# What does a case of beer go for where you live? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 10, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105 "2011-01-10T16:09:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/1 "2011-01-10T16:09:26Z")
Inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=592221)in GQ - what do you pay for a case of beer in your locality? For standardization purposes let’s say a 24 case of Bud/Miller. I can right now go pick up a 24 case of Miller Lite for $12.99 plus tax. I’m wondering if the Chicago area just has really cheap beer prices. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/2 "2011-01-10T16:17:39Z")
A case of Miller High Life is about $13 here in Salt Lake. I usually get a 30 pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon (cans) for $15.99. (these are 3.2% alcohol versions, as “full-strength” beers are sold only in state-owned liquor stores, and they do not sell many full-strength American macrobrews in the state stores. A case of 5.5% Icehouse runs about $22, but I can also get a case of full strength Sierra Nevada for $28, or full strength case of Molson for $30) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/3 "2011-01-10T16:22:01Z")
In Ontario a 12 pack of regular beer costs about $20. I don’t usually buy 24s, but it’s about $38 here. Oh, and cigarettes are about $10 a pack. And gas is $1.14 a litre. We need to pay for health care somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/4 "2011-01-10T16:35:09Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > In Ontario a 12 pack of regular beer costs about $20. I don’t usually buy 24s, but it’s about $38 here. :eek: $40 FOR A CASE OF BEER!!! Not much would move me to riot in the streets, but that might work. I’m afraid to ask what a pint costs in a bar… ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/5 "2011-01-10T16:41:32Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > :eek: $40 FOR A CASE OF BEER!!! Not much would move me to riot in the streets, but that might work. I’m afraid to ask what a pint costs in a bar… For regular commercial beer off the tap, a pint is about $5 or $6. But it’s a 20 oz. pint. A case of 24 runs about $35 to $40 here in Alberta. As **Leaffan** alludes to, it’s the taxes (federal excise, provincial excise, federal and provincial sales taxes, and maybe one or two more). I’ve been told, but cannot confirm, that Canada has some of the world’s highest taxes on alcohol. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/6 "2011-01-10T16:43:49Z")
I don’t buy Bud or Miller; the brand we drink most often is $14 for 12 bottles. But I was perplexed to look Bud and Miller up online at our preferred grocery store and learn that it’s only sold in 6, 12, 18, or 30 packs. No more cases of 24? Huh. Well, anyway, looks like 18/$14 or 30/$20 for Bud, Bud Lite, MGD, or Miller Lite, and 18/$12 or 30/$17 for Miller High Life. **MPB in SL** , a full-strength 30-pack of Pabst is $19 here. We are in the State of Maine, where beer is taxed at 35¢ per gallon, as it is sinful. (National average is 26¢.) Plus 5% sales tax, though that’s not reflected in the prices above. _Plus_ the 5¢-per-container deposits. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/7 "2011-01-10T16:47:33Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > For regular commercial beer off the tap, a pint is about $5 or $6. But it’s a 20 oz. pint.. I have only been to Vancouver and Montreal, but the beer prices in those two large cities were only about half that as recently as 3 or 4 years ago. I wonder if different provinces or cities have different tax structures. Beer in a bar in Vancouver is a bit cheaper than beer in a bar in Seattle. Beer in a bar in Montreal is much cheaper than beer in a bar in Boston or NYC. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/8 "2011-01-10T17:00:09Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I have only been to Vancouver and Montreal, but the beer prices in those two large cities were only about half that as recently as 3 or 4 years ago. > > I wonder if different provinces or cities have different tax structures. Are you sure it wasn’t happy hour or something? Last time I was in Vancouver (about ten years ago), I recall a pint of draft beer being about $4. I need to drink where you do in Vancouver! 🙂 Different provinces can and do have different tax rates, but cities are not allowed to set their own sales or excise taxes. Federal taxes are the same across the country. I’ve also heard (but again, cannot confirm), that the federal/provincial sales taxes are calculated on top of the two excises–meaning essentially, that you’re paying a tax upon a tax. Needless to say, this helps boost the price. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/9 "2011-01-10T17:02:09Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I have only been to Vancouver and Montreal, but the beer prices in those two large cities were only about half that as recently as 3 or 4 years ago. > > I wonder if different provinces or cities have different tax structures. Beer in a bar in Vancouver is a bit cheaper than beer in a bar in Seattle. > > Beer in a bar in Montreal is much cheaper than beer in a bar in Boston or NYC. Yes. Alcohol taxes are a provincial responsibility. Although obviously how much (or little) profit the establishment wishes to make on top of that is their call. I can buy beer much cheaper in Quebec than Ontario. **Spoons** ’ prices in Alberta are about the same for Ontario. ETA: **Spoons** has it correct, in that the federal tax is constant. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/10 "2011-01-10T17:11:01Z")
