The Most Overpriced Beers, According To Customers

Just as there are connoisseurs of fine wine, the myriad types and brands of beer have fans. These enthusiasts know all kinds of things, such as how much foam a glass of beer should have. In fact, a 2023 Gallup Poll found that 37% of Americans will reach for a beer over wine (29%) or liquor (31%). In another similarity with wine, beer prices can be quite high, even exorbitant. We're not talking about that $20 brew you get at a sporting event. These can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Some are limited-release products; others are valued by collectors. Many beers are expensive to brew, especially those with a high ABV. Some breweries even compete to climb the list of the 14 strongest beers in the world.

Are these beers worth the often astronomical prices? That depends on who buys them. If someone is willing to fork over a bundle for a bottle, we could surmise they feel it is money well spent. However, the general consensus is another matter. Searching beer-rating sites such as Untappd, Beer Advocate, or Beer and Brewing for aggregate scores often reveals what everyday customers think. Consumers on Reddit and other social media platforms are more than happy to share their opinions as well.

By reading these ratings and comments, we can get a feel for which beers are considered overpriced by the brew-loving public. If they are out of your price range, you can check out the best craft beers from every state.

Way up north in the 49th state, you will find the Anchorage Brewing Company. Founded in 2010 by Gabe Fletcher, who learned the art of brewing in a 13-year stint at Anchorage's Midnight Sun Brewery, ABC released its first beer the following year. Despite the remote location, Anchorage Brewing distributes its products throughout the U.S. and the world.

The brewery produces an impressive line of beers. Imperial and double stouts, double, triple, and hazy IPAs, American and Belgian ales, and fruited sours are among the choices available to beer lovers. Anchorage Brewing also features barleywines, including A Deal with the Devil. This 17% ABV beverage goes through quite a process. It's aged for 12 months in double oak barrels which previously held various bourbons or cognac. Halfway through aging, the brew is blended with two other batches of Deal with the Devil that have been aged 24 and 12 months respectively. Then, the mix is placed in a fresh barrel, resulting in a complex flavor which draws dedicated fans. This is a major reason for why it costs so much. A drink with such intensive preparation must have a hefty pricetag, and indeed it does. A 375-milliliter bottle will set you back $175. Worth it?

One Redditor commented, "Absolutely not worth it ... There are other barleywines out there that are cheaper and better." Another agreed, stating, "It just isn't worth it in my opinion ... In short. Hell. No." That's a pretty strong statement.

Denmark's Carlsberg Brewery crafts some of Europe's finest beers. The company makes a Danish Pilsner that costs a very reasonable $19.99 for a 12-pack of 16-ounce cans. However, that is not the beer we are concerned with here.

Carlsberg released three limited-edition brews, beginning with, unsurprisingly, Jacobsen Vintage No. 1. It's a barleywine aged in French and Swedish barrels for six months and flavored with caramel, prunes, and oak. Each bottle sports one of four different lithographs by the Danish artist, Frans Kannik. It's a fairly strong beer at 10.5% ABV, and the price is staggering.

In addition to the lengthy brewing process and limited edition, Jacobsen Vintage No. 1 was only sold primarily in three Danish fine dining establishments, making it pretty hard to get. The result? A 375-milliliter bottle with a $400 price tag. You read that right. But hey; many fine wines cost more than that. It must taste incredible, right? Not so much.

Untappd Beer rates Vintage No. 1 at 3.81 stars: not exactly a rave review. The folks at Pabst would celebrate if PBR received that score, but there are no parties in Denmark for a beer like Jacobsen. The drink was sampled back in the states by two brewers in Fort Worth, Texas, whose comments were reported on the Brookston Beer Bulletin. One simply said, "It's delicious ... but at that price?" The other compared it to one of his own barleywines that is pricy, but not nearly as expensive. His take was that his beer – Jack's Reserve Barley Wine — is a bargain up against Jacobsen Vintage No. 1.

Dogfish Head began life as Delaware's first brew pub, also earning the title of the smallest brewery in the nation. By brewing three times a day and five days a week, the little brewery that could managed to supply enough suds for its customers. The business grew, and in 2002 started distilling spirits after converting a stainless steel bin from a local scrapyard into a still. The amusingly-named "Frankenstill" began producing gin, vodka, and rum.

Getting back to beer, Dogfish Head brews ales, stouts, citrus beers, and several IPAs; including 15, 30, 75, and 90-minute varieties. This leads us to the 120 Minute IPA. It's an imperial style IPA with an ABV of 15-20%, so it's pretty potent. The beer is only brewed once a year, and can be tough to find. When you do, it comes in four-packs of 12-ounce bottles that cost just over $40. This isn't super expensive, but do beer drinkers find it worth the price?

