Sharp Edge (Washington, Shiloh, Emporium: sales, how much, house)

[nuwaver88]

I went to the new Sharp Edge in the 900 block of Penn Avenue Downtown tonight. Despite being a Tuesday Night, and not having their TV's in operation yet, it was sardines from 7-9 pm while I was there on only their second night of operation at this locale. Downtown screams for this type of place that specializes in specialty beers and bar bites. There are enough Happy Hour places like Olive or Twist or other lounges downtown where martinis are the rage and you are ready to be kicked out by 9pm. The Sharp Edge will be open until midnight weekdays and 1AM Friday and Saturday nights. On Sunday they are open until 11pm. They open each day at 11AM. I am hoping more places like this or at least more South Side type places open Downtown sans the meatheads.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

While it's good to have a place that serves great craft and Belgian beers downtown, the bottom line is that Sharp Edge is WAY overpriced.

Although in general beer is 45% more expensive it Pennsylvania, Sharp Edge seems to take it to the extreme. Some 12 oz. bottles are $10 bucks or more, and drafts aren't exactly cheap either. I understand that they usually have Belgians on tap, but where there's places like House of 1000 Beers in New Ken, it goes to show you how much they're over charging.

Unfortunately, Pennsylvanians in general don't realize how overpriced beer is in their state and Sharp Edge is taking advantage of this. Especially considering the increase in craft beer sales in the US.

[Renaldo5000]

The beer/booze situation in PA is so horrible. In other states you can walk into grocery stores and pick up a case of amazing local crafted brew for a decent price. Alas, not here.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by iwonderwhy2124

The beer/booze situation in PA is so horrible. In other states you can walk into grocery stores and pick up a case of amazing local crafted brew for a decent price. Alas, not here.

Yup. Aside from the obvious availability problems, the prices are terrible. For example, a bomber of Duvel at Barley and Hops or 3 Sons is $14 dollars here. In New Jersey it's $8 and I've seen it in Virginia for $7. I've also seen a 6 pack of it for 8 Euro in Belgium but that's a bit of a different situation.

Don't think I've seen Duvel on tap at the Sharp Edge locations I've been to, but similar Belgian golden ales there will run you $6 - $9 on TAP. Don't be surprised if they don't give you a full sized pint glass either. I know that Belgians serve all of their beers in specialized glasses, but they doesn't stop them from charging you the same amount for something that may be less than a full pint.

[Renaldo5000]

Oh, I know brother. I spent some time in Oregon and it was beer heaven there. I was picking up cases of Red Hook for practically nothing in the cooler section of the grocery store. Strangely, Oregon does not let you pump your own gas though. It has to be done by a professional gas pumper employee.

[BrianTH]

The Sharp Edge is indeed a little pricey, but if their pricing is the same Downtown that isn't going to be too bad for that market--and if they are still doing half off Belgian drafts for happy hour, that will be freakin' awesome.

[nuwaver88]

There is no denying that the Sharp Edge is pricey. The thing is, they will still do well. Businessmen and conventioneers will charge up their cards to sample all of the different brews, and get a bite to eat to boot.
There is a very reasonable place on Shiloh Street, which runs perpendicular to Grandview Avenue on Mt. Washington. It is called Pack's N's Dogs. They have a huge serve yourself cooler of crafts and Belgians. Most beers are in the 2-3 dollar range. Harp is $2.25 for example. The Sharp Edge charges $5.50. A 24 oz. bottle of Heineken is $3.00. You can sample four great beers and still spend less than $10.00. At D's in Regent Square, or Fat Heads, or Sharp Edge, you are already at twenty dollars plus. Packs N' dogs has no drafts. It is just a casual place with very reasonably priced craft beers that serves hot dogs and hamburgers.

[Drover]

The Sharp Edge is pricey in part for the same reason they typically close for business 2 hours before the rest of the bars in town: to discourage overconsumption on their premises. It's partially a liability issue, partially a social responsibility issue, and partially an ambiance issue. Price points obviously affect the clientele a drinking establishment attracts -- as Exhibit A check out Smokin' Joes with one of the best beer selections in town and also some of the lowest prices for those beers. Compare the crowd they attract with Fat Head's just down the street, which while not exactly sedate, is not quite the same "mullets n' barf" scene you'll find just down the way at Smokin' Joe's. And compare still the Fat Head's crowd to the Sharp Edge crowd -- different scene again. Granted, location plays a part in their respective clientele, but if Sharp Edge opened up on Carson I don't think you'd get very many power-drinking meatheads in there.

I wonder with the opening of all these new locations if the Sharp is starting to lose some of the "exclusivity" cachet it had when it was just the Emporium and the Creekhouse.

I also wonder why they like to keep so many traditionally bottle-conditioned beers on tap. There are some beers that are better off from bottles. Piraat from a tap just isn't the same as from a bottle. And yeah, they're not going to serve you a full pint (but still charge full-pint prices) for beers that are anywhere from 7 to 11% ABV.

[grimacista]

Good to see a new place opening downtown. I just never got the Sharp Edge mania. It is expensive and although they do have a lot of beer, there are other 'holes in the wall' around town that are cheaper and still have a wide selection that won't set you back a lot.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by Drover

The Sharp Edge is pricey in part for the same reason they typically close for business 2 hours before the rest of the bars in town: to discourage overconsumption on their premises. It's partially a liability issue, partially a social responsibility issue, and partially an ambiance issue. Price points obviously affect the clientele a drinking establishment attracts -- as Exhibit A check out Smokin' Joes with one of the best beer selections in town and also some of the lowest prices for those beers. Compare the crowd they attract with Fat Head's just down the street, which while not exactly sedate, is not quite the same "mullets n' barf" scene you'll find just down the way at Smokin' Joe's. And compare still the Fat Head's crowd to the Sharp Edge crowd -- different scene again. Granted, location plays a part in their respective clientele, but if Sharp Edge opened up on Carson I don't think you'd get very many power-drinking meatheads in there.

I wonder with the opening of all these new locations if the Sharp is starting to lose some of the "exclusivity" cachet it had when it was just the Emporium and the Creekhouse.

I also wonder why they like to keep so many traditionally bottle-conditioned beers on tap. There are some beers that are better off from bottles. Piraat from a tap just isn't the same as from a bottle. And yeah, they're not going to serve you a full pint (but still charge full-pint prices) for beers that are anywhere from 7 to 11% ABV.

While I do agree that Sharp Edge does seem to have more of a "high class" vibe in their bars, I still believe that it doesn't justify the prices they charge. Like I had mentioned in the previous post, they're making good money by charging very high prices for what would be considered "special" beer for those that are only familiar with Bud, Miller, and Coors.

While pretty much all Belgians have higher ABV's than American Macros, it shouldn't amount to a higher price. It's not as if it takes a ton of cash to make a beer achieve a high ABV (it's just adding more fermentable sugars to the batch). These days you can pretty much go into any bar that has decent craft beer and get something that's from 7 to 11% ABV for a reasonable price. For example, I've been seeing Founders Breakfast Stout starting to pop up in various bars on tap and I've paid $4.50 for a pint and it's 8.3% ABV.