Shock Top End of the World Midnight Wheat

[ugafan6612]

I got some leftover 6 packs for $3.50 at the local Wal Mart.
For 3.50 a 6 pack its a big step above natty/busch/steel reserve so I'll take it.

I had it back in October and it was just ok. Amazing how much better it tastes when it's cheaper

 

[Sleepy T]

I got some leftover 6 packs for $3.50 at the local Wal Mart.
For 3.50 a 6 pack its a big step above natty/busch/steel reserve so I'll take it.

I had it back in October and it was just ok. Amazing how much better it tastes when it's cheaper

Agree, I don't really like Shock Top very much. But @ 3.50 a sixer..It could turn into a good maintenance beer for me.

 

[wartyOne]

I'm curious about this. Why would a store mark down a six pack that far?

Honestly, I can think of several reasons, and all of them suggest you shouldn't be drinking that stuff.

 

[757Hokie83]

Doesnt AB Inbev do a lot of seasonal stuff with shock top? just trying to move it off the shelf to make room for the spring seasonal would be my guess

 

[jeffro151]

I'm curious about this. Why would a store mark down a six pack that far?

Honestly, I can think of several reasons, and all of them suggest you shouldn't be drinking that stuff.

Doesnt AB Inbev do a lot of seasonal stuff with shock top? just trying to move it off the shelf to make room for the spring seasonal would be my guess

Bingo. Stores discount seasonal beers from Sam Adams, Blue Moon etc. all the time.

 

[wartyOne]

Bingo. Stores discount seasonal beers from Sam Adams, Blue Moon etc. all the time.

What's the incentive here? I can see why the brewer would want the stores to mark down the merchandise, but why would the store sell it for less than what they paid for it from the brewery?

 

[nolehusker]

What's the incentive here? I can see why the brewer would want the stores to mark down the merchandise, but why would the store sell it for less than what they paid for it from the brewery?

To get it off the shelf and make room for the new seasonal beers. Otherwise they don't make any money off of it and have to throw it away.

 

[Eddie_Shack]

To get it off the shelf and make room for the new seasonal beers. Otherwise they don't make any money off of it and have to throw it away.

I've seen year old or older beer on the shelf... I don't think they would throw it away.

 

[Darkstone42]

I've seen year old or older beer on the shelf... I don't think they would throw it away.

You can't get away with that for many beers. Some work just fine. Alaskan Smoked Porter is aged for a year before it's even put on the shelf, and further aging is actually recommended.

Sam Adams pulls their beer, though, after a certain date, so I could see the benefit in discounting that to move it.

 

[thecrow124]

Lets be honest, if the beer was really decent we wouldn't be having this discussion. Good beer isn't on the shelf long enough to hit the pull date, if there is a pull date.

 

[thecrow124]

What's the incentive here? I can see why the brewer would want the stores to mark down the merchandise, but why would the store sell it for less than what they paid for it from the brewery?

Couple things here, I highly doubt that Walmart paid even close to $3.50 for a sixer of Shock Top. Also they would be buying from a distributor, in theory, not a brewery.

The big question is why buy Shock Top? I could list 20 beers I would rather drink that cost less than $3.50 a six pack.

 

[757Hokie83]

Couple things here, I highly doubt that Walmart paid even close to $3.50 for a sixer of Shock Top. Also they would be buying from a distributor, in theory, not a brewery.

The big question is why buy Shock Top? I could list 20 beers I would rather drink that cost less than $3.50 a six pack.

 

[ugafan6612]

Couple things here, I highly doubt that Walmart paid even close to $3.50 for a sixer of Shock Top. Also they would be buying from a distributor, in theory, not a brewery.

The big question is why buy Shock Top? I could list 20 beers I would rather drink that cost less than $3.50 a six pack.

You would rather drink Natty Light than Shock Top???

Sorry but for $3.50 with 6% alc., that's cheaper and better tasting than a 6 of any Bud, Miller, etc at Wal-Mart so I'll take it.

 

[nolehusker]

Lets be honest, if the beer was really decent we wouldn't be having this discussion. Good beer isn't on the shelf long enough to hit the pull date, if there is a pull date.

A good product does not translate into good sales. Look at Bud for example. It's an average product that sales extremely well because of marketing, price, perception, etc.

