Tuesday, November 29, 2011

How much is too much for a pint?

Prices of everything are going up, food and drink included. From the hops crisis of a few years back to the general increase in cost of ingredients, equipment, and labor, beer prices have been increasing as well. How much, though, is reasonable to charge for a pint of beer? There are still places in cities such as Las Vegas where a pint (yes, pint) can be had for under $2. On the other hand, I have seen pint (yes, pint) prices here in San Diego broach the $10 mark! Specialty beers surely cost more to make, thus the final cost will be more, but when does the dollar amount make the beer cost prohibitive? Personally, I don't like to pay even $5 for a pint, and try to find specials or happy hours that feature brews as low as $3.50. I'll pay more, especially for limited releases, but I wonder how many establishments raise the prices as demand rises instead of keeping them fair to us, the beer drinking public, all the time. Even if they have to keep their prices a bit higher during regular times, at least give a decent discount during happy hours or late night time frames. And please, don't advertise $5 pints, whatever time of day, and expect us to thank you for it! Will prices drop? Not likely. Do I want the quality to go down? Not at all. All I ask is a fair price for the product. How do we accomplish this? We all have to keep restaurants and bars in check and let them know that we expect them to keep their prices reasonable. If you know of a place doing just that, let us all know. Spread the word about your favorite places so that we may all enjoy them. When the demand becomes clear, others will follow. Supply and demand works both ways. Demand fair prices and the supply will be there.

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