Is all "bomber" packaging a rip off?

In general, many are certainly overpriced. However, a lot of Lagunitas' offerings are reasonably priced. I can get a bomber of their 9.9% Imperial Stout for just under $6. And that's on the other side of the country AND a gas station price. They're doing it right.

 

Yes. Flat out.

 

I was once a noob in this craft scene. Still a noob here Lesson learned.

My local bottle shops will split up 4/6 packs. Try one and if I like, I buy a sixer. Sometimes they will just crack one open and let me sample. Good people, running good shops have good practices.

I love Lagunita's Bombers and of course my favorite Lagunita's is a Quart bottle. When reasonably priced like so, I'm a buyer. Lagunita's does it right.

 

I normally buy bombers. When I hit the beer store I'm usually in the mood for a variety of different things and bombers allow me to indulge myself. I'm a big guy with a big thirst and a bomber is just about the right size to slake my thirst. Sure I pay more but I also pay more for shoes, pants and shirts.

 

Except for Lagunitas, usually yeah. The $/oz is ridiculous compared to 12oz

 

Not trying to rip on you or anything, but this exact topic comes up on these forums every couple weeks. Shouldn't be hard to find some threads that deal with this exact topic.

 

BA's don't love bombers ... Poll results...

But, that said, "rip-off" aside, I still love a good bomber... Stone is one of the few breweries out there that make some good value bombers - Double Trouble comes to mind, and more recently, their Extra Hoppy Old Guardian barleywine...

Both are like $7.99 bombers of 10%+ abv high quality ales (thank you, Stone...)

 

I won't buy a bomber of something that is available in a 4/6 pack. And yes the price per oz is way out of whack. But this isn't a hobby for those who care too much about healthy budgeting lol

 

Like others have said it depends on the beer and what you're willing to pay for it, as well as it's "rarity."

Sometimes limited release beers get put into bombers because either the brewery can't make enough to sustain 12oz 6-er's or the beer is so big that they'd have to charge $5-$6 a bottle for said 6-er, and very few people would have an easy time buying a $30+ 6 pack even after doing the math. That's when I tend to find that bombers make sense, since if a beer is going to cost $0.50 an ounce for example I'd rather by a smaller amount of it at first for a variety of reasons.

When it comes to bombers that are also released in 6-packs, I don't think I've ever seen a bomber be a better value even with sale prices. For example, around me a 22 of Victory at Sea is $10, and a six pack is $15. Do the math and you realize pretty quickly that the extra 30% you spend nets you 60%+ more beer, so it's clearly a better value even if you don't want 72oz of beer all at once. In those cases, I avoid bombers every time.

All that said though there are definitely some that are priced well; Lagunitas, Stone and Sierra Nevada (the Harvest IPA series for example) come to mind as bombers right around or less than the $8 mark, as well as Berkshire Brewing who routinely prices some great beers in 22's for $4-$5.

In the end, I think "you can't gouge the willing" sums it up.

 

When Lagunitas bombers are considered a deal at $6-8 (which they are comparitively) the answer is easy.

 

My thought exactly!!!

 

Bought a bomber of gnarlywine this weekend for $4.99. So I'll answer your question with a" most, but not all."

 

When you buy a bomber you are buying 22oz of beer. When you buy a 6-pack you are buying 72oz of beer. In general, you pay less per ounce when you buy more ounces at once. This is true of almost every product. Buying in bulk saves you money. A 12-pack will cost less per ounce than a 6-pack. Does that make a 6-pack a "rip off"? Is anything less than a 15.5 gallon keg a "rip off"? Can't beat one of those when it comes to price/ounce.

Bombers are a great way to try new beers. A 6-pack may be too much of an investment for a beer you might not like.

Many bombers in my area are $5-6 dollars. Definitely not a "rip off".

 

Brewers don't decide how much their beer costs to buy.

 

I'm not a big fan of them, but they serve their purpose for breweries who are getting started because a bomber filler or meheen takes up so much less space, and are a minor investment and are nearly pocket change in comparison to a regular packaging line and enable a market for beer that would not be able to exist in the smaller formats of 12 and 16's.

 

Some are, but I seem to be ok with it, given the amount of them I purchase.

 

Usually yeah. If the beer is available in 6 packs I'll take the 6er any day though. There are some beers that are too good to pass up in bomber, regardless of price for me.

 

Sometime the choice is pay the bomber tax or do without.

Vote with your money.

 

One brewery inpurticular (ccb) changed their format from 750ml to 22oz bottles and actually charged more money for them. Smh

 

Speaking from personal experience, I would much rather spend $5-$8 on a bomber and drink it all than pay $10 for a growler of said beer and not drink it all.

When comparing bomber price to six-pack prices, a bomber is going to seem like a rip off because you would have to pay quite a bit more to get the same volume but I think bombers are a great idea. If I want to try a particular beer and they come in bomber format, I'd rather buy that than buy a sixer and end up not liking the beer. The same goes for a bomber vs. growler situation.