How Do They Price Bombers?

I never buy bombers of anything that's normally released in 4 or 6 packs. The price of one bomber usually equates to the price of half a six pack. It's pretty ridiculous. I guess that just gives people the incentive to buy the six pack instead.

 

You can bet that some beer consumers purchased those bombers. I would opine that those folks were unwise shoppers but some BAs take offense at that characterization.

Cheers!

 

Just want to add some food for thought on why bombers might command a higher price from a buyers perspective.

Many purchases are based more on emotions than on rational thought. One possible factor that could play into consumers willingness to pay much higher $/oz on bombers are what the consumer is subconsciously comparing the price with.

A bomber is roughly the size of a wine bottle, and $20 for a bottle of wine is not going to make anyone look twice.

On the other hand, a 6-pack would subconsciously be compared with a 6-pack of macro lager, so even $12 seems like a lot in comparison.

The fact that a bomber is more than a single serving container also makes it more share-able and that could also add to the perceived value.

 

Well, if my store sold them for that we would be losing $3.50 on every bottle.

 

Agree, but dont understand the thought behind B., makes no sense to make a high alcohol beer in a 22oz bottle that must be consumed in one sitting. If the thought is that it has too high abv to be consumed in quantity, does 12oz not make more sense? You could drink about half the volume of a 22 and save some for latter, instead of being forced to consume 22oz. Yes you would have more bottles, but it is then the consumers choice of volume to be consumed. If somebody wants to get falling down drunk, they will regardless of bottle format/packaging.

 

Yeah, I thought it was a mistake at first, but I saw an article where there was a suggested retail of about $7. Maybe you have to pay extra for the added transportation?

 

Could one reason why breweries are more inclined to put their limited release beers in bombers be that there is less "spillage" compared to putting that same beer in 6 packs on the bottling line?

 

Due to the prevalence of tickers I'm surprised how few people have mentioned that some people just do not want to have 6 of the same beer. I simply do not want to drink the same 6 beers in a row or even a few days, sometimes weeks apart. The only exception I make is when it comes to if the same beer is made in bombers AND 4 or 6 packs, in which case I'll make the more economical decision, but 9 times out of 10? I'm getting a bomber.

 

Larger bottles are more fun to drink from, which is how I rationalize paying more per oz for them. I usually only buy them on special occasions or if there is a beer I'm dying to try that isn't in a 4 or 6 pack.

 

Unless you are Lagunitas or Stone, poorly.

 

They get away with it by bottling beer in Bombers that aren't sold in any other format. That's why I'll spend $8 on a Bomber, because I can't get it in a sixer.

PS: If I weren't a ticker, I probably wouldn't buy Bombers too frequently.

 

Well I'm a hypocrite because I'm off to pick up a bomber of Ballast Point Victory at sea.

I had a 6-pack of it, but I'd really like to get some for my friend that can't get it in his area, and a bomber is all I can find it in so here I go contradicting myself ha.

 

Port Brewing Midnight Expression Schwarzbier Bomber, $2.99 at my local shop. Win.

 

i wouldnt mind bombers if the caps were easier to seal.but im assuming its like that because people usually drink an entire bomber in one sitting

 

I suppose this is a poke at me But no, I don't think it's wise to buy the exact same beer at a more costly price per ounce. My point was that buying beers that *only* come in the bomber/750 format is not unwise simply because they cost more per ounce.

 

Not quite right-
1. Distributors and retailers work on a margin. A brewer will price beer into the distributor that gets the beer on the shelf at the desired price, a price that the brewer and distributor both think is the proper price point. If a brewery thinks a certain beer in bomber format will sell at $9.99 per bottle, it goes something like this-
a) $9.99 less retail gross margin of 25%= $7.50 per bottle, $90 per case of 12. This is the price at which the distributorsells the case to retail.
b) $90 per case less distributor gross margin of 30%=$63 per case of 12. This is the price the distributor pays the brewery.
c) while some liquor stores may mark up more than standard, if they do this too much word gets out and people look elsewhere. If the distributor takes a bigger markup, you can bet the brewery will find out and there will be a little "discussion". The brewer contractually obligates the distributor to sell product at a certain price range. This does not exist between distributor and retail account, just doesn't work that way. Do some retailers take more than a standard markup, yes, and it is your job as a consumer to let them know how you feel about it.
2. No brewer is forced or pressured by anyone to put beer in bombers, that is not how it works. Most new breweries get a Meheen as their first packaging equipment as it is way more affordable than a good 6 pack filler of either cans or bottles. This is a labor intensive machine, and packaging into 4 or 6 bombers at a time is way more efficient than putting beer into 12 oz bottles at the same line speed. Established breweries use bombers for special releases as they are able to get more $$$ per ounce of beer. Yes, those greedy greedy breweries actually have lots of bills to pay and God forbid might hope to get some real profit out of some aspect of the business.

 

Probably because there's actual money in it. Are you guys forgetting that chart which showed the minuscule percentage of your money that actually goes to the brewer? Unless your beer is so popular that it can make money off sheer, bulk numbers, there's probably very little profit in 12oz bottles.

Things usually work themselves out anyway. Barring specialty or small batch releases, any bomber worth its salt will eventually see 4/6 packs. Those that can't compete are usually retired.

 

Very much appreciate the time and perspective you offer here as well as the very useful information you've provided.

What I'm left wondering about is the role played by consumer demand for both greater variety and the perceived convenience of that bottle size, along with the pressure on the retailer to optimize the use of limited shelf space. Each of these is also sometimes mentioned as a driving factor by participants in the various thread from which I've extracted the flawed picture painted in my earlier post. Any thoughts/insights to offer on the role played by those factors?

 

Bombers are the new wine. Every brewery, distributor and retail company is just running with the $13-$22 dollar margin which mimics average wine prices, some variations spiking up in price depending on inventory and style of the beer. Look at the craft shelf and then go look at the wine shelf. Craft beer labels are better. I sell it like candy to anyone that comes near the craft section like a young, wannabe Scotch drinker with a deep pocket that day.

Recently, I pay as much as $100 a week for bombers, plus shipping, from all over the place and don't drink them until much later. From a single, bachelors point of view, price shouldn't influence your decision in the ten to forty dollar range for premium spirits. You're on the forefront of endless one-off, high-abv, barrel aged batches of beer, you're partaking in a new breed of booze. Only if you want to be.

If youre a cheap skate and or a cheap date, for what its worth and for the buck, Lagunitas Imperial Stout is my #1 recommendation and Left Hand Wake Up Dead (BA or non BA is unnoticeable) being my second and they age very well, I recommend one year at least. When you can though, go for the really good stuff.

 

Thank you for your thoughtful and informative post!

A few comments on some elements of your post:

· “No brewer is forced or pressured by anyone to put beer in bombers, that is not how it works.” Thanks for that! I always thought that was the case but your input here is very much appreciated!!

· “Established breweries use bombers for special releases as they are able to get more $$$ per ounce of beer.” Yea Verily!!

Another ‘strategy’ that I have been seeing over the past few years is that some breweries are changing from the 6-pack format to the 4-pack format. The net result of this for my local beer retailers is an increase in price on a per bottle (and per ounce) basis. In this particular case the change for the brewery is six 4-pack holders per case vs. four 6-pack holders per case. What is the business rationale for why breweries make this change? Can the brewery charge more for a case which contains 4-pack holders vs. 6-pack holders? I understand why a beer retailer may have a preference for the 4-pack holder (i.e., more profit for the retailer) but what is the benefit to the brewery?

Cheers!