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Steven Coulson
Steven has been drinking beers, wines and spirits for decades and has a propensity to go about them at length after a few drinks.
Latest Posts
- Dissecting The Beer Menu – An Irish Pub & Layered Brews
- Has anyone else noticed that every “limited release” somehow stays on shelves for months?
- Dissecting The Beer Menu – An Irish Pub & Layered Brews
- Headed to Asheville – looking for top breweries to get German style in cans / bottles
- Does anyone else feel guilty drinking beer alone because it’s supposed to be a social experience?
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The Illusion of Scarcity: Are “Limited Edition” Beers Really Limited?
In recent visits to local bottle shops, I’ve begun to notice an intriguing pattern: the so-called “limited release” beers seem to linger on the shelves far longer than one would expect. Just the other day, I walked into a shop and spotted a barrel-aged stout marketed as “extremely limited”—a brew that’s been available since October. Despite the flashy shelf talker proudly declaring a mere 500 cases in existence, it appears that few consumers are willing to part with $25 for yet another bourbon barrel stout that lacks a distinguishing flavor.
Remember the days when beers like KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) and BCBS (Bourbon County Brand Stout) would fly off the shelves? Enthusiasts would camp outside stores like Binny’s just for a chance to snag a few bottles. Fast forward to today, and it’s a different story. I recently strolled into a well-stocked store and casually picked up vintage 2020 BCBS as if I were grabbing a pack of mainstream lager. The landscape seems inundated with “limited” offerings, to the point that many of them sit on warm shelves, far past their recommended consumption dates.
This trend raises a compelling question about the tactics used in the craft beer industry. The artifice of marketing artificially scarce products has become painfully obvious. As consumers, we find ourselves paying top dollar for so-called “limited edition” brews, only to discover they are less elusive than a popular budget beer.
Instead of perpetuating this facade, breweries should consider one of two options: produce genuinely unique and hard-to-find beers, or refrain from labeling their products as exclusive treasures. The authenticity of a product is what draws consumers in, and it would be a refreshing change to see honesty in marketing rather than the persistent hype surrounding these “limited” releases.
As beer lovers, it’s essential for us to demand more transparency from the brewing industry, so that we can truly enjoy the unique flavors and experiences that only a genuinely limited release can provide.