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

In theory, I totally agree. But in reality? Not even liquor stores do that.

 

It’s good to see that there are some breweries scattered around the country doing the singles or mixed packs. Hopefully, more of the small breweries continue to pick up this trend as time progresses.

 

Fiden’s in Colonie, NY sells beers by the can. I don’t believe they package 4 packs. I think the pricing is $6 to $8 per can.

 

So $17 for a four pack to go ($4.25 a can) or $8 a single can of same beer? Yeah I think that priced markup will be short lived, very few fools would pay that kind of up charge. Retail shops that let you break singles off the shelves and do an upcharge (but not that bad) because of the additional labor and inventory mgmt challenges of hundreds (or thousands) of beers that come with that practice. That isn’t an issue out of a brewery refrigerator though. Very weird pricing by that brewery. Almost as if they did the pricing out of spite or to set it up deliberately to fail.

 

I haven't seen any breweries around here that sell mixed sixes/fours or individual cans. Most only offer crowlers/growlers, some have packs of cans.

 

Original Pattern in Oakland allows for mixed four packs too, costs a bit more

 

Never seen or heard of this before.

 

it’s true that you can purchase single cans at Forest and Main, beware of an up charge per can as compared to the 4 pack prices.

 

I believe it’s at or around 1/4th of a 4-pack markup and there is NOT a discount when purchasing in 4’s

 

None here in the Lehigh Valley (that I know of). Personally, I would support that idea and would be great to try more beers.

 

Want to clarify and apologize if I was not clear. In your example, a single can from a normally priced $16 per four pack at the brewery would be marked up to $5 per can - assuming you purchase four packs at this assumed priced. that was my last experience when buying a mixed four pack at Forest and Main

 

I just double-checked. All to-go beer is available as singles and there’s no markup. For example, Full Clip is $13 for a four-pack and $3.25 by the can.

Stoneface doesn’t get a lot of love anymore. If I lived closer I’d be in there all the time.

 

My local place charges per can. Can make any 4 pack.

 

I'm pretty sure during the pandemic shut down times Hidden Springs was selling mixed 4 packs for order ahead pickups.

I know Suncreek runs specials from time to time as well.

 

All-American Brew Works offers on-request canning of 16 oz cans of anything they brew in any number or mix you want to make up a 4-pack with zero upcharge for a mixed 4 pk… as it should be

 

Yeah it was i person when I took some home. Took the trip there the first time I was in Philly, really nice place

 

If I recall, you're in SEPA correct? Attic and Imprint both sell singles so you can make your own 4 pack. Source did too at one point but not sure if that's still the case. I know that Pour Man's out in Ephrata does as well.

 

After your post, I coincidentally had a less than agreeable interaction with them related to the above. I won't go into details, but a nearly 100% price increase per can discourages feelings of goodwill.

 

Iron Hill occasionally has canned beer specials. For loyalty club members, maybe even general public (?) they've done $10 4- packs.

Turns out they're doing one tomorrow (1/24 ). This one's $3 per, but still a good deal (16 oz- ers) and you can mix em up. My local Acme just boosted 12 oz. singles to $4!

 

I was at Imprint last week, and they definitely upcharge for buying single cans, I don't believe there is any discount if you buy a certain number.

You can see on their "Takeout" menu, their Lagers are $15 a 4 pack, but if you buy a single can it's $5 per can. https://imprintbeer.com/menus

 

A retail craft store allows mix n match. Used to be straight pricing, but recently they’ve gotten a bit greedier and starting up-charging on singles. It’s still a good deal to buy one. If it’s absolute turd, you’re not stuck with three or five more.

I don’t know of any local breweries that do it. I’ve asked, and have just been told no.

 

Industrial Arts in Garnerville and Beacon, New York does this with no upcharge.
You can split a 4-pack any way you want and they charge you per beer.
The one caveat is that you are required to purchase a 4-pack. They don't sell singles.

 

I can respect this practice by a brewery. They still want to maintain some volume sales and increase cash flow, they are a for-profit business after all but this still is fair and reasonable pricing and flexibility for the customer as well.

 

We need to ask breweries either:
A) why they decide not to sell singles or mixed/matches 4 packs (perhaps it never crossed their minds yet)
B) if they do sell single cans/mixed 4 packs but it requires an up-charge as to why they do that practice

Just would like to get straight answers or business related opinions, from the business owners /staff on their rationale.

 

Ah, I see what you mean. I do not know the pricing off the top of my head but I imagine it's like buying beer on tap-the larger size you buy(8oz vs 16oz or single can vs 4 pack), the less you pay per ounce.

 

I can't believe that I haven't thought about this brewery yet, but Bell's General Store has offered a singles section in one of their coolers for years. I don't know if there is a restriction on which beers the employees can put on these shelves, but I'm pretty sure the beers are priced individually.

 

Holy Cow! $ 3.75/16oz can for most at Fox Farm last weekend. Delicious as well!

 

Yeah, and it's good to engage with these folks - a question you or I have may have been asked a dozen times before.

 

I was off by a little bit, the pricing was better than I remembered about $4.50, $5.50 and $6.50 including tax and deposit based on ABV

 

So today I visited a new local farm brewery in my area, and they offered about 6 of their beers to go. 4 packs only, no singles, I did my best investigative journalism talking to the head brewer, but I pretty much didn't get any straight answers. I mentioned that although not widespread in the US, there are some breweries that offer single cans to go vs. 4 pack/same beer only. He basically responded that he doesn't know any brewers that do that practice, and he's only aware of retail stores with upcharge and mixed sixers for a slight discount vs. single can prices etc. Stated that its very inefficent to sell single cans. I pretty much stopped at that point because any other info. or ideas for consideration were just going to tick him off.

My best conclusion (but I could have misread) is that they just want to focus on the consumption on site on the farm model for their sales profits, and keeping their to-go beers as labor efficient as possible and not focused on maximizing their profits on the to-go beer sales. Which does make sense when 16oz pints (maybe 12oz?) beers served on site were all $7.50 each, but their to-go 4packs ranged $16-$19 each so the on-site profit margin is substantially more.

 

Crystal Lake Brewing and Holzlager in my neck of the woods

 

Breweries that sell singles/mixed 4 packs
Almanac
S27
Clandestine


Breweries I have come across that do not sell singles or mixed 4/6 packs:
Enegren
Ghost Town
Faction
Drake's

It is complicated:
Bruery: some releases they will sell as singles, some releases are 4 packs only. Not sure if they do mixed 4packs.
Narrative Fermentations: used to sell singles in the past, though the last time I stopped in they would not & argued that they never did

I have found some liquor stores around the SF bay that do singles, one in particular will do mixed 4 packs for a certain price. Thankfully these venues tend to carry

Also the Total Wine chain will do singles/mixed 6 packs. Though confirm the cashier scanned the single as a single - on one occasion they charged me for the entire 4/6 pack.

 

Based on high prices breweries can get a away with serving pints from the taproom, I’m thinking they don’t sell singles to discourage people from buying the less expensive can and then pouring it while hanging out on site. But of course the simple fix is to raise the price of a single 16oz can to be equal to a pint poured from tap and give discount on 4 packs of the same beer.

 

Pretty sure both Sterling Pig and Troegs allows you to mix and match