A writer for Guys Drinking Beer tried one and said he was "overpowered by citrus, hops, blistering alcohol, and gobs of pure molasses." Doesn't sound like a great experience. Ryan from the same site recommends putting it in the cellar for five years, which seems like a long wait for a thirsty beer lover.

Finally, there were a couple of detractors on Reddit, one of whom said, "I didn't like it. Too sweet." Another commenter agreed. "Almost syrupy sweet for me. 90 Minute is a much better IPA." Assuming these drinkers were not following a common beer myth that reduces enjoyment, this beer is not worth the price.

Who makes beer better than Germans? The Schorschbräu Brewery is a small operation in Bavaria that makes some of the strongest beers on the planet. It's known for Eisbocks, barleywines, and imperial stouts that are strong in flavor as well as alcohol. Its least powerful is 15% ABV, and the beers go up quickly from there. The mightiest of all is the Schorschbock 57, named for its ABV. Yes: This is a powerful brew.

If you want to try it, the 57 can be tough to find, and if you do, expect to pay about $140 for a 6.7-ounce bottle. After all, with such a high ABV you probably couldn't handle much more. At three figures, it must taste incredible for the cost. Well, not so much. Untappd gives it an average rating of 3.2 stars, which is pretty underwhelming. It didn't fare much better at BeerAdvocate, with a 79 rating simply labeled "Okay." At that price, you want more than okay. One reviewer on the site said, "Like a shot of whiskey with an unfriendly cloying finish. A gimmick."

It would seem the brewers focused more on the alcohol content than the flavor, and came up a bit short for the face value. We have to place this one on the overpriced list.

Maine may conjure images of lobster traps and loggers, but talented brewers reside there too. The independent Allagash Brewing Company in Portland has been crafting beer since its 1995 founding by Rob Tod, a James Beard award winner. Allagash brews beer in the Belgian style, which much like Mexican beer is different than others. The outfit offers year-round, seasonal, and limited edition beers to suit a wide range of tastes, as well as wines and ciders.

One of Allagash's higher-end beers is the Curieux, a barrel-aged Belgian Tripel golden ale. The brew spends seven weeks in a bourbon barrel to develop its flavor. As you would expect, it's fairly strong with an ABV of 10.2%. Allagash states that the Curiex is its "most popular barrel-aged beer." It likely is, but a 375-milliliter bottle costs between $23 and $30, although you can get it for $16 at the brewery.

What do people who have paid the higher price at a beer store think? One Redditor was conflicted, stating, "Honestly, it was good but $23 a bottle feels like a hard price to live up to, especially since you can't reseal it to save for later." Another beer drinker agreed, commenting, "Allagash is a gold standard for me for Belgian styles, but man, some of their prices are stupid. Around 30 bucks for a 375-milliliter bottle, get the f*** out of here." Good beer, but maybe not quite that good.

Our next candidate has quite a history. It is brewed in Appelhoek, Belgium, where folks have been making beer since 1654. That's a long time. It wasn't until the early 20th Century when Leon Hugye bought a brewery that eventually became Delirium. It released its popular blond Tremens ale in 1988 and never looked back.

The Belgian company now brews several kinds of beer that have won numerous awards throughout the world, as these brewers know what they are doing. One of these is Delirium Red, a strong beer with a fruity taste. The alcohol content might not knock you over, but its still potent enough at 8% ABV. The price — though not astronomical — is on the high side. A four-pack of 16.9-ounce cans costs around $30. Not bad if people think the brew lives up to the tag. Let's find out.

Red's Untappd rating is a middle-of-the-road 3.58 stars: nothing to brag about. It does have a pretty solid rating of 82 on BeerAdvocate, but one reviewer noted, "I'm a bit disappointed in this beer ... This beer is drinkable but a bit too fruity and is pretty sweet. It almost tastes like drinking a cherry Coke." A Redditor took things a bit further, complaining, "I think it is the only beer I disliked enough not to finish it. I remember it just being syrupy sweet like cough medicine or something." It would seem some beer drinkers definitely deem Delirium Red overpriced.

Samuel Adams hit the beer scene in 1984 as a craft brewery. With its huge success and the number of brews it produces, it has since become so much more. The Boston brewery now sells ales, lagers, IPAs, seasonal beers, and many others that you can find in any supermarket or beer store in the nation. You can also enjoy your favorite at one of its three taprooms. They even offer non-alcoholic beers for the designated drivers out there.

