So the price of La Folie went up again?

Discussion in 'Pacific' started by ArrogantB, Feb 15, 2013.

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  1. FarmerTed

    FarmerTed Pundit (904) May 31, 2011 Colorado

    Yeah, I got a bottle of the kriek as well ($14 at Superior). It was alright, but I wouldn't get it again. I guess I've never had a really good kriek before. All I've ever had is the Lindeman's and Sam Adams American Kriek. The Transatlantique is probably closer to the latter. It's alright, but jeez, I wouldn't want to drink it every day. It sucks ass that you can't just walk into a liquor store and buy a good one every once in a while (for less than the crazy price of the Hanssen's lambics).
     
  2. chugalug06

    chugalug06 Initiate (0) Jun 5, 2008 Colorado

    I lost all interest in La Folie when New Belgium halted the cork & cage and bottle conditioning
     
  3. reverseapachemaster

    reverseapachemaster Zealot (722) Sep 21, 2012 Texas

    It's priced at $13 at our mega-chain (Total Wine) locally here in Fort Worth, Texas. Other stores in the area are probably carrying it around $15 when it's available. NB is likely raising prices on the LOF beers to help finance expansion of the barrels and the new east coast brewery. It's a shame.

    I dunno, it's a fine sour and I'm sitting on a bottle but it's not my preferred style of sour. I probably won't buy it again unless the price comes down...a lot.
     
  4. Prospero

    Prospero Pooh-Bah (2,606) Jul 27, 2010 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Saw Goudenband for $10.99 at Argo, just saying.
     
  5. Bardwashrind

    Bardwashrind Initiate (0) Jul 1, 2008 Colorado

    Goudenband. La Folie. One of these things is not like the other.
     
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  6. Prospero

    Prospero Pooh-Bah (2,606) Jul 27, 2010 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Yes, one is aged longer, both Oud Bruins, both great beers, different price.
     
  7. FunkyMacGroovin

    FunkyMacGroovin Initiate (0) Sep 22, 2009 California

    $12.99 here in CA. I doubt there'll be any left on shelves in a month.
     
  8. FishPondManager

    FishPondManager Initiate (0) Feb 28, 2012 Colorado

    The first batch of transatlantique was one of the first beers that sucked me into craft. I had just turned 21 and could not believe a four pack of beer could be $10+. Then i tasted it and understood. That first run was awesome, but its never been the same since. Especially since pasteurization and the LoF blending.
     
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  9. Domingo

    Domingo Grand Pooh-Bah (4,206) Apr 23, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I had some of this year's batch of Transatlantique side by side with La Folie last week and thought it was still tasty, even by comparison. I'm not sure it's worth the $17 price tag, but it's still a good beer. It's my wife's absolute favorite (going back to us buying a case of the 2004 version), so I still buy bottles here and there. It has certainly changed over the years, but each batch has been different from the last, too.
     
  10. joshclauss

    joshclauss Zealot (689) Oct 31, 2010 Colorado

    Do you keep tasting notes of each year? I'd love to see someone's perspective on the differences year to year.
     
  11. Domingo

    Domingo Grand Pooh-Bah (4,206) Apr 23, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I wish I did. The main things that vary would be the tartness of the blended Boon kriek vs. the potency of the blended NB golden ale. The early version in 12oz bottles was drier and tart with the blonde blended beer adding a little fire and even a little bitterness.
    The last one (2010?) had more of a fruity character that isn't just tart. Not Lindemann's or anything, but like a jammy wine. The blended blonde was milder.
    This recent batch keeps the milder blend but the kriek is more tart again.
     
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  12. ColoradicalBEER

    ColoradicalBEER Initiate (0) Dec 2, 2012 Colorado

    Went to Star Bar in Denver the other night and got La Folie 12oz pour for $6. And that's why Star Bar is amazing..
     
  13. poopinmybutt

    poopinmybutt Zealot (631) May 25, 2005 Nebraska

    picked up some 2013 today for $13, same price as last year

    worth every penny

    edit: this is in nebraska.
     
  14. Andwoo

    Andwoo Initiate (0) Sep 21, 2010 Texas

    *Sorry for writing a freaking novel!*

    Oh hello, my Mountain Forum homies. Sorry I missed out on this thread. Let me clear up some confusion and hopefully get you back on the La Folie train.

    First off, we (New Belgium) DID raise the price of La Folie LAST year, in 2012. It's the same price this year, in 2013.

