Founders announces Solid Gold Lager

I doubt Founders is looking to compete with the budget brands of the AAL market, but rather the premium AAL brands. I would imagine that ABInbev is trying to command higher pricing than 50 cents a can for their Budweiser, Bud Light and Michelob Ultra brands for example (outside of occasional specials and promotions)?

 

I can buy a 24 pack of Bud Light (not that I want to) for less than 20 bucks. So if we use $20 that works out to a little over 80 cents a beer. I suppose that Founders is closer to that price but it is still over.

It has been my personal experience that a typical American AAL beer consumer is very price sensitive. A percentage change of around 20% can be a difference maker.

Cheers!

 

Thanks for that pricing example. Yes that would be closer in price, and I would assume that the price is lowest for the biggest packages (24 packs, 30 packs, 36 packs etc.), whilst the price is higher (per oz) for the smaller packages (12 packs, 6 packs etc), that's typically how pricing works in markets which allows volume discounting. This is a major problem in Germany for example where the outmost majority of beer sales is case sales. If one looks at the Brewers almanac from 2013 for the US there is a chart showing a breakdown of "packaged malt beverage" sales per packaging type, for the year 2006 which looks like this:

Non returnable bottles
6pack: 26%
12pack: 39%
15pack: 3%
18pack: 7%
20pack: 8%
24pack: 15%
others: 2%

Cans
6pack: 9%
12pack: 27%
15pack: 6%
18pack: 14%
24pack: 21%
30pack: 21%
others: 2%

Since then of course there's been a major economic downturn and slow recovery, so who knows what the percentages look like now, but they showcase the fact that the market is segmented into different market segments packaging wise, and I would assume price wise. It's always befuddled me why some people would opt to buy a smaller package of one particular brand of beer when a larger package is cheaper per oz, sometimes significantly so, yet some people do and there's a market for those smaller packages.

 

Permit me to provide an example - me.

I just got back from running some errands and I was driving by my local Retail Beer Distributor so I stopped in to see of they received any Founders Solid Gold, and they did. The price is $14.99 for a 15-pack (a buck a beer) and the price for a 6-pack is $8.99 ($1.50 a beer). Needless to say but the 15 pack presents a much better value but I purchased the 6-pack instead since I have never had this beer before and I was unsure if I would enjoy drinking 15 cans of this beer.

Within the next month I will be discussing this beer in a New Beer Sunday thread. If I can score a single can of Hamm's between now and then I will conduct a side-by-side tasting.

Cheers!

@scottakelly @hillind

 

The Total Wine in Claymont DE. has the Founders six pack for $7.99 and the 15 pack for $14.99.

The Michelob six pack is also $7.99 with the 12 pack at $13.99.
The Ultra six pack is also $7.99 with the 12 pack at $12.99

So they seem fairly competitively priced and it appears that Founders may indeed be targeting the "Premium" AALs.

 

Firstly, my below comment is not directed at you.

I suppose this statement is supposed to be funny but it just reads stupid to me. Needless to say but I do not get this marketing schtick. I doubt that even Stone Brewing would write up stuff like this.

Cheers!

 

I would say most AAL drinkers fall into three categories...

1. Brand loyal guy. This is the guy that will pay $3.50 at a bar for a bottle of Bud Light when he could get a 24 ounce draft of Miller Lite for $1.50.
2. Cheapest option guy.
3. Normally brand loyal guy, but willing to try new things.

Most AAL drinkers fall into category 1, I would guess. I could see Founder's making some inroads with Category 3, however. And with how big the AAL market is, that could lead to significant sales when combined with craft lager drinkers.

 

I'm one of those people who buy mostly 4/6 packs even though I know I'm paying more $ per beer. One of the reasons is b/c I like variety. Also, I live in Arizona and it's 75-80 degrees inside my house most of the year. I can't fit a case of beer in the fridge so I don't buy a case b/c I don't want to have a bunch of beers sitting for 1-2 weeks at 80 degrees.

Another reason is that I can go into my local bottle shop and they have at least 50 different beers in 4/6 packs, almost all of them refrigerated. They have maybe 10 -15 beers in a larger format and most of them are warm.