Samuel Adams can also hold its own when it comes to stronger beers. Utopias is only released every two years and boasts an ABV of 28%. The brewing process is long, and complex. The initial fermenting and brewing take place in Cincinnati, Ohio. The beer then goes on to Pennsylvania, where it is aged in bourbon and cognac barrels, and then again on to Boston to blend with earlier vintages of Utopias. Bottling takes place at Dogfish Head in Delaware, where the beer is housed in Brazilian-made plastic bottles resembling copper brewing casks. With all the effort and transport, you might expect a high price. You'd be correct: a 24.5-ounce bottle goes for $240.

Not only is this beer expensive, but its high ABV makes it illegal in 15 states. As to whether it is worth the hefty price tag, one Redditor said, "I think it's good, but it's definitely overpriced ... I could spend a tenth of the money I just spent and get something better." Another Reddit commenter said, "Oh, it's not so bad at all. It's just not so good that I could justify it at that price."

Scotland is well-regarded for its whiskey — especially scotch — but the nation is no slouch when it comes to beer. As you might expect, Scottish brews are like Scottish people: strong. Though the 88 Brewery in Edinburgh produces wine and spirits, it's the beer which stands out. The establishment proudly holds the current title of "World's Strongest Beer" with its Scottish Beithir Fire. Aptly named, this brew has a 75% ABV. Yes: That is a crazy strong beer.

Beithir Fire is a barley ale that takes two months to brew, then is blended with the "purest Scottish spirit," and triple-filtered after fermentation. The bottle has a warning on its label which reads: "This beer is not for the faint-hearted. It is recommended to enjoy in small 35-milliliter doses." Referring to the amount as a "dose" is quite an indicator of strength. As for the cost? Well, it's just over $61 for a 330-milliliter bottle. Not super expensive, but is it drinkable with all that alcohol?

An online beer reviewer tried the Fire after reading the warning and claimed his tongue went numb. He did not enjoy the experience. A Redditor said, "That's not beer. It's communion wafer-flavored Everclear." Another reviewer on Reddit stated, "Even with ice distilling, you can't get beer past 45-ish %... tasted like rubbing alcohol." Sounds like the brewers at 88 took things a bit too far in their quest for a title.

Another Scottish maker of craft beer is BrewDog, founded in 2007. James Watt and Martin started out doing everything by hand and selling their beer out of an old van. BrewDog's products began catching on, and the company opened its first pub three years later in Aberdeen. As time passed and the business grew, pubs sprouted up all over Europe, Brazil, Tokyo, and even Las Vegas.

Eventually, BrewDog worked towards crafting the strongest beer in the world and created Sink the Bismarck!, so named as BrewDog was battling German breweries for the distinction of most powerful beer. Sink is an Imperial IPA with an ABV of 41%. Not a world record, but hefty nonetheless. If you would like to sample this beer, you can buy a 750-milliliter bottle online for the princely sum of $459.

This is one of the highest-priced beers on our list, so it better be phenomenal for that much money. However, Untapped rates it just 3.63 stars. Nothing special about that. BeerAdvocate gives it an 82, which is merely "Good." One Redditor was especially harsh, saying, "BrewDog is trash. No quality control, just hype." Another rather amusing Reddit comment was, "With this, the Germans would have won. I surrender." Not the response one would expect from a beer this pricey.

Sadly, we must fire another torpedo at BrewDog. An earlier attempt by the Scottish brand to overtake German brewers in strong beer was Tactical Nuclear Penguin. The name alone has to be worth at least five bucks a bottle; so-called because of the extreme temperatures involved in the brewing process. Tactical begins as an imperial stout and is aged in a whiskey cask from the Isle of Arran for eight months. It is then stored for three weeks in a -20 degree freezer. This brings it to an ABV of 32%. Not the strongest on Earth, but still pretty impressive.

With all of the effort that goes into making Tactical Nuclear Penguin, it's not surprising that it costs $166 for a 330-milliliter bottle. Does it fare any better than Sink the Bismarck!? Untappd has the frigid offering at 3.83 stars. A respectable rating, but at this price, we need to do better than that. In fact, BeerAdvocate rates Tactical a point less than its younger sibling at 81: good, but not great. Cool name aside, this pricey beer appears to not be worth its cost either. Perhaps you could save some money and try the sweet way to make cheap beer taste a whole lot better.