Do any of your local brewery taprooms permit a mix-a-four/six of their beers?

Elmhurst Brewery (Elmhurst, IL) allows you to mix beers and there are no additional costs.

Just tell them what you want and they hand make the 4 pack of 16 oz cans for you. Price depends on the beers chosen (BA Stouts are more per can).

 

I know in MD, Sapwood Cellers did it once (4 different IPAs in a mixed 4 pack) but then next time I was there they didn’t offer it. No other breweries I’ve been to offers it. I asked once at a local brewery and just got a “we just don’t do that” anwser. Just doesn’t seem like any extra work or inefficiency. Question: Do the canning lines at most of these small breweries put those plastic rings on top of the 4 packs automated or is that a manual process?

 

I believe that Jersey Girl in Hackettstown was doing this for a while. Wasn't pre-packaged, you got to pick your beers from what was available. Don't know if they still offer it, though. . .

 

Victory in Parkesburg does/did this, and I think it was a flat fee or maybe a set price per brew. Been a while since I've been there but I remember thinking it was pretty straightforward.

 

is it a mix a six if they still charge individual prices per single or does it have to be an average of all 4 prices

 

What a missed opportunity at any place that doesn't. I'm sure they have reasons, but SMH, what better way to get people to fall in love with your stuff.

 

I visited Hold Out brewery in Austin, probably dropped about $60 on draft while there with family. On leaving I was going to grab some to go and was torn on what to get and they offered to do a mix 4 pack. I normally don't like asking this, but since it was requested I jumped on it. In my case I think all were priced approx the same per 4 pack so it was no difference in cost.

 

I believe each brewery in Kentucky (at least Lex/Lou) have the choice to offer mixed packs. Of the breweries that package enough for this to be a useful option, only West Sixth and Country Boy do not offer this in Lexington.

 

Tree House used to sell everything by the single can. They’ve gone to four-pack pricing since the expansion or, in a few instances, two-packs - which is weird because they still give you the cans loose anyway.

Locally, West L.A. Beer sells loosies or at least they did last time I was there, back in the fall I guess. Post & Beam often has four of their cans that they let you make into a mixed four-pack. I think I remember that Stoneface sold loosies last time I was there.

I wish everyone would. I can’t see why it would be a particular hardship for breweries to stock their coolers with loose cans rather than, or in addition to, packs.

 

Same.

Also, it's a lot easier for me to create a sampler to send in trades. How many different sixers am I going to buy just to send a buddy a tick box? Not many. But will I pay $16 for a mixed six instead of $12 for a six pack? Hell yes.

 

None of my locals do, which is a huge PITA during BIFs when trying to a lot of different beers to targets.

 

I’m pretty sure you can mix up cans at Forest and Main.

Enjoy

 

Fox Farm prices all their beer by single cans/bottles. Part of the reason why they are one of the best breweries in the country.

 

Locally, Live Oak lets you choose between their available canned options to create your own custom 6 pack. The price is typically (I think a few dollars, offhand) higher than if you purchase a premade 6 pack from their cooler.

They have a refrigerator under the counter that they keep their canned beer offerings in, and then they just take the beer from there, put it into a generic version of their standard cardboard 6 pack holder like below that I believe just says "Live Oak Beer".



I've definitely taken advantage of this a few times, though I think I purchase from the cooler more often, primarily because Live Oak releases new taproom beers at a slow enough rate that there usually are not multiple "new to me" canned offerings that I want to try (and I often purchase a flight anyway for drinking at the brewery, at which point I've gotten to try plenty of offerings). So if there is a new beer to me, there's usually only 1-2 at most, and I usually would opt for a 6 pack in that case. Still a great option to have both.

Cheers!

P.S. On a somewhat related note, Live Oak will be hosting their annual Rauchfest tomorrow where they'll have 6 different rauchbiers or smoked beers to choose from, and they'll be selling a prepackaged 6 pack with 1 of each. This is one rare occasion where I really do want 6 different beers in a 6 pack!

 

I’ve seen loose beers at the bottom of the cooler at Human Robot in Jenkintown, so I assume you can buy singles or mix-and-match there, but I’ve never tested that theory.

 

I’m going to ask questions to the bar keeps/brewery owners etc about this more frequently as to why many small breweries don’t sell cans in singles or mixed packs on future visits. One theory perhaps is that alot of small breweries thrive on their profits from taproom pours (lots of <8% beers served in 12oz pours for $6-8 these days). And if they were selling 16oz single cans for alot less per oz than pouring into a glass they might lose alot of on site drinking (maybe?). Just a theory. I really don’t think it’s extra labor or time. Pouring flights or a growler/crowler fill is substantially more time involved.

