So long, Joe Sixpack: beer's going upscale at $1 a sip

Just the other day, I found myself stopped short in the beer aisle at the local Trader Joe's, mouth agape and thrown into an existential crisis over the cost of beer: up to $8 for a single bottle of Belgian brew and six pack's running into the double digits.

Reuters has come up with an Australian beer that actually has a price tag of $20 a bottle for a vintage stout. Victoria Bitter is brewed in a limited quantity once a year and has a high alcohol content, which makes it more akin to wine than traditional beer brews. And it works out to $1 a swig.

The kicker: This is only Australia's third most expensive local beer!

When did beer stop being the beverage of choice for the average Joe?