The Illusion of Scarcity: Are “Limited Edition” Beers Really That Rare?

In recent visits to various bottle shops, I’ve observed a curious trend that begs the question: why do so many “limited edition” beers linger on store shelves for months, sometimes even longer?

Just yesterday, I stumbled upon a so-called “extremely limited” barrel-aged stout that had been sitting idly on the shelf since October. Despite a flashy shelf label proclaiming that only 500 cases were produced, it appears that consumers are less inclined to shell out $25 for a brew that tastes like many others in the bourbon barrel stout category.

There was a time when beers like KBS and BCBS would fly off the shelves. Enthusiasts would line up outside stores like Binny’s, eager to snag their favorites. Fast forward to today, and I can waltz into nearly any reputable shop and find vintage 2020 BCBS available as if it were a standard case of High Life. It seems breweries are releasing so many “limited” brews that a significant portion of them remain on warm shelves, often lingering past their “drink by” dates, waiting for someone to take a chance on them.

This artificial scarcity marketing is beginning to feel rather disingenuous. It’s becoming frustrating to pay premium prices for a “limited edition” beer that could well be more common than a standard offering. If breweries want to maintain the allure of exclusivity, they must either truly limit their production or abandon the charade that their contact-brewed, barrel-aged creations are rare gems to be cherished.

As beer lovers, we deserve more transparency and authenticity in our brewing experiences. Let’s hope that the industry listens and starts producing genuinely unique offerings worthy of the “limited edition” label.