I've reached that stage in the craft beer game where I seem
more than happy to spend what can be considered a sensational amount of my hard
earned money on beverages that are surely overpriced. When I tell my non-beery
friends that I recently enjoyed a great beer in a Manchester bar that was £4.50
for a half pint, they give me the sort of look one gives a man who has
announced that he is to write the words of Wordsworth on a Cathedral wall in
his own shit. “So that would work out as £9 sterling for a pint of beer?” they
will say, in incredulous tones.
Sometimes I require a mirror to give myself a scathing look when I scan
bottle menus in similar bars and view anything under £10 as a
"bargain."
So let's crack it open. No point referencing it’s colour
(let’s just say, it isn’t yellow) but it smells BIG. But more like a big
Imperial Stout. It's all raisins, liquorice, chocolate, coffee, sweet caramel,
oh just so much on the nose. It's a beer that you breathe in the aroma of to
try and get the flavours and then instantly take a swig before you have chance
to stop yourself. You're not in control. The urge is a little too much due to
that fantastic scent. But the taste is better. It's definitely NOT an Imperial
Stout. That hop character is so demanding that it initially finds itself
fighting against that roasted malt flavour, like two illicit lovers, before
they both come to the realisation that marriage is the best option. They settle
down and the final vows are proclaimed over a warmth down the throat that says,
"Hey, these nuptials are said with feeling." It's a beer that I'm
glad I'm describing as that is the only thing keeping the glass out of my hand
and stopping me from inhaling all 650ml of this 10% beaut. 
Is beer worth it? You know, sometimes it really, really is.
So, as Joey Tribbiani once asked "Who says wine has to
cost more than milk?" tonight I must ask myself whether I could just enjoy
great beer on a more reasonable budget? I'm not a rich man. I have plenty of
bills and a very active social life to keep up with. Is the beer I love truly
worth it?
The scapegoat of this piece is a beer from the Clown Shoes
brewery hailing from Ipswich (no not Norfolk, but Massachusetts in the U.S.A.)
It is a beer named Hoppy Feet 1.5 and is a Double Black India Pale Ale. I've chosen this beer as the guinea pig to
this experiment because I have never heard of Clown Shoes before, I have never
tasted one of their beers before and know nobody who has to give me any sort of
reference point to how good they may be. Yet, despite all of this, I still
thought this was worth spending £11.49 of the Queen's on. As I could buy 5
bottles of my current favourite beer at my local shop with that, surely this HAS
to be worth it.
So let's crack it open. No point referencing it’s colour
(let’s just say, it isn’t yellow) but it smells BIG. But more like a big
Imperial Stout. It's all raisins, liquorice, chocolate, coffee, sweet caramel,
oh just so much on the nose. It's a beer that you breathe in the aroma of to
try and get the flavours and then instantly take a swig before you have chance
to stop yourself. You're not in control. The urge is a little too much due to
that fantastic scent. But the taste is better. It's definitely NOT an Imperial
Stout. That hop character is so demanding that it initially finds itself
fighting against that roasted malt flavour, like two illicit lovers, before
they both come to the realisation that marriage is the best option. They settle
down and the final vows are proclaimed over a warmth down the throat that says,
"Hey, these nuptials are said with feeling." It's a beer that I'm
glad I'm describing as that is the only thing keeping the glass out of my hand
and stopping me from inhaling all 650ml of this 10% beaut. 
I think we've established that I'm enjoying this beer, but
how do we judge whether it was truly worth the money spent? Well, firstly I
have no regrets about purchasing this beer. It truly is that good. I feel privileged
to have tried it and I'm sure there aren't many people in Britain who have,
generally speaking. Secondly, I'm already on the website I purchased the beer
from looking at ordering, not only another bottle of this beer, but the other
Clown Shoes beers available. They don't do enough of them. I want their full range. They
have a Smoked Imperial Stout named Vampire Slayer that I MUST get my hands on
even if it requires flying to Massachusetts.
Is beer worth it? You know, sometimes it really, really is.
Comments
I think sometimes its worth taking a punt on more expensive beers as your review shows