When I travel, I often ask the bartender, waitress, or the drunk on the stool next to me what the beer deal of the day is, and will often go with whatever is on special, so the prices that I remember are probably reflective of that. (as an aside, I have spent time all over the beer-loving world; Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, and I have always been a big fan of most Canadian “everyday” beers. I really like the lager/pilsner styles, and Canada has those lighter, yet full strength brews down pat!!!) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/11 "2011-01-10T17:43:30Z")
> [@Cluricaun](#): > > :eek: $40 FOR A CASE OF BEER!!! Not much would move me to riot in the streets, but that might work. I’m afraid to ask what a pint costs in a bar… Just for reference, Ontario has a minimum price for beer of $25.60 per case of 24. That includes tax, but excludes the $0.10 per bottle refundable deposit. ---
**Author:** ![EristicKallistic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85e7bf/32.png) [@EristicKallistic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EristicKallistic)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/12 "2011-01-10T17:49:24Z")
Maybe a week or two… ---
**Author:** ![heathen\_earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/13edae/32.png) [@heathen\_earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heathen_earthling)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/13 "2011-01-10T18:03:46Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I can buy beer much cheaper in Quebec than Ontario. People always say this, but I don’t find it universally true. A single 500 mL can of beer might cost about $2.50 at the Beer Store/LCBO, but then I see it priced around $3.50 at various convenience/grocery stores in Quebec. I think the SAQ might be cheaper, but I don’t really live within walking distance of one. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/14 "2011-01-10T18:14:16Z")
> [@heathen\_earthling](#): > > People always say this, but I don’t find it universally true. A single 500 mL can of beer might cost about $2.50 at the Beer Store/LCBO, but then I see it priced around $3.50 at various convenience/grocery stores in Quebec. I think the SAQ might be cheaper, but I don’t really live within walking distance of one. Costco. They sell freakin’ beer at Costco in Quebec! You can bet it’s cheaper than the dépanneur, SAQ or LCBO. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/15 "2011-01-11T06:53:34Z")
Canada sucks on so many levels! Really, I have cancelled all vacation plans that include you fucks just by gas price alone, and not just that you are a country of a-holes! 😛 :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/16 "2011-01-11T12:42:40Z")
At Sainsbury’s in the UK a 24-pack of 440ml cans of Carling (a low-cost Bud equivalent) is £18.38 or USD 28.60. I usually get Budweiser Budvar 20 x 500ml Bottles for £30.00 at Majestic Wine. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/17 "2011-01-11T12:57:55Z")
A 24x30cl crate of decent lager (Grolsch) is going for 8.99 euros ($11.65) right now in the Netherlands. ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/18 "2011-01-11T13:04:18Z")
Here in holland you generally buy by the crate (of 24x330 ml), a crate of heineken will be aroung 9.99, but if it’s on offer it usually is around 8.50. Pretty much all first tier brands will go from between 7.99 (Amstel, Dommelsch) to 11.99 (Hertog Jan, Brand) at the most. Beer is god damn expensive (relatively) in bars, but we have a pretty good deal with our supermarkets. edit damn you Superfluous Parentheses 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/19 "2011-01-11T13:09:17Z")
> [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](#): > > A 24x30cl crate of decent lager (Grolsch) is going for 8.99 euros ($11.65) right now in the Netherlands. Addendum: that’s a this-week discount at Albert Hein, excluding deposit on the crate and the bottles. The normal price is 12 euros (~ $15.50), though you can usually pick up some kind of decent lager for 9 to 10 euros a crate. > [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](#): > > edit damn you Superfluous Parentheses 🙂 😛 ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105/20 "2011-01-12T18:05:24Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > A case of 24 runs about $35 to $40 here in Alberta. As **Leaffan** alludes to, it’s the taxes (federal excise, provincial excise, federal and provincial sales taxes, and maybe one or two more). I’ve been told, but cannot confirm, that Canada has some of the world’s highest taxes on alcohol. Australia has similarly terribly expensive beer (and presumably, the same high taxes). I live in Texas. 24 cheap beers of Miller Lite / Bud Light will run you around $18. A little less if you get Schlitz or PBR. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-case-of-beer-go-for-where-you-live/567105.md?page=2)