LOT of money to spend on a beer when there are billions who do not eat 3 meals a day. Still, we live in a great country with plenty of opportunity. I just hope people who are willing to spend this much on beer appreciate what they have (which is clearly a lot!).

georgesgenitals said :

Addison said :

ridiculous prices. if you can afford to pay, you have no business whinging.

Paying that much for a beer makes you a typical over-consuming westerner who is spoiling our world. There are people in this world who don’t make 25 dollars a month.

Or $25 a year! Hope you don’t drive a car George.

georgesgenitals7:55 pm 26 Aug 09

Addison said :

ridiculous prices. if you can afford to pay, you have no business whinging.

Paying that much for a beer makes you a typical over-consuming westerner who is spoiling our world. There are people in this world who don’t make 25 dollars a month.

Paid 18.50 for the same 750ml bottle at Ainslie IGA , 6.50 mark up is cheap compared to some mark ups we pay for wine.

see? ck is well and truly living proof that the myth is precisely that… ; )

still rekkun byt’s recipe looks worth a try; but you might do nice potatoes in ‘fries’ or wedges or anything else yaself without having to go out for them and so have to delay drinking the chimay creatures only as you’re about to eat (or is there a delivery service from flatheads?? that would work…)

Clown Killer5:19 pm 11 Aug 09

…it is a myth that closed mussels are unfit to eat, so don’t be put off…

I was always under the impression that it was a good idea to reject open mussels when buying them fresh but had never heard that closed cooked ones were to be avoided – I’ve been prying the stubborn little suckers open for years.

byt2007 said :

Last time I went there the beer tasted odd — stale, flat, unclean — and a good half of the mussels were closed (per serving, and we ordered five different kinds). It was also expensive beyond our wildest dreams — 3 beers each, bread, fries and mussels ended up costing over $80 per head for six people (the total bill was close to $500!!!!!).

Since then, I’ve stuck to doing the mussels-beer-bread-fries combination at home on the sunny balcony — where $80 will get you Little Creatures beer, 2 kg mussels (chilli-garlic-marsala and white wine-cream-garlic), fresh bread, oozing ripe brie and camembert, home made aioli, and nice fresh hot fries from Flatheads. More than enough food for six people to gorge themselves on, and if you’re lucky, your guests might bring along a bottle of wine.

axctually, it is a myth that closed mussels are unfit to eat, so don’t be put off – get stuck in with the knife and dig out the musselly goodness and enjoy. though being slugged twenty five quid for a beer doesn’t sound enjoyable to me when the wig and pen pint prices are quite reasonable…

and next time you have the balcony session, i have one thing to say: can we come?? ; )

i’ve been there and found it a great place, I would pay extra for good beer in a nice place that is not over crowded any day. Also pubs and clubs dont make that much money, they are only busy at certain times, have to pay higher wages because of late hours, have high insurance costs. and of course soon they will be paying 40% more for power as well.

ridiculous prices. if you can afford to pay, you have no business whinging.

Clown Killer3:22 pm 11 Aug 09

In my view $15-20 for a 750ml bottle of ultra-premium beer is about the limit. Chimay is ok as far as Trappist beers go but there are more interesting farmhouse and lambic style beers – including some excellent Australian products – about for those wanting an interesting tipple (and with deep pockets).

I guess what I was thinking about in the OP was the fact that licensed establishments have always placed a healthy mark up on wine with a 100% (or greater) premium over bottle shop prices but I have never come across a dummy spit in the papers because such-and-such cafe was charging $25 a bottle for Hardy’s Oomoo shiraz when you can get it at Dan Murphy’s for $11, or $7 a glass for Yalumba Riesling when you can buy a whole bottle for $14 at Fat Boys …

Was this just because the product on offer was a beer, rather than wine?

edit: eating not reading

byt2007 said :

Last time I went there the beer tasted odd — stale, flat, unclean — and a good half of the mussels were closed (per serving, and we ordered five different kinds). It was also expensive beyond our wildest dreams — 3 beers each, bread, fries and mussels ended up costing over $80 per head for six people (the total bill was close to $500!!!!!).

