The other day, or yesterday (whenever it
was), I pinned up a quick note about the state of the beer scene in Birmingham
now (as in ‘now’), plus a vision of where we are headed and whether things are
looking good. Which they are.
But what about me? Where am I located on the graph? Well, I clocked up 221 rates on Ratebeer so far this year, which is a healthy number. Travel-wise, I've managed very enjoyable visits to London and
Sheffield, and popped home to the Swan andRushes - all of which have reinforced (quite thickly), my excitement about beer
and my passion to continue seeking out the very best.
But.
I can see trouble on the horizon, and it
is this: I am starting (ever so slightly) to be priced out of the craft beer
revolution.
I have a job, I pay my bills etc, so I
am not claiming poverty by any means; BUT the general state of the economy
means there is less disposable income at my, err disposal than previously. In fact the economy might not even be the
principal factor in limiting my pocket money.
It's more likely something to do with the fact that I am no longer a
young, thrusting urbanite, instead, I am grown up (sort of) and have responsibilities. Being a parent invariably requires a
different allocation of financial resources, with beer ranking lower on the
family spending plan, than e.g. clothes for one's child (me and my mixed up
priorities, eh?). But anyway, less
disposable income, coupled with the very real increase in the cost of today's
'premium' beer products, means that I end up with less bang for my buck. Like it or not, good beer is an expensive
business these days***.
This is frustrating for a number of
reasons, but mainly because I feel that with over a decade's experience of
hunting for great beer 'under my belt', I now know a thing or two about
quality, style etc etc. It's just that I
can't ruddy well afford to keep my knowledge up to date. In my brain of brains (honestly) I do know that a barrel-aged imperial
stout will be more interesting and flavoursome than a Polish Mocne, but if I
want to have a couple of drinks whilst watching The Big Question, with NickyCampbell on TV, what am I more likely to buy?
Which of those two can I afford to buy?*
There is obviously a sliding scale of cost,
with lots of great UK beer available at perfectly reasonable prices (yes I'm
talking about Bristol Beer Factory, Buxton, Summer Wine and so forth), but
there are also an increasing number of products with price-boosting features -
i) limited editions, ii) higher strength beers, iii) imported beers, iv) super
trendy beers, v) collaborations, vi) all of the above. With my own twisted logic I can** say YES to
a £6 Nogne #100, which is a very strong beer, flown over the fjords from
expensive Norway (plus I already know how delicious it is); but I am always
going to struggle to say YES to a Brewdog/Nogne/Mikkeller collaboration for
£17, no matter how fantastic it might be. {I also hate having to cough up for 750ml
bottles, which I might not like or might have to share, but that is an
unrelated grumble.}
In short, I have to limit my involvement
in the craft beer scene, due to rising costs.
I'm not all in; I'm a % of the way in.
Am I the only one? How do other
beer fans on a budget cope? If I lived
in London for
example I would want to be in Craft Beer Co or Euston Tap every day sampling
halves of £4.95 foreign DIPAs, but I wouldn't be able to.
Depressing though it is, maybe I was
more ignorant and blissful, when Birmingham
was more rubbish for beer. Being
confronted with good beer, with increasing ease and frequency, is turning me
green with envy. Gosh, that is bad karma
on my part.
Hence the ‘Second Summer of German Beer’,
which I keep trailing, and honestly will explain very shortly.
*you know the answer to this. It's called a rhetorical question.
**just about.
*** with a few notable exceptions, e.g.
Brodies