    Why, you ask? Well there are a few solid reasons. First off, we honestly think it's worth the price point. La Folie was the very first commercially brewed sour beer in the US. We actually hired our brewmaster, Peter, from Rodenbach. Peter is now considered the "grandfather of sours" in the US. We began growing our inoculate and aging beer in our foeders the year he was hired over 16 years ago. For 16 years, we've carefully and methodically grown our own very special, unique strain of bugs and bacteria. For 16 years, beer has never NOT been on the inside of one of those barrels. For 16 years, we've built-up the largest wood cellar of any craft brewery in America. In fact, much of the other sour beer you see in the US is due to us giving that brewery our inoculate so they could begin growing and souring their beers. Why? Because it takes FOREVER to grow your own and begin doing sour beers on wood. We actually sold Russian River one of our best foeders years ago and now look at their program. Currently to date, no other brewer in America has the levels of pedeo, lacto, bretta (and whatever else is growing in there) as New Belgium does. We've earned it...all for you.

    This year's La Folie was a blend of 8 different foeders. All with about 2 to 3 years of aging. We employ 2 full-time blenders (Lauren and Eric Salazar) to test, grow, develop and blend those barrels when the time is exactly right. So drink La Folie fresh. We actually employ very well-respected people to age the beer for you.

    As for Liefman's Goudenband? Not sure what to say about that. I'm not positive they're actually aging on wood. For as available as it is and for as few wood barrels as they actually have, I'm guessing it's a stainless sour which doesn't take nearly as long to make as wood-aged. Not sure though. Liefman's also went bankrupt a few years ago so maybe their pricing needs tweaking :wink: Like Duchesse. That vinegar bomb is not wood-aged. The only brewer with enough wood barrels to come close to pulling that volume off is Rodenbach. Not Duchesse.

    As for corked and caged? In short, if you didn't live in Colorado, you wouldn't be getting La Folie if it were c&c'd. We decided to buy more foeders so more people could experience La Folie than buy a cork and cage machine. The c&c La Folie you used to see were all hand-bottled. Many problems with that (time-consuming, very expensive, QA problems). I know a cap isn't as sexy as a cork, but c'mon. It's just a cork.

    As for pasteurizing? Man, I really hope the craft beer world comes to understand this isn't a bad word. We do it for good reason. And that reason is YOU. La Folie is a wood-aged sour ale, not a bottle-aged sour ale (but it is bottle-conditioned). All the cellaring and aging is done by us. Once we blend, we pasteurize to lock in a blend and prevent it from changing. If we didn't, we couldn't promise you what you'd open is what we intended (the bugs can produce very unpleasant flavors). You'll never pay your good money for a bunk La Folie. That's awesome, right? This also helps us cut risks of contaminating anything else bottled on our line. Our infection rate at New Belgium is at an all-time low right now. We actually do a ton of micro-bio texting for other CO craft breweries because our QA program is so well-respected. We do it for Avery, Funkwerks, Equinox, O'dell (I think?).

    Long story short, we put SO MUCH effort into brewing, aging and blending La Folie for you guys. And we truly believe it's price tag reflects that. We pride ourselves on not having crazy, arbitrary pricing. You've never seen a $22 stout from us. You CAN find a $5 bomber of a 10% Quad with Rochefort's yeast though...and you can find a $16 bomber of La Folie with years of work and thought behind it.

    Sorry for writing a book. Cheers, guys.
     
  15. Mebuzzard

    Mebuzzard Grand Pooh-Bah (4,216) May 19, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    "You've never seen a $22 stout from us."
    Zing!

    "You CAN find a $5 bomber of a 10% Quad with Rochefort's yeast though" Whaaa? Didn't know that was Rochefort yeast. Must. Have. One.
     
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  16. Andwoo

    Andwoo Initiate (0) Sep 21, 2010 Texas

    Yep. AND it's brewed with Goldschlager gold flakes and little babies.
     
  17. Andwoo

    Andwoo Initiate (0) Sep 21, 2010 Texas

    Forgot to hit reply to your post. See my long ass explanation above. Hope we didn't lose your faith in us.
     
  18. narayan

    narayan Initiate (0) Jun 28, 2007 Georgia

    Those are filtered out right? I hate finding baby parts in my bottles.
     
  19. Andwoo

    Andwoo Initiate (0) Sep 21, 2010 Texas

    Haha yes. Filtered but not sterilized. Keeps ya guessing.
     
  20. CK21

    CK21 Initiate (0) Feb 6, 2011 Colorado

    Not to get into the business of business, but getting into the business of business - why different pricing for different states and Colorado higher than reported pricing in other states?
     
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