Since then, I’ve stuck to doing the mussels-beer-bread-fries combination at home on the sunny balcony — where $80 will get you Little Creatures beer, 2 kg mussels (chilli-garlic-marsala and white wine-cream-garlic), fresh bread, oozing ripe brie and camembert, home made aioli, and nice fresh hot fries from Flatheads. More than enough food for six people to gorge themselves on, and if you’re lucky, your guests might bring along a bottle of wine.

nice! makes me long for summer reading that……

j from the block10:47 am 11 Aug 09

Skidd Marx said :

We should be thankful that places like the Belgian Beer Cafe exist. Who else is going to keep all of the pretentious tossbags with two last names away from the good bars?

What are the good bars?
I am biased, so will not mention mine, or do we not tell anyone about the good bars incase they (the two last names) come to them?

A product that goes from warm water and sugar to packaged beverage in less than a day is not beer.

Why drink euro exotica beers when you can have delicious local Zierholz (or even U-Brew it with a little effort).

54-11 said :

Posers that spend $25 on a beer deserve everything they get. What’s wrong with a VB?

What’s wrong with VB could fill volumes??? Interestingly on a recent excursion to the Apple Isle, I had occasion to find myself at the Boag’s Brewery on the ‘Beer Lovers Tour’. An interesting trail through the beer making process of one of Australia’s oldest Brewers and then the delights of a tasting session. Someone in our group mentioned VB and Melbourne Bitter and our guide retorted with, ‘we only talk about beer here’. Nuff said.

We should be thankful that places like the Belgian Beer Cafe exist. Who else is going to keep all of the pretentious tossbags with two last names away from the good bars?

j from the block9:09 am 11 Aug 09

Just a quick bit on the supplier aspect, many suppliers to pubs and clubs have become a little more anxious in regards to credit afforded to businesses due to the likliehood of them closing down / significantly reducing orders. Where you could once get away with owing a lot and still get an order, it is no longer the case.
Customer gouging is nothing new, if you want cheap alcohol, buy it and drink it at home, or go to happy hours.

Purely out of interest, does Jazz’ in-law still manage it?
http://the-riotact.com/?p=3925

Clown Killer said :

fermented for flavour and then topped up with industrial ethanol last I heard

It’s brewed with yeasts that deliver around 8.5% alcohol and then they add carbonated water to bring it back to 4.9% (or whatever). They don’t use barley for the carbs either – rice, potato starch, sugar beet whatevers cheapest – so no it’s not really beer, well not as we know it …

foul. i haven’t drunk VB since my povo student and graduate years, a long long time ago. this knowledge will ensure that i never ever consider going back!!!

Last time I went there the beer tasted odd — stale, flat, unclean — and a good half of the mussels were closed (per serving, and we ordered five different kinds). It was also expensive beyond our wildest dreams — 3 beers each, bread, fries and mussels ended up costing over $80 per head for six people (the total bill was close to $500!!!!!).

Since then, I’ve stuck to doing the mussels-beer-bread-fries combination at home on the sunny balcony — where $80 will get you Little Creatures beer, 2 kg mussels (chilli-garlic-marsala and white wine-cream-garlic), fresh bread, oozing ripe brie and camembert, home made aioli, and nice fresh hot fries from Flatheads. More than enough food for six people to gorge themselves on, and if you’re lucky, your guests might bring along a bottle of wine.

Eyeball In A Quart Jar Of Snot11:46 pm 10 Aug 09

jackal said :

farnarkler said :

Looks like a hatchet job by Aaron Ridgway. The menu confirms what Eyeball said, $10.50 for a 330ml bottle of Chimay Blanche. I’ll bet Aaron pronounces Hoegaarden incorrectly too. What an acht maand.