 

By “its own class”, I meant it was an AAL brand bought by a craft brewery, as opposed to an AAL created by a craft brewery

 

Hmmm... well, the Brewers Association didn't consider Schell a "craft brewer" for many years because the AAL Grain Belt was it's flagship.

Of course, when Schell bought the brand, there was no "Brewers Association" or a "Craft Brewer" definition - but they were a "Domestic Specialty Brewing Company" (the terminology used by the "craft" B.A. predecessor organization, the Institute for Brewing Studies' Association of Brewers.)

Quite a number of current "craft brewers" (again, using the B.A. definition) purchased or otherwise resurrected AAL brands - the most notable being Narragansett (from Pabst) but there's also Duquesne, Jones, Falls City, Sterling, Piels, Champagne Velvet, Weidemann's, etc. Many, at this point, are marketing contract-brewed beers, some of styles not even close to the original AAL beer.

Stevens Point bought the Augsburger brand from Stroh but I guess that's retired. North Coast bought the Acme brand but the beers are not AALs as was the original California Acme. With all the "resurrected/revival" brands in the last few decades, I'm sure there are a number of other.

 

JK, has the 'new' Piels (brewed at Captain Lawrence) hit the market yet?

Cheers!

 

Beats me - no word on their Facebook page or Beer Menus, etc. We only know the reborn company exists and there is a TTB COLA for the beer brewed at Capt. Lawrence.

 

I think this settles the thought of me not being a fan of lagers. Bought a single can and don't like it. I can see the appeal for those who enjoy a nice crisp lager. I preferred PC Pils to this and i will stick to All Day IPA.

 

I picked up some Founders Solid Gold Lager yesterday (15-pack for $15). I thought it tasted pretty good, but make no mistake it's definitely an AAL [or maybe a CAP] and doesn't stray far from what you would expect from a big macro brewer AAL, for better or for worse. There's slightly more hop character to it than typical AALs, but not so much that a AAL drinker would be put off, I think. If you're familiar with the mild bitterness of Hamms or Yuengling Lord Chesterfield, I think Solid Gold is similar but just a tad more floral bitterness. I also taste an interesting mild toastiness in the malt that I can't recall tasting in any other big brewer AAL. So, Solid Gold has a few touches that make it stand out from the pack, but if you don't like AALs Solid Gold won't change your mind.

While I think Solid Gold is a really good beer, I don't expect Solid Gold to make it into my regular rotation,* mostly because it's very much an AAL. Than again, I didn't initially expect to buy All Day IPA as often as I do either, but those competitively-priced 15-packs had a way of sneaking into my life when hanging out with friends, parties, etc. But, there's far more competition on price among AALs though, and while I do think Solid Gold is small cut above it's peers, it's balanced by the fact that for about the same price I can get twice as much Hamms [which I do like] for the times that sort of beer is in order.

* - The wildcard to that statement is my wife... if she likes Solid Gold then more will definitely be in my future. Her go-to beers are Sly Fox Helles and All Day IPA already, so I can imagine Solid Gold's taste and the Founder's name landing favorably with her, but I've been wrong too often predicting her tastes to be certain.... We'll see....

 

Randy, earlier today I picked up a single 16 ounce can of Hamm's from one of my local Retail Beer Distributors (I paid a dollar for this single 16 ounce cans). In a week or so I will be discussing a side-by-side taste test in a New Beer Sunday thread.

Cheers!

 

I would concur. For the money you can't beat that Hamms.... to make matters worse, with a high alcohol tax we pay here in Tennessee, that Founders beer will probably be around 20 bucks for a 12 pack? I'll stick with the Old Reliable

 

Just picked up a 15 pack for 13.99. Less than a dollar a beer. Will try it out in a bit.

 

I bought a six pack and like it just fine.

Side note: Last year, Founders dove into the malt liquor category and snatched the top rating. Wonder if this one will wind up on top of the AAL category. What downtrodden category will they crash next?

 

Honestly I find this pretty disappointing and I had high hopes as I love Founders. It's better than pabst but worse than hamms for my tastes. I look forward to reading @JackHorzempa review on Sunday as I'm sure he is more refined than me.

 

Well, it won't be this Sunday since...

Spoiler alert: this Sunday I will be discussing Schlenkerla Helles (in a 16 ounce can).

Maybe the following Sunday?

Cheers!