Premium Beer and Some Labeling Suggestions
In a previous article, I said that beer should be more expensive. I asserted that expensive beer would be an advantage to the beer lover as well as the beer producer. What follows is my first attempt to explain why (some) beer should be more expensive and how that beer should be labeled.
When an old friend arrived at my home a few weeks ago I wanted to express my joy at his arrival by selecting a beverage commensurate with my feelings for the occasion. Going down to the beer cellar and bringing up two bottles of pale ale just wasn’t going to express anything aside from “you’re thirsty, here’s something to wet the old whistle.” No, a pale ale wasn’t going to do it, for two reasons: (1) when celebrating, twelve ounce bottles send the wrong message, and (2) pale ale is not rare and costly. Sharing a beer from a 750 ml bottle is more social and bonding than each person having their own individual bottle. Opening a large bottle to share between two or more people says, “let us experience together the same thing.” It’s unifying and convivial.
So let me tell you what I selected from my beer cellar to celebrate my friend’s arrival: Allagash Brewing Company’s Interlude 2005. Why did I select this particular bottle? Three reasons: It’s in a 750 ml bottle (the same size of most wine bottles); it’s stopped with a cork; and (the number one reason) it is expensive (on the beer price scale). A bottle of Allagash Interlude 2005 will run you about $20. That’s still cheap compared to wine and champagne, but compared to most beers $20 for a single bottle puts it at the top of the pricing scale. But why should $20 be considered expensive? I can’t remember the last time I paid less than $45 dollars for a bottle of champagne. When I walk into a wine store, I expect to lay out the big bucks for something of high quality.
Now, I’m not suggesting that beer makers should artificially inflate the price of their beers, but I think that every brewery should have at least one product that they sell in 750 ml bottles that is sold at premium prices. And that product should not automatically be a barley wine.
Since I enjoy good beer and love drinking them, I will happily lay down a $20 note for a bottle of Allagash Interlude 2005; however, I have a word of advice for Allagash and other makers of premium beer: put some information on the bottle about your beer and tell them why a person should buy it. I and other beer writers will happily sing the praises of Allagash Interlude 2005 (and other beers of that class) but until tasting notes and serving suggestions are printed on the bottle itself, people are going to be less inclined to make a spontaneous purchase when they are in the beer store. Informative labeling is the best way to sell your beer. The Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown knows what they are doing. Their lineup of premium beers are all labeled in a way that helps the consumer. On bottles of Hennepin, Rare Vos, and Ommegang you’ll find descriptions of the beer, so you know what to expect from the taste. Only the addition of serving suggestions such as food pairings would improve the labeling.
The champion of beer bottle labeling is Unibroue’s Chambly Noire (which was the gift that my old friend brought with him). This is what the label says:
Chambly Noire is a smooth and creamy dark beer with a beige and persistent head. Its torrefaction [roasty] aromas and slight bitterness enable it to perfectly accompany various fish dishes, strong cheeses and chocolate desserts.
Now anyone browsing the shelves at their local beer store will have a pretty good idea what’s in this bottle and what to pair it with. My guess is that a person will be more inclined to purchase a bottle with this sort of helpful, descriptive information than some mystery beer with only a flashy image glued to the bottle’s exterior.
Agreed. Sharing a large bottle between friends is a far different experience than splitting a six-pack. If breweries make more complex beers, in large format, people will learn that it can be paired with food, opened for celebration, etc. Just like Charles Shaw isn’t in the same league as Robert Mondavi, the 12-oz pale ale would serve a different purpose than a 750-ml “limited release”. One point I do disagree on however, is that if any beer is built to last and could potentially be cellared for a few years it shouldn’t be cork finished. It’s not worth risking any off flavors when crown caps are already well accepted with beer drinkers.