Distribution costs for beer - Why is this one so cheap!?
August 15, 2020 3:15 PM Subscribe
I recently moved to NYC, where this Florida native has been able to regain his access to Yuengling. But I can literally buy a 12-pack here for $10.99, and other 6-packs are literally at least 12 bucks. Even other craft beers, such as Brooklyn Brewery, have way higher prices. So what's the deal? I've shopped at quite a few stores and the prices are all similar too. I couldn't even get Yuengling this cheap in FL. Is this less about distribution cost and more about the market? Are there some articles that can help me understand this better or perhaps some relevant insight from you MeFites?
Yuengling is just a cheap beer, and if you’re comparing prices with craft beers I think that might be the issue. When you say that “other 6-packs are literally at least 12 bucks”, are you literally saying that a six pack of Bud Lite is $12?
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 3:39 PM on August 15, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 3:39 PM on August 15, 2020 [5 favorites]
I think this may be based on a misapprehension: Yuengling is cheap yellow beer, and gets more expensive the farther away you are from PA because it doesn't have the market saturation of Bud or Coors. See also: Narraganset or National Bohemian.
Brookyln Brewery uses much better ingredients and is brewed in a place with more expensive warehouse space.
posted by aspersioncast at 4:06 PM on August 15, 2020 [6 favorites]
Brookyln Brewery uses much better ingredients and is brewed in a place with more expensive warehouse space.
posted by aspersioncast at 4:06 PM on August 15, 2020 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: I did recognize that I am close to PA, but perhaps due to feeling nostalgic for Yuengling, I never saw it as a cheap beer. This makes much more sense now. Another part of my confusion was seeing much lower prices, even for NYC local beers, in my previous city. But that's another matter entirely.
posted by signondiego at 4:13 PM on August 15, 2020
posted by signondiego at 4:13 PM on August 15, 2020
Yuengling, I never saw it as a cheap beer.
Yeah, this is part of the culture and marketing wars of beer imo. I think Yuengling stands out as a bit different than national brands of 'yellow' beer (what a classist smear!).
And I also think there's a lot to be said about the classist and racist mindsets that hate on certain brands but not others of similar provenance.
We have plenty of award-winning beers that are considered trash by contemporary
'enthusiasts', but have proven to be tasty beers for many decades.
I say, enjoy the depressed prices and drink Yuengling whilst sneering at the cultural-elitist snobs, YMMV.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:19 PM on August 15, 2020 [5 favorites]
Yeah, this is part of the culture and marketing wars of beer imo. I think Yuengling stands out as a bit different than national brands of 'yellow' beer (what a classist smear!).
And I also think there's a lot to be said about the classist and racist mindsets that hate on certain brands but not others of similar provenance.
We have plenty of award-winning beers that are considered trash by contemporary
'enthusiasts', but have proven to be tasty beers for many decades.
I say, enjoy the depressed prices and drink Yuengling whilst sneering at the cultural-elitist snobs, YMMV.
posted by SaltySalticid at 5:19 PM on August 15, 2020 [5 favorites]
In my day, Yuengling was premium beer for cheap beer drinkers and cheap beer for expensive beer drinkers. In other words, if you drank Natty but wanted to splurge, it's what you'd get and if you drank Sam Adams but were spending the day at the river and wanted something inexpensive and easy to drink, it's what you'd get.
If you enjoy it, drink away. But its price point, at least near the brewery, has always been inexpensive.
posted by Candleman at 6:10 PM on August 15, 2020 [10 favorites]
If you enjoy it, drink away. But its price point, at least near the brewery, has always been inexpensive.
posted by Candleman at 6:10 PM on August 15, 2020 [10 favorites]
("Cheap yellow beer" is simply intended as a description, not some kind of referendum; I'm actually a pretty big fan of the genre).
posted by aspersioncast at 10:52 PM on August 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by aspersioncast at 10:52 PM on August 15, 2020 [1 favorite]
Yuengling is just a cheap beer, and if you’re comparing prices with craft beers I think that might be the issue.
Umpteenthing this. A lot of Yuengling’s image is built similarly to how Coors built its aura back in the 70s and 80s. It’s just a cheap regional beer with national aspirations, so you market that regional limitation part of its rep and value.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:34 AM on August 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
Umpteenthing this. A lot of Yuengling’s image is built similarly to how Coors built its aura back in the 70s and 80s. It’s just a cheap regional beer with national aspirations, so you market that regional limitation part of its rep and value.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:34 AM on August 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
Part of the difference may be taxes, and some taxes are invisible to the end user, and this is one of those cases. Since these are paid by the manufacturer/brewer, you don't see it as a separate line item.
According to a quick and dirty Google check:
-NY excise tax on beer is $0.14 per gallon.
-FL excise tax on beer is $0.48/gallon.
posted by tiamat at 11:58 AM on August 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
According to a quick and dirty Google check:
-NY excise tax on beer is $0.14 per gallon.
-FL excise tax on beer is $0.48/gallon.
posted by tiamat at 11:58 AM on August 16, 2020 [2 favorites]
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Yuengling flows like water here in PA, and NYC is close enough that it's cheap there too.
(It's not a 'craft beer' either...)
posted by mdrew at 3:37 PM on August 15, 2020 [14 favorites]