Vintage wines have long been an attraction to wealthy connoisseurs with sophisticated palates.
But now beer, often seen as a drink for the man in the street, is going on sale in pubs with eye-watering prices, with many buying vintage ales as an investment.
The most expensive is the 1997 Fuller’s vintage ale, which costs £250.80 and can be bought online or at Fuller’s pubs across South England.
Based on this year’s prices – the Fuller’s vintage 2016 ale sells for £4.09 a bottle – this means its price has gone up by 6032 per cent.
It has fared better than the 1999 vintage, which sells for £111.20, but that is still a staggering 2736 per cent rise in value.
The second-most expensive vintage is the 1998 edition, at £237.60, followed by the 2000 ale which is selling for £211.20.
The different prices are due to age and rarity but also because of the fact that each ale is brewed with different hops every year, meaning the quality varies.
Experts say more people are buying vintage beer as an investment, with older, more rarer ones now commanding a large price.
A pub in Kings Cross station in London, the Parcel Yard, is one of a number of select bars with a range of Fullers Vintage Ales on sale.
A barman at the pub – a former parcel sorting office at the station - said that the high price is not putting people off: ‘People do order it (the £211.20 vintage ale). I have sold a few but it’s really rare. I have tasted it, it’s nice, it’s quite strong.’
Other pubs selling the ales include the Admiralty in Trafalgar Square or London’s Pride in Heathrow’s Terminal 2.
Re: Fancy a pint?
Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 9:51 am
by kmccune
P T Barnum said it best .
Re: Fancy a pint?
Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 4:41 pm
by rubato
This one is worth the premium. But it disappears quickly so it's hard to find:
Reviews & Accolades
“[Like] Vincent Price reading you a bedtime story…. North Coast does it again! …This beer floored me. …Everything about this beer is strong in a sophisticated way.”
Brewer Cameron
Belgians used to make the best beer. Now we do.
yrs,
rubato
Re: Fancy a pint?
Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 6:42 pm
by Long Run
North Coast does it again! …This beer floored me.
Go for the view, stay for the beer?
Re: Fancy a pint?
Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 9:05 pm
by Burning Petard
I am very ignorant about beer and its variations. What is the shelf life? What is proper storage? Various wines and distilled products change with aging, but that aging process requires certain conditions, and can easily get older, and not better.
rubato wrote:
Belgians used to make the best beer. Now we do.
yrs,
rubato
LOL!! Inevitable I suppose though, de gustibus!
Re: Fancy a pint?
Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 7:56 pm
by oldr_n_wsr
I was always and ale/stout man, back when beer was not "micro".
Bass Ale or Guinness stout were my usual order (along with a shot or 4 of Jack Daniels)
Most places that served Guinness didn't get enough call for it so it was usually stale. But the shots were always fresh.
I was never into any kind of "flavored" beer.
Pumpkins are not included in the Reinheitsgebot.
Re: Fancy a pint?
Posted: Thu May 12, 2016 3:14 am
by Long Run
Gob wrote:
rubato wrote:
LOL!! Inevitable I suppose though, de gustibus!
Yes, no disputing that. I will say that improvements in our beer selections/quality over the last 30 years has been nothing short of amazing, and we have many great beers to choose from -- like many other countries.
