Monday 25 October 2010

Premiumisation in practice

As noted on their own blog, BrewDog have now got three of their beers listed in Morrisons, who of the “big four” supermarkets arguably take the most conservative approach to their beer range. They are Punk IPA, 5am Saint and Trashy Blonde, and they are priced at a somewhat eye-watering £1.59 for a 330ml bottle. Tesco, in comparison, sell Punk IPA and 77 Lager for £1.39 a bottle. Morrisons sell a wide range of 500ml premium bottled ales for £1.69 each, or £5.50 for 4, which works out at 27.5p per 100ml. The BrewDog beers, in contrast, are 48.2p per 100ml, 75% dearer. Are they better beers than Pedigree or Abbot Ale? Very possibly. Are they that much better? The jury is still out on that one. I did pick up a bottle of 5am Saint, as I’ve never tried that particular beer, but in general I think I’ll be waiting for the offers to kick in.

11 comments:

  1. Tesco Finest American Double IPA brewed by Brewdog 1.99/330ml bottle or 3 for 4 quid. 9.2% ABV.
    Picked up the last 3 bottles off the shelf in a 'Port Tesco earler

    ReplyDelete
  2. There aren't any Morrison's outlets close to here, but I always thought their prices were pretty keen. Not so, from what you say. I haven't got much to compare them against, but I know our local Sainsbury's is selling Punk IPA at £1.39 a bottle.

    ReplyDelete
  3. In general, Morrisons prices are good, and they have the best thought-out and presented selection of British bottled ales of any of the Big 4. The permanent "4 for £5.50" offer is very attractive, especially as it covers ciders as well as ales.

    However, they still seem to be a bit half-hearted on the more exotic and imported beers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Those cheap-looking 330ml bottles are a cheeky bit of upscaling on BD's part - even £1.59 doesn't look like a lot for a bottle of beer.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Considering the fact when I was in York I paid 2.40 for a pint of Trashy Blonde it does seem a lot for a bottle. But then again, I don't consider those bottle prices to be that expensive personally. If the beers good then I will be happy to pay for it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You and Paul Bailey show promise, Mudge, in the appreciation of cheap grog. If only I could convince you both of the inherent virtue of cheap lout.

    Anyway are these prices more or less than the shareholders that overpaid for their shares get offered?

    ReplyDelete
  7. The shareholders get invites to drink out of a badgers arse or something. That's priceless.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Morrisons is my nearest supermarket and I would argue that they take a more conservative approach to the other three. I think there selection is really good and less predictable than the others. I look forward to see BrewDog in there soon, I hope.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Had you paid your £230 for a brewdog share the £16 for 12 bottles (there own website) would only be £12.80 with your 20% shareholder discount code. £7 p&p and it's 19.80 for 12 or £1.65 a bottle.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So it's still 6p a bottle cheaper in Morrisons :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. The 5am Saint, by the way, was very nice - makes a better everyday beer than Punk IPA, which can be a bit challenging.

    ReplyDelete

Comments, especially on older posts, may require prior approval by the blog owner. See here for details of my comment policy.

Please register an account to comment. Unregistered comments will generally be rejected unless I recognise the author. If you want to comment using an unregistered ID, you will need to tell me something about yourself.