Variety packs - any value in them?

I will only rarely buy a variety pack if I know I haven't had most of the selections. The last one I purchased was SN Beer Camp Across America.

 

Not a lot of value, IMO. I usually buy 6 packs with a variety of beers, and if I have a get- together, I'll usually just buy one single 12 pack with one beer and a couple of 6 packs with a variety. The cost turns out to be around the same in the end.

 

@Sixpoint , My post will contain some opinions you've already read, and some exclusive opinions that can only be obtained in this post. You'll probably only find that some of these opinions have value, but the others can go to company. That's a joke, ah say, that's a joke, son. I keep pitchin' them, and you keep missin' them.

I wouldn't classify variety packs as gimmicks. I see their appeal, but I rarely buy them. When I do, they typically have beers in them that I can't buy outside the pack. I typically hate such "buy things you don't want to obtain the exclusive one that you do want" practices, but once in a blue moon it works. When stores break open variety packs and sell the contents as singles, I usually go for that over the full box.

As it's been stated, the appeal changes depending on where you live. When I visited PA, it was the land of variety cases. People in NYC will be less interested... they might even have trouble bringing one home.

They're especially appealing when a brewery is new to a particular market.

The core audience might not necessarily overlap with the fussy beer nerd audience. The only variety pack that ever got a decent amount of site users excited was the Beer Camp Across America pack. It was treated as an event. There was a fair amount of negative reaction to the contents, and it appeared to be a logistic nightmare to produce. In other words, I doubt many breweries are too eager to follow in the footsteps of this approach. On the other hand, the main strength of the format is as an easy and convenient (and cost effective) purchase for a group of people. I think many successful packs probably understand this strength. I brought Victory's current summer pack to a Memorial Day party and received many pats on the back for it. Parties are a good way to get a brand noticed (and sampled) by people who might not ordinarily interact with it.

One thing that's slightly unusual in Sixpoint's case is the focus on cans. There have been many times where I've been to a store that will sell you any single bottle from a sixer, but won't break the packs of cans. The Sixpoint boxes discourage some store owners from breaking them. A variety pack of cans would carry a little more appeal to the consumer because of this.

One tip: Of all of the variety packs I've purchased, one contained a little freebie (a sticker). Even though the item was worthless to me, it still felt like the brewery was rewarding me with a little something extra for buying 12.

One more tip: Don't do the "mystery beer" thing. Clearly list what's in the pack. I won't buy it if I don't know what I'm getting.

If all of those beers were in sixers, you could have bought 2 six packs of each beer instead.

When will Sierra Nevada's summer pack hit my area? Grrrr.

 

I rarely buy variety packs at home(San Diego) but buy them on a regular basis when travelling domestically. I think that they're a great option/price point to get to know a brewery's offerings or to bring to a BBQ/party. And especially if they don't have a distribution network whereby I would know them othewise, so all 4(typically) beers are unknown to me.

 

Any time I get to sample new beer, it's worthwhile to me.

 

Well, except in my area the variety pack was 15.99 and each sixer is over 10.99, except SNPA. so if i bought to sixers i would lose out on variety and i would pay more. sooooo…. yeah no regrets here

 

Some of my favourite beers are only available from the brewery on tap, or in a mixed six. I'll take what I can get!

 

I'd like to see variety packs of a breweries top notch limited supply stuff. I'd pay a premium for that. But I wouldn't buy more than one mixed 12 pack that had regular year round offerings.

 

Most variety packs have one beer I don't want so I pass. 12 packs are more common in PA now so I might bite a few times.

Enjoy

 

I like the idea of a pre mix sixer like the shiner folks do. Maybe a mix six of Sixpoint core beers with one non core in there.

Enjoy

 

I usually don't buy the mixed cases, but If I saw Abigail, Resin, and Bengali together I would grab it for sure!

 

As long a mixed 12 is priced at less than the cost of 2 six packs from the same brewery (ie. $8.99 sixer vs. $15.99 mixed 12), there is some value in there. However, if the mix 12 cost the same as 2 six packs then I probably won't buy the mix pack, especially since there is always at least 1 beer in the pack that I don't really care for.

I will say that buying some mixed 12's is great if you are having people over, it gives your guests more choices.

 

Pretty much only variety packs I buy are Short's, but that's often because you can't get some of the beers in any other format.

I also love the idea of these "concept" variety packs, i.e. a "Deconstructed" beer variety pack or Single Hop varieties of the same IPA like Dark Horse did last summer with Crooked Tree. Haven't seen too many of these around here though.

 

Were you disappointed in it as I was ?

 

I rarely pick up variety packs because so many of them contain a beer I've already tried and didn't particularly like. I will try them if they have limited release offerings that I want to try. there are also certain styles, if included, that are off=putting to me - namely session IPAs and Kolsch. I have tried the mix-a-six but, often, the beers offered seem to be out of date. One of my pet peeves is the people who strip the beers from regular six packs to make their own mix-a-six - often killing the last six pack available in the store. If I want just one of something I try to find it offered on tap somewhere. Lacking that I'll just pick up a six pack. If I don't like it I can just cook with it.

 

love a great variety pack. sierra nevada, smuttynose, stone and victory all make some great ones.

 

For personal enjoyment I would buy a brewery mixed 12 pack only if I would like to try at least 3 of the selected brews. I do often buy the brewery mixed packs for others enjoyment. For example, if I was having people over for a bbq, a few brewery mixed 12 packs could be a great way to make everyone happy.

I do often purchase mix your own 6 or 12 packs often. I live in a rural area, the closest store (other than a gas station with limited variety) is about 40 minutes away. I like to get a variety of beers to try when I make the drive to the craft beer stores with great selection.

Smuttynose has had a bunch of great mixed packs recently.

 

By the time a brewery is coming out with a variety pack I've likely already tried some of the beers in the pack - I either have to really like the beers that I've tried in the pack or be curious enough about the beers I haven't tried to purchase it.

One mix pack that I pick up every year is the Beer Camp - the collaborations are usually very intriguing and that alone hooks me.

 

Yum Yum, different and enticing, I go for the value and diversity!