Sam Adams Imperial Series: Double Bock

I needed to kill some time yesterday after walking to an interview (yes, i actually had an opportunity to walk to an interview!) and decided to so at the local wine and beer store just before my arrival of baptism. Scrolling the Isles I hadn't found anything out of the ordinary, but my eye was caught by Sam Adams latest seasonal, Double Bock. Mm Mm tasty, I thought as I raised the case higher to my nose as If to think I could smell its malty seductiveness immediately. My excitement suddenly turned peculiar, when I realized this seasonal delight had lost a third of its companionship. Last years Double Bock was a sixer, now suddenly it constitutes a four pack? At the same price? Cheated! what gives? I immediately blamed the housing market, and how millions of default mortgages have had their impact as far as our beloved beer industry. That is no joke, unfortunately, but another post will have to converge on that scenario. Now I was frustrated. The only four pack I saw outta Sam was its Imperial Pilsner. Upon further review I did notice a nice little tag on the box and bottle, "Imperial Series" it read. Hmmmmm. Upon research, it seems Jim Koch and his marketing companies have decided to launch this new extension of Sam Adams, which also includes an Imperial Stout and Imperial White (but no Pilsner?) which I am sure are going to tickle my taste buds endlessly once I find them. But still, some of me felt cheated, nothing has changed on the recipe side that constitutes my hard earned money is going to something more than previous years. Now I do understand my responsibility here, if I want more experimentation and craziness from my Craft Beer constituents, I have to be willing to accept that "less is more" and the social economics in spreading the wealth a four pack brings to the table and community, since many of these initiatives are done on a smaller scale but with just as much cost to the brewery. But with Sam, or SAM as it is known publicly, could possibly have made its Imperial Series with a bit more fluctuation. Perhaps anything over 10% could constitute a four pack. But the marketer in me, knows that wouldn't fly consistently with the brand. UGH. I guess I have to settle and drown my sorrows one by one with an Imperial Bock, Stout and White...