Boston Beer's $200 Utopias Won't Help Reverse Flagging Samuel Adams Sales
Boston Beer (NYSE: SAM) founder and Chairman Jim Koch is both one of the brewer's greatest assets and also one of its biggest liabilities. His love of craft beer is evident in his willingness to use the best, sometimes most expensive ingredients to create great-tasting beverages, but his inability to stay focused seemingly keeps Boston Beer from being able to turn its business around.
The introduction of the 10th edition of Samuel Adams Utopias is a case in point. A high-end beer that's only brewed every other year, it challenges the notion of what a beer can become. It's more like a fine liqueur, and at $200 a bottle is not something everyone can afford. Or get their hands on. Only 13,000 bottles of Utopias are expected to hit the shelves 2017, and they typically sell out right away.
Image source: Boston Beer.
Source: Fool.com