
We went to the great Madison Square Garden to see the even greater Neil Young the other night. As usual, I was pretty thirsty when we got there, having traveled an hour and a half through some terrible snow/sleet/ice road conditions. So, I was ready to pay what was necessary for a brew. Well, it turns out that the beers are $9.25! At first glance, that is a complete outrage - but there are 2 points that make it hurt not as much. First, the beers are actually 22ozs, which is close to 2 actual beers. Second, the beer selection was great. They had Anchor Steam, Smithwick's, Guinness, Harp, etc. A truly great selection, and a price on par for NYC. So, it made it not that bad. I guess we can rationalize anything when thirsty.
I recently did a calculation for how much I have spent for the year on ingredients and equipment. The straight up price for one of my own 12oz homebrews come in around $1.10, and that includes all the equipment start-up costs. For just the ingredients, the cost is about $0.62 pre 12 ozs. A bargain really, and delicious.
In case anyone is wondering, Neil Young put on a great show. I've been trying to see him live for over 10 years now. It was worth the wait. I've been to many live concerts before, and I must say - Neil's "Cortez the Killer" was unreal. Probably the best single song performance I have ever heard. Thanks Neil!