 

To me a place like that offering this would be beneficial, I have only been once but if I end up there again I will take advantage of that.

If I want to bring home 3 lagers (12 beers) from them = $45 which is insane...Now if I could by 1-2 cans of each at a reasonable mark up, 25%...? I would do so to avoid spending the $45 that it would cost me otherwise.

I guess this also proves why breweries may not do the mix and match, in this scenario they would've lost money from my purchase.

 

BKS Artisan Ales does. This is largely why I was able to review so many of their beers last year. It's a flat rate cost (the same as a 4pk of any of their DIPAs), and you can put any thing in the 4 pack except for Triple IPAs or Imperial Stouts. They release anywhere from one to five beers a week between their Artisan Ales and Pivo Project labels, so these mixed packs are valuable for ticks and keeping a spread of NE IPAs, WC IPAs, and lagers at hand.

I believe Alma Mader will also do this, but it's not an advertised thing. They release less quantity, so mixed packs are not as valuable here though. I don't really go anywhere else, so I can't comment on my local scene beyond that.

 

All of the breweries I can think of here in UT sell singles or 6pks. Occasionally there are discount for buying 6 of the same, but otherwise you just pay the per can price and you can mix/match whatever you'd like.

I'm a big fan personally. Especially day tripping to places that are out of the way.

 

Unfortunately none of the breweries I visit offer a mix pack, and I have yet to see singles for sale, except for 32-oz "Stovepipes" of course.

 

When I was in Asheville last October, Green Man was the only brewery I visited that allowed a mix six.
A couple years ago, G5 in Beloit, Wisconsin had a cooler of all singles to mix.
These are the only two I've come across in my travels. I do wish it was more common.

 

I don't recall ever wanting to take home 6 different beers from the same brewery.
At most, 2 or 3 really impress me & I'll usually get a gr/cr-owler of the beer I enjoyed the most.
I've bought singles from a few breweries to go, who, eludes me at the moment.
I've bought bombers, 6 packs, but never thought to ask for a mix-a-6.
On my next excursion, I will test this theory and start asking for a mix-a-6 and see what the results are, if I really like the beer.

 

Setting aside bombers and other limited releases, the only two I recall offering singles or mixed packs are New Glarus (New Glarus, WI) and Empirical Brewing (Chicago, IL - recently closed).

The only stores I’m familiar with that offer their entire beer inventory as singles are:

• Beer on the Wall (Same price)
• Bottles and Cans (Upcharge)
• Trader Joe’s (Same price)

Beer on the Wall is a source for many of my New Beer Weekend / New Beer Sunday selections.

 

Oh, I just recalled another one. Last summer, before a short visit (little time to visit breweries) to Toronto, I went on Godspeed's website, as I'd heard good things from people up there. They allowed the purchase of any beer in any number. I ordered one of each, 13 different at the time, and had them delivered to a relative's home. Beer was excellent. Next trip I would definitely visit the brewery.

 

Gotta love the Giants mix a 6!

 

There's a brewer by me that sells pre-made mixed 4 packs. Took a look and each pack had one can of old beer. No thanks.

There's a different brewer by me that sells $17 four packs of lager. Such beers seem to be the backbone of BA now, but whenever I buy such a pack, I usually feel like I wasted my money once I'm home and trying the beer. I wished they would sell singles so I could try the beer first without spending that much money. I got my wish - they sell singles at $8 a can. No thanks. Be careful what you wish for.

 

Slate Town Brewing in Granville, NY offers mixed 4 packs.

 

Maybe they are on BA?? A small local place just share a post saying you can build your own four pack now.

The post says nothing of cost per can if it is different or not.

 

Levante Brewing Company now and then offers a premade mixed 4 pack. They have a mixed 4 pack of four of their current stouts. They have also had premade mixed 4 packs of their IPAS, too. I’m not aware that they’ll let you make your own mixed 4 pack.

 

Quite a few sell beer in this this manner in New England. I've recently visited Fox Farm in CT, Martha's Exchange in NH, and Pivotal in RI. All sell by the can as well as 4-packs.And then slap on the plastic-thingy for easy transport. Breweries that don't are missing a good opportunity I think.

 

Don't encourage them! Same beer = same price. Just pro-rate it. And they get a free marketing survey, a real-time accounting of what beer their customers really liked.

 

Proclamation in Warwick, RI offers singles to go which is much appreciated. Forest & Main as well for the one time I visited there (as @Giantspace mentioned). I'm sure there's more but they don't come to mind right now