Adelaide craft beer fans paying up to $150 a glass

Wines with eye-watering price tags are nothing new but now these Adelaide pubs are charging top dollar for a taste of the trendiest beers.

Beer enthusiasts are paying up to $150 for a single bottle of brew as appreciation of craft styles bubbles over.

Bottle shop owners are reporting “more interest” in higher-end craft beers from across Australia and overseas, with prices ranging from $15 for a 440ml can right up to $150 for a 355ml bottle.

Joe Feliciotto, manager of Edinburgh Cellars in Mitcham, believes “the gulf is closing between the way wine and beer are appreciated”.

“People are becoming a bit more savvy compared to five or six years ago … they know what hops they enjoy in certain IPAs, hop varietals, how ABV affects the viscosity of the beer,” Mr Feliciotto said. “Tasting notes are much closer to the analysis of wine.

“The most absurdly expensive beer we’ve sold in the past couple of years was Endless Ending by Anchorage Brewing from Alaska – $150 for a single 355ml bottle and we sold a dozen in two days.”

Beer enthusiast Sam James. Picture: Kelly Barnes

Of beers near that price point, Mr Feliciotto said the Ed continues to sell around one a fortnight.

“We have regular devotees who’ll routinely spend $15-20 for a 440ml can but will go to $50-$60 for larger-format, higher ABV stouts and European wild ales/sour beers,” he said, estimating that about 100 of his customers would seek a new craft beer weekly to monthly.

Over at The Little Pub on Hindley, venue manager Dylan Buob estimates 30-40 per cent of his regular beer drinkers opt for craft, across the front bar and bottle shop.

“Craft beer has become a huge thing for us now,” Mr Buob said. “Five years ago, we wouldn’t buy some of these beers because they wouldn’t sell.

“Cans nowadays, you’re looking at $14, $15, $20 – people don’t blink an eye anymore.

“It offers the same spectrum of red wine (which varies in price).
“People are cellaring stouts now. They’ll collect these large, unique stouts and put them away for a year or two.”

Alcohol tax, hop varieties and added ingredients, such as fruit, all affect the price tag.

Beer enthusiast Sam James. Picture: Kelly Barnes

When it comes to styes of craft beers, IPA remains popular but sours are coming in.

“There are heavily fruited sours which blur the line of, ‘what is a beer anymore?’” Mr Buob said. “We’ve got this peanut butter and jelly grape sour beer, that’s $20 a bottle.”

Creative craft beer flavours is a specialty of Royal Park-based Big Shed Brewing, which has created more than 200 beers in its 10-year history. Co-founder and director Jason Harris credits the flourishing scene to people’s “taste profiles getting better”.

“It’s a bit like how meat and two veg with gravy was considered adequate in the 80s, but now it’s like, ‘I want a spicy chicken curry, please’,” Mr Harris said.

“People are becoming promiscuous with flavours and wanting something different, and sometimes different costs more because it’s in limited quantities.”

Big Shed’s Viscosiraptor won Best Specialty Beer at the Australian International Beer Awards on Thursday, which featured a total of 2600 entries across 35 categories.

Glenelg beer enthusiast Sam James, 39, hunts down a new craft beer twice weekly. On average, he spends $12-$16 for a 440ml or 500ml can, he said, though one of his more recent purchases was a $65 Tiki Strong Ale from California.

“It’s 14 per cent (ABV) and aged in bourbon barrels,” he said. “I haven’t drank it yet so it better be good.”

While Mr James admits his is an “expensive habit”, it’s also a social one – he, along with many craft beer enthusiasts, prefers to share beers and tasting notes with friends.