BREW REVIEW: Oskar Blues Gordon Imperial Red
The great beer boom of America that has been going strong now for over a decade has introduced millions of drinkers to new flavors and brands, but this hoppy explosion has come with a price. In the case of Oskar Blues Brewery's Gordon Imperial Red you're looking at spending $11.99 for 4 beers that come in cans. A frugal shopper will tell you that you can buy a 12 pack of most domestic beers for $11.99 and that's even without them being on sale. But welcome to the new day of beer snobs and beer elitists.
Is Gordon Imperial Red a good beer? Yes, it is. It's satisfying, has a great color, packs a nice 8.7% ABV, but it's not worth $11.99 for 4 cans. I've seen other breweries like Dogfish Head go down this road and tell their consumers that their ingredients and the time they put into their beers are where the money goes, but let's be honest, one beer drinker to another, the biggest ingredient in beer as is in soda and as in wine is water. That's why ultimately after everything is done one single beer that has been mass produced really only costs about 25 cents to make. Given that Oskar Blues isn't as big as Budweiser I'll say that it costs them $1 to make one of their beers and obviously they don't have the same volume that Bud does, but why are you really paying that much extra for a good beer? Is it really that unique and one of a kind? Or is it just an image the Oskar Blues and Dogfish Head want you to buy into?
So go ahead and feel proud and special that you're drinking a Gordon Imperial Red...you've paid for it!
Comments