Also, seasonal beers have a lot shorter time span for their pull date. Places overstock on things all the time. Just because they overstock and sell it at a discount when they need to doesn't mean that the product is bad.

 

[thecrow124]

A good product does not translate into good sales. Look at Bud for example. It's an average product that sales extremely well because of marketing, price, perception, etc.

Also, seasonal beers have a lot shorter time span for their pull date. Places overstock on things all the time. Just because they overstock and sell it at a discount when they need to doesn't mean that the product is bad.

I disagree with pretty much everything in this comment. If a product is good it will sell. That is not to say that bad products won't sell better, but just that good products sell. I will not comment on what type of product Bud is, good bad or other, but it does sell. A better indicator for this instance would be that this particular beer tested well, but was not well received once it hit the streets, it happens. What that would lead me to believe is that there are better examples of the style being sold at a close enough price that Bud brought their prices down to reduce inventory.

As for your shorter time span theory, the biggest factor in determining a shelf life for beer is the amount of adjuncts in the beer. More adjuncts =shorter shelf life. Most seasonals do not fall into this category since craft brewers use little to no adjuncts in their beers. Craft brewers put more thought and effort into their seasonals and many are now brewed so that they can be aged.

This is probably not a discussion that anyone is going to budge on. Suffice to say, I typically drink Milwaukee's Best on a day to day basis and I don't remember the last time I spent $3.50 on a sixpack so I probably shouldn't be arguing my case here anyway.

 

[wartyOne]

Couple things here, I highly doubt that Walmart paid even close to $3.50 for a sixer of Shock Top. Also they would be buying from a distributor, in theory, not a brewery.

The big question is why buy Shock Top? I could list 20 beers I would rather drink that cost less than $3.50 a six pack.

This isn't how the industry works. No part of it.

The second paragraph is "the God's honest truth."

 

[wartyOne]

A good product does not translate into good sales. Look at Bud for example. It's an average product that sales extremely well because of marketing, price, perception, etc.

Also, seasonal beers have a lot shorter time span for their pull date. Places overstock on things all the time. Just because they overstock and sell it at a discount when they need to doesn't mean that the product is bad.

So much of this is so wrong, I don't know where to start. You don't know what you're talking about.

Not picking an e-fight, but that post was really ignorant of the brewing industry.

 

[wartyOne]

I disagree with pretty much everything in this comment. If a product is good it will sell. That is not to say that bad products won't sell better, but just that good products sell. I will not comment on what type of product Bud is, good bad or other, but it does sell. A better indicator for this instance would be that this particular beer tested well, but was not well received once it hit the streets, it happens. What that would lead me to believe is that there are better examples of the style being sold at a close enough price that Bud brought their prices down to reduce inventory.

As for your shorter time span theory, the biggest factor in determining a shelf life for beer is the amount of adjuncts in the beer. More adjuncts =shorter shelf life. Most seasonals do not fall into this category since craft brewers use little to no adjuncts in their beers. Craft brewers put more thought and effort into their seasonals and many are now brewed so that they can be aged.

This is probably not a discussion that anyone is going to budge on. Suffice to say, I typically drink Milwaukee's Best on a day to day basis and I don't remember the last time I spent $3.50 on a sixpack so I probably shouldn't be arguing my case here anyway.

This isn't right either. More oxygen=shorter shelf life. Craft brewers aren't nearly as good at controlling oxygen and packaged airs as are the big dogs. Fact of life. They (the macros) don't pay their canning/bottling line operators six figures because they're generous.

It doesn't matter if anybody wants to budge or not. There are some flat out wrong statement in this thread.

 

[thecrow124]

This isn't right either. More oxygen=shorter shelf life. Craft brewers aren't nearly as good at controlling oxygen and packaged airs as are the big dogs. Fact of life. They (the macros) don't pay their canning/bottling line operators six figures because they're generous.

It doesn't matter if anybody wants to budge or not. There are some flat out wrong statement in this thread.

I can say with 100% certainty that the macros do NOT pay their canning and bottling line operators six figures. Not even close.

As for controlling oxygen I am not to sure what you are getting at. Oxygen should pretty much be controlled at the filler. If the micro's are having trouble then they are underfilling. Then again having not seen a bottling line or a can line at a micro I could not say for sure. I will say that they should have less of a problem than I have at home which is very little.

Not arguing with your points, just giving my opinion. We likely are not going to agree.