October 12, 2011

Baseball's Most Expensive Beers: The most expensive beer in Major League Baseball is served at Fenway Park, according to Business Insider. Boston charges $7.25 per small draft beer, while the league's cheapest is in Arizona at $4. The average price is $5.81.

posted by rcade to baseball at 04:35 PM - 17 comments

There is something wrong about a team that plays in a stadium named after a brewing family/brewery and situated just a few miles from said brewery charging $6.75 for crap beer from said brewery (5th highest in the majors). When I go to Busch, I tend to drink the Schlafly's (not a huge fan, but better than Bud) and Boulevard offerings from certain vendors that are basically the same price, but the vast majority of folks seem more than willing to fork over $7-$8 for various A-B products. In my experience, the "premium" beers at baseball games are a relatively better value than the mass market adjunct lagers -- the mark-up (if any) is a lot less than the differential you would pay at, say, a bar.

I will say that, notwithstanding the cost, the options/offerings at Fenway have greatly improved from the time I was in grad school out there (pre-new ownership) to present.

I am more interested in what stadiums in sports have the best beer selection. What say you SpoFites?

posted by holden at 04:47 PM on October 12, 2011

Well, I don't have much knowledge outside of Philly parks, but I can speak to their selections... Which have improved vastly over the past 5 years or so... Now they have any number of places most of which serve a variety of beers on tap or bottle. Most are in the range you listed here (around $7) but also have those premium which I clearly prefer.

posted by myshtigo at 05:13 PM on October 12, 2011

So what do they offer out there myshtigo? Dogfish Head? Victory?

posted by holden at 05:24 PM on October 12, 2011

2005, Game 3 of the ALDS, we got free tickets from my wife's company to the right-field seats (above the bleachers, with waitress). Final tab: $86 for 13 beers. And that's a bargain now.

posted by yerfatma at 05:37 PM on October 12, 2011

Target Field in Minneapolis has 34 beers available. Yeah the A-B and Miller/Coors products dominate spots, but there are lots of vendors that sell only local brews. I've highlighted the regional beers below. Given that Shells is brewed in my little home town, I was pleased to see it being served!

The complete list:Bud, Bud Light, Bud Select, Bud Light Lime, Bud Light Wheat, Michelob Golden Draft, Michelob Golden Draft Light, Michelob Ultra, Michelob AmberBock, Rolling Rock, Shock Top, O'Doul's Amber, Miller Lite, Coors Light, Miller Genuine Draft, MGD 64 Finnegans, Shell's Seasonal, Summit Extra Pale Ale, Summit Seasonal, Grainbelt Premium, Grainbelt Light, Leinie's Original, Leinie's Honey Weiss, Leinie's Summer Shandy, Lanshark Lager, Guinness, Heineken, Heineken Light, Stella, Corona, Dos Equis, Samuel Adams, and Amstel Light.

Side note: Target Field also has several spots where you can get mixed drinks and/or shots. At most parks I've been to if you want a Jack & Coke, or maybe just some Jack, you have to go to a bar that has a monitored doorway. At Target these spots are right by the seats and are a great place to stand and watch the game

posted by dviking at 06:04 PM on October 12, 2011

Has to be Coors Field. I stay away from the mass market adjunct lagers unless I'm desperate but you can get vats of Coors light for 7$. There is a Blue Moon brewery on site and aside from there solid regular offering they also have a seasonal and dabble with some craft beers. You can get all kinds of bottled imports if that's you're thing. They even have a gluten-free beer.

But screw all that. You have to find the stands that have the half-dozen or so Colorado microbrews on tap. Then just pick one at random, they're all good here. I'm actually a little ashamed that the Brewers reside in Milwaukee because Colorado destroys my state of origin in the making of brew. Excluding, perhaps, New Glarus's Spotted Cow, which is excellent.

posted by tron7 at 06:04 PM on October 12, 2011

dviking -- any Surly on offer at Target Field or any of the other Minneapolis stadiums? I imagine their capacity probably doesn't allow it, but I love their beers.

tron7 -- never seen the New Glarus at Miller Park (although always stop at Woodman's in Kenosha to pick some up when I'm traversing the IL-WI border), but they did have some decent Capital offerings (which are no great shakes by Colorado standards, but a step up on the bigger local alternatives) last time I was there.

posted by holden at 06:24 PM on October 12, 2011

If you go to a Pirates game, can you get Old Frothingslosh and Iron City?

posted by beaverboard at 08:55 PM on October 12, 2011

Citizens Bank Park has Victory on tap in the box seats behind home plate. You can find Sam Adams, Anchor Steam and some other larger craft brews around the ballpark.

posted by mikemacman at 09:07 PM on October 12, 2011

holden,as I remember reading about it there was some sort of a conflict regarding Surly...quick search and here we are, straight from Surly's owner.

I do get his point about not wanting to charge his fan base $10 for a can of Surly's.

Is Old Frothingslosh still made? Do the cans still sport Miss Frothingslosh? My first business,as a 14 year old kid, involved selling beer cans to collectors. I made a lot of money, for a 14 year old in the 70's, selling Frothingslosh and Schells cans. Seriously, I had guys in Europe sending me $20 for cans. Iron City cans with the Steeler Super Bowl teams on them were hot as well. I have the '75 can sitting on a shelf three feet from me.

posted by dviking at 09:13 PM on October 12, 2011

myshtigo? Dogfish Head? Victory?

I have had Dogfish 60 and 90 minute at PNC in Pittsburgh. They were $9 I think. They only had it in the club level seats though.

$6.50 0r $7 for Large Iron City.

posted by Debo270 at 11:17 AM on October 13, 2011

can you get Old Frothingslosh

Ah yes, Old Frothingslosh. The pale stale ale for the pale stale male. The only beer brewed upside down with the head on the bottom. This started as a gag by some morning DJ in Pittsburgh, and one of the local breweries actually started selling its own brew with OF labels (which were put on upside down).

If Yuengling isn't sold in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, there will be a Congressional investigation.

posted by Howard_T at 02:46 PM on October 13, 2011

I have had Dogfish 60 and 90 minute at PNC in Pittsburgh.

I take back any of the mean things I've ever said about Pittsburgh up to this point. A 90 minute IPA for $9.00 in the 'burgh beats the hell out of an $8.00 plastic bottle of yellow beer you find most other places. I think an Anchor Steam at AT&T Park is around $9.00, as well. I love it, but it ain't no Dogfish Head.

posted by tahoemoj at 04:41 PM on October 13, 2011

Heading out to the BIDC Cup Final on Sunday afternoon at the Olympic Stadium.

Hopefully it will be Cambodia vs Vietnam.

Beers are 50c.

posted by owlhouse at 10:40 PM on October 13, 2011

If you buy an 8 dollar beer in Milwaukee and a 50 cent beer in Cambodia, taking climate and comparative fluid retention over time into consideration, aren't you getting about equal value?

posted by beaverboard at 10:54 PM on October 13, 2011

Given the differences in public sanitation between Milwaukee and Phnom Penh, fluid retention would be a higher priority here.

posted by owlhouse at 02:02 AM on October 14, 2011

Owlhouse, if they have Ba-Mui-Ba on hand, have one for me. That stuff caused many a fluid retention problem for me about 43 years ago.

posted by Howard_T at 03:33 PM on October 14, 2011

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