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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 Myth of Limited Releases: Are We Falling for Marketing Tricks?
In recent months, I’ve observed a curious trend that many beer enthusiasts might find familiar: the prevalence of “limited release” beers that seem to linger on store shelves far longer than one would expect.
Take, for instance, my visit to a local bottle shop yesterday, where I spotted the same “extremely limited” barrel-aged stout that had been showcased since October. The signage proudly boasted its exclusivity, claiming a mere 500 cases had been produced. Yet, this particular brew has stubbornly remained available, suggesting that perhaps not everyone is eager to shell out $25 for yet another bourbon barrel stout that tastes like so many others.
In years past, iconic beers like KBS and Bourbon County Brand Stout generated serious excitement, with enthusiasts lining up outside retailers just for the chance to snag a bottle. However, fast forward to today, and I can casually stroll into any reputable shop and find vintage 2020 BCBS sitting on the shelf, as easily as I might pick up a six-pack of a mainstream lager.
The reality is that breweries have ramped up production of these “limited” offerings to such an extent that many of them end up collecting dust on warm shelves, often long past their intended consumption dates. The once exhilarating experience of hunting down a rare beer has devolved into a scenario where the concept of artificial scarcity feels rather embarrassing.
As a dedicated beer lover, I’m growing increasingly disillusioned with the trend of overpriced “limited edition” brews that turn out to be less rare than products from a local craft brew that’s hardly known. If a beer is truly meant to be special, it should be challenging to find—otherwise, it’s high time breweries reconsider their marketing and stop pretending that their contact-brewed barrel-aged concoctions are rare treasures.
Ultimately, the charm of craft beer lies in its authenticity and uniqueness. Let’s hope that breweries will return to a genuine sense of exclusivity, so we can once again find excitement in discovering those truly elusive brews.