Scratch and Dent Sale

For years and years I have heard the whispered rumors of cheap beer in bulk on Saturday mornings. Actually, I knew all along that the rumors were true. I think one of my reps from back when I was in the bar business had told me of its existance.

Each Saturday morning one of the local liquor distributors opens up their warehouse and sells all of the beer that cannot be sold. Some of it is approaching its expiration date. In some cases the cases or 12 packs don't weigh out right because of a broken bottle or compromised can. Many times it seems merely a matter of failed packaging. For whatever reason, the beer can't be sold through the normal channels.

Instead of letting the beer go to waste, they wisely sell it for cheap to the massses. A case of bottles is $15. A case of cans is $10. If you can figure out the bins, you can buy one bin for $40. One bin holds roughly 11 case of cans. 264 cans of beer for $40. That is about 15 cents per can.

The selection is limited in that they only have the beers that they distribute in Colorado, but they include such varied selections as Sam Adams, Boddingtons, Newcastle, Old English 800 (in quarts, natch), Warsteiner, Blue Sky premium malt beverage, Miller Lite, High Life, Genuine Draft, and the rest, Red Bull energy drink (which at $25 a case still seems pretty pricey), Pabst Blue Ribbon, Hamms Golden Draft, and dozens more choices including the hottest commodity of all: Tecate.

The doors open at 8 AM. By the time we arrived at 7:35, we were probably some where around 250th or so in line. The line would double again by opening. They let folks in under a controlled scramble to rummage through all of the pallets. You gather up all your beers and cram them into cases. They happily allow you to cram 30 bottles into a 24 bottle case further improving your price per bottle. When you are ready, you put all your bounty on a dolly and walk out the front door. The guy at the front does a quick scan and tells you the total. It's cash only. You pay the guy and walk out the door.

This will definitely fuel my likelihood of staying at home to drink. Hyena comes to town this weekend, and the beer is already chilling. My fridge is currently chock full o' Newcastle bottles and PBR cans with more in the pantry waiting for their turn.

Three of us ended up paying $125 for (roughly) one case of Red Bull, one case of PBR, three cases of Newcastle, nearly two cases of Boddingtons, 12 Leinenkugel Honey Weiss, and assorted Warsteiner, Sam Adams, and a few others. Take $25 and the Red Bull of the ticket, and we ended up with a ton of beer for $100. (Actually, as I do the math, I realize I must be missing a case or two... I can't remember for sure what Tom ended up with. Still, it is a hell of a deal.)

My mom will be so proud when I tell her of my great bargain find!

Jonathan 5/25/2004 05:24:00 PM