Ridgeway would know more about fine beers and wine than all of you clowns.

What an odd thing to say?

Eyeball In A Quart Jar Of Snot11:45 pm 10 Aug 09

54-11 said :

Posers that spend $25 on a beer deserve everything they get. What’s wrong with a VB?

Firstly, VB is piss.

Chimay is one of the finest beers in the world, but if you pay $25 for a glass than you are indeed an idiot.

I’m sure you could go down to Plonk and pay a lil’ extra to pick up one of the Chimay gift packs which features all 3 Chimays (blue, white and red) and a goblet!

And the BWS up the road from the Belgium Beer Garden sells them for approximately $9 a bottle.

I went there several years ago. The beer was expensive, but good, and the food was too. But the service and atmosphere was great. If it loses the atmosphere and service then not worth the $, but other wise was a good after work drink with friends, and better value the paying for a VB in civic on a friday night…

Clown Killer10:13 pm 10 Aug 09

fermented for flavour and then topped up with industrial ethanol last I heard

It’s brewed with yeasts that deliver around 8.5% alcohol and then they add carbonated water to bring it back to 4.9% (or whatever). They don’t use barley for the carbs either – rice, potato starch, sugar beet whatevers cheapest – so no it’s not really beer, well not as we know it …

johnboy said :

fermented for flavour and then topped up with industrial ethanol last I heard.

Then served as cold as possible to hide the fact that it tastes like sh*t.

johnboythe3rd10:03 pm 10 Aug 09

johnboy is right, VB is hideous.

farnarkler said :

Looks like a hatchet job by Aaron Ridgway. The menu confirms what Eyeball said, $10.50 for a 330ml bottle of Chimay Blanche. I’ll bet Aaron pronounces Hoegaarden incorrectly too. What an acht maand.

Ridgeway would know more about fine beers and wine than all of you clowns, and clown killers. And i’m not he, if you’re wondering. The bar owner was interviewed for the story and admitted the mark-up, blaming an issue with the suppliers.

54-11 said :

Posers that spend $25 on a beer deserve everything they get. What’s wrong with a VB?

Well for a start VB isn’t beer, it’s a beer flavoured alcopop.

fermented for flavour and then topped up with industrial ethanol last I heard.

Posers that spend $25 on a beer deserve everything they get. What’s wrong with a VB?

Nambucco Deliria9:35 pm 10 Aug 09

They tried to charge me $13 for a pint of stella a couple of years back. I won’t be going back there, Ridgeway hatchet job or not.

Looks like a hatchet job by Aaron Ridgway. The menu confirms what Eyeball said, $10.50 for a 330ml bottle of Chimay Blanche. I’ll bet Aaron pronounces Hoegaarden incorrectly too. What an acht maand.

Save yourself the trip lads..was there a few weeks ago..most of the tap beers weren’t available, and the barmaid was new and didn’t have a clue about anything. Guy next to me said something about the owner being screwed by his suppliers, hence the big markups…still doesn’t explain the $25 beer though…never again for me. I can drink imported beer at home without having to wait 15 minutes to get served..

Clown Killer6:37 pm 10 Aug 09

I was planning on doing the same thing Eyeball. If you’re there at lunch time look out for a fat bastard reading the paper and having lunch on his own!

Caveat emptor.

I wonder how many of their customers are buying a 2nd or 3rd bottle of it?

I can certainly see that there would be some interest in buying a bottle of expensive beer, more from the sheer curiosity of it. But if it’s not value for money, you don’t usually go back.

But then, value for money & Kingston rarely go together…

Eyeball In A Quart Jar Of Snot6:08 pm 10 Aug 09

I’m going to go there tomorrow and check out the facts of this story.

A 750ml bottle of Chimay Grand Reserve costs $27, and a 330ml of Chimay Blanche has generally cost $10.50 according to their menu.

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