"Limited Edition" beers?

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QSis

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What's the deal with those?

Are "limited edition" beers collectible, ie, do they get more valuable as they age? Or rotten? Or what?

I have a couple of bottles of Harpoon Saison that says "limited edition" on the label. I don't know whether to drink them or save them!

???

Lee
 
I suppose they could become collectibles as in the actual bottle and packaging assuming it's unique. For example coke bottles that were small and glass. No idea if the beer would rot after many years, but I would guess it would be ok if the seal was intact.
 
QSis said:
What's the deal with those?

Are "limited edition" beers collectible, ie, do they get more valuable as they age? Or rotten? Or what?

I have a couple of bottles of Harpoon Saison that says "limited edition" on the label. I don't know whether to drink them or save them!

???

Lee

Unfortunately I believe it's really " Marketing Hype" rather than "limited edition".
I can remember two particularly special ales made in England, some 30 yrs ago.
One was Whitbread's "Final Selection" - served from a small 1/3 pint bottle, and about 7º proof.
The other was "Thomas Hardy's Ale" from Dorchester, about 9º proof and served in a corked bottle.
There was no need to put "limited edition" on either; they were both extraordinary beers, and disappeared from the shelves as fast as the Publicans could stock them.

A truly special beer/wine/spirit does not need "Limited Edition" status to sell it. On the contrary, I'd personally avoid anything which said that on the label!

Drink them, Lee - enjoy them while they're still good!!
 
Hi Lee,

I think clive hit it just about spot on. The term "Limited Edition" is often used to simply denote a seasonal beer, since it is only available for a "limited" part of the year.

Now, there are true "Limited Edition" beers that may be made for certain events, occasisons, etc., but I'm not sure that they ever really appreciate in value over time. Although I'm sure someone on ebay would know... :rolleyes:

The good news about the beer you described though is that it likely would cellar quite well. While I'm unsure about the financial changes, I can say with definitely say for certain that if you took 6 of those beers and had one once every six months to a year, they would be different each time you had one, just like an aging wine. Sadly, just like a wine they will hit a point where the changes stop making it better, and age takes it's toll.

John
 
Ronjohn is right on about aging. Know that the usual lagers we get here in the US do not age very well at all. Not sure what would happen to the full bodied ales though.

Am sure like wines some are best appreciated young would guess some might do better with a bit of aging.
 
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