Earlier today, the owner and brewmaster at Hair of the Dog Brewing Company announced via Twitter the exclusive sale of bottles of Dave, a special reserve ale, at their brewery in Portland. And acquiring a 12oz bottle of Dave won’t be cheap. It’s price tag is a very reasonable $2,000, or $166.66 per ounce. All the proceeds will go to Guide Dogs for the Blind, a non-profit charity that has been helping the blind and visually impaired since 1942.

Dave is home. Available to drink here or go while it lasts pic.twitter.com/H2mChIb9OJ — Alan Sprints (@hairofthedog) September 25, 2013

Dave is easily one of the most elusive brews in the American craft beer scene. Weighing in with a robust 29% ABV, this barleywine was brewed made back in 1994.

As the story goes, according to Alan Sprints from Hair of the Dog, three hundred gallons of Dave was produced and then stashed away in a freezer. Over the last two decades, it was presumably defrosted and re-freezed three times. This process reduced its overall volume to less than 100 gallons.

Just a few days ago, Hair of the Dog announced the release of twelve bottles of Dave, which sold out almost immediately with most of them going to devoted beer connoisseurs that waited in line for hours. Sprints reports that many of the bottles ended up in the hands of collectors, whom will presumably cellar their prize for a later occasion.

A Few Facts About Dave

The creator of Dave told NPR that his creation was conceived to “get people to think about beer differently.” Comparing this particular beer to high-priced bottles of wine that cost more than they’re worth. According to Beer Advocate, Dave won first place at the Toronado Barley Wine Festival back in 1998. The users of BA rate Dave at an ‘outstanding’ 94. Back in November 2012, Hair of the Dog auctioned off two bottles of Dave. Starting bids were set at a measly $1,400 a bottle, with one eventually selling for $2,368.73 and the other selling for $2156.83.

How Much A Keg of Dave Would Cost?

Even though Hair of the Dog isn’t selling Dave by the keg, my curiosity still had me wondering how much it would cost me to put this in my kegerator, based on the per ounce price its currently going for. So, here is a breakdown of how much Dave would cost per each size keg.

Mini Keg — $28,000 (14 bottles)

Cornelius Keg — $106,000 (53 bottles)

Sixth Barrel — $112,000 (56 bottles)

Quarter Barrel — $164,000 (82 bottles)

Half Barrel — $330,000 (165 bottles)

So, the question remains… anybody interested in going in on a bottle with me?



