Down east it's always been cheap. For 9 bucks you can get a six of most genuinely good beers commonly seen (Bass). Simple test - is it good warm. If yes, good beer. No = shite. Sure a cold one hits the spot, but not all pass the warm test. I'd rather have a pint of my own piss over room temp RR. Calif doesn't count anyhow, might as well be on mars. Texas - nobody there drinks it = inflated price creates illusion of premium. Some folks love lettin go of their money. Back in the day when I cooked for a living, did stuffed leg of lamb one night and priced it at 29.95. A waiter argued said he'd sell more at 19.95. I told him it was worth it but, nobody would believe so if we didn't charge.....additionally, after the taste test he didn't have to offer it if he didn't like it. He liked it, so he got a secluded section and we made a wager. 29.95 sold it out while he managed only a couple at 19.95. Moarle to the story - you truly can fool some folks some of the time.