Craft beer in 19.2oz stovepipe cans

My guess is that this is (or will be) the primary market for these stovepipe can. Gas up your car and leave with a big can of beer (and cheese doodles?).

Cheers!

 

I think the 19.2 OZ can is a response to the growing number of drinkers who seem to buy only a single can at a time. This way the retailers don't have to break up 4 & 6 packs,

 

Occasionally I'll go to Ingles and see a 19.2oz can of some craft beer that you wouldn't necessarily want to get, but the weather is just right to get it. Usually, it'll run me between $1.25 to $2.00 per can, and it sort of hits the spot. Examples would be the All-Day IPA, Beach Watch, SN Pale Ale, etc.

 

I will share a scenario in which I did purchase one of these recently. I wanted to get stone IPA but the six packs were warm and older. The stovepipe can was fresher and it was kept cold in the store...easy purchase for me. Yes it meant only one beer that Friday night for me but I really enjoyed the format in this case.

I recently saw daisy cutter show up in the same format, colder and fresher than the six packs sitting around.

 

I think it's a format that will stick around for a while, I agree with Jack, that the primary point of purchase is gas stations and convenience stores, but my beverage center also has a good selection. I have noticed that a good number of the beers in the 19.2oz format are high ABV like Voodoo Ranger, Big Little Thing and 90 Min IPA, which are all around 9%, it's almost like they're the 4 Loko for craft beer drinkers. Additionally, I am puzzled by the odd choice of can size, an imperial pint

 

I generally don't drink anything more that 12 oz at a time. For anything in a larger package than that, I strongly prefer bottles (they can be stoppered). Once when I bought a crowler that I wanted to try, I poured half into a clean bottle and sealed that for the next day. Enough carbonation survived.

 

Guilty as charged…

 

Some of my thoughts:

• I enjoy this format and have been able to try some new beers that I didn't want a six pack of/couldn't get in a singles section, it's nice economically too.
• I like the can art for many of these.
• It's a good one and done in a sitting format for me.
• It can sometimes be too much for the higher ABV beers unless you are splitting it e.g. Flying Dog has Double Dog in this format and at 12%, that's a ton of beer/calories/carbs.
• Some of the beers a brewery chooses to put in this format are odd to me and I am seeing many age out on shelves.
• I can see this format going the way of "craft macro" whereas you will only see their popular flagship shelf beers in this format. If that is the case I will have less interest and probably wouldn't grab as frequently as I do now.

 

These are a huge PITA, especially when I see imperial stouts canned this way. There's no way to enjoy that much in one sitting

 

I usually pick something like that up for a quick change of pace type beer, and it's only a couple of bucks added to the total purchase. Stone, Resin, even Lagunitas all fit the bill nicely.

 

I'll pick up a Voodoo Ranger or two, a Lagunitas IPA, and a seasonal here and there. The neighborhood WalMart (small) up the street has a decent selection and one of those Voodoo Rangers packs a punch worth at least several beers. I also have an 05 Honda Element that Honda thought young folks would buy, but the marketing was a bit skewed because some older folks were still kinda young (they thought). 275000 miles later.

 

It is not a new format and is not going away, at least as far I can see. Oskar Blues has sold stovepipe cans of Dale's Pale around here for as long as I can remember. I have seen other breweries expanding their offerings in this format. It's a good "grab and go" format for when you just want one beer, especially when you are at a gas station, grocery store or convenience store where your options might be limited.

As far as price per volume it really depends on the beer. Foothills used to sell 22s of Seeing Double (double IPA) for $5. Now they sell stovepipes for the same price. So it's not as good of a deal as it used to be but still acceptable for many as they sell out quickly around here. On the other hand I have seen stovepipes from breweries like Clown Shoes and Great Divide upwards of $10 or $12 depending on the beer so those are not such a good value and more in line with the "premium" pricing of the old 22 format. Oskar Blues used to sell stovepipes of barrel-aged Ten Fidy and they were well over $10 as well. Thankfully they came to their senses and offer that one in 12 oz now.

 

I always thought the south was responsible for the popularity of these cans. You go into any convenience store and as soon as you walk in there are large tubs filled with ice and it is nothing but these stovepipe cans stacked in them. I always referred to them as go home beers/road beers. People getting off work and grabbing one for the road. That is why I was so gob smacked when craft started doing this and I started seeing Rodeo Clown (9%+ ABV) sitting in these coolers at the gas stations.

 

I'd venture a guess that they're actually trying to appeal to the 4 Loko/Steel Reserve, etc. drinkers as well. Look at how prominently the ABV is displayed on these stovepipe cans next time y'all come across them!

 

Yup and we even have a few locals that can like this, I can always find Philly Pale Ale and Cape May IPA.

 

I have no answer as to "demographic of beer drinker" when it comes to drinking high ABV beers but I am reminded of an old conversation I had with a Victory Brewing Sales Rep. Over 5 years ago I was in the Pub of my local Whole Foods supermarket and the Victory Sales Rep came into the beer shop for a sales call. We ended up chatting for 15-20 minutes about a large breadth of Victory topics (e.g., how was the new brewery buildout in Parkesburg going, etc.) and one of the topics was which of the Victory brands were their best sellers. He made mention that their top selling beer down south (and he specifically mentioned Texas) was Golden Monkey. I was shocked to hear that and I specifically mentioned that this beer was very high in alcohol and why would that make it popular. He just nodded in agreement and said something like he didn't know why it was their top seller but it was (and likely still is).

It would appear that Southerners (Texans) are seeking 'bang for the buck' when it comes to alcohol? @donspublic

Cheers!

 

Hope so based on price alone.

New Trail Double Broken Heels prices below:

19.2 oz can = $2.79

4 pack of 16 oz cans = $13.99

Get 4 stovepipes for cheaper price.