Lagunitas Sucks 32's = October

You're gonna hate this idea.

 

i never know how to feel when i read these threads half of the people are like Gaud i cant believe 32 oz kill me now and the other half are like whoo hoo, i have to agree with the second half two pints of beer is not a feat to complete i dont understand the issue

 

Not a fan, but will still it drink it nonetheless!

 

Mega Maid has went from Sucks to Blows..

 

Greetings all. Mr. LStaff: you are projecting when you make the leap that the large container is designed to 'screw' you. I guess that when you price the beers that your brewery makes you are looking to see how much you can squeeze the world for, but that's not me/us. Others; that s for your faith. The price will be around 6 plus a bit, but I don't know the final cost on glass yet. This isn't so well known, but but 22oz glass is a bunch more expensive per oz as compared to 12oz ware simply because the glass company doesn't make so much of it. Short runs = higher unit costs. So that gets passed along. The 32oz bottle will be even shorted runs, initially, so I'm guessing that the same will be true.

For the record, it'll be a pry top, not a ROP (twist-off) finish.

My reason for doing it is simple.. There are no craft beers in 32's or even 40's. why not? I dunno. So I'm going to do it. Second thing is that I think consumers (and ya'll too) will need a 'strong attractor' to find the first craft beer in the 32oz section of the cold box and since the Sucks was so well received, it stands a chance of drawing a crowd and it'll be us all planting a flag in the last cold bastion of Mega-Brewer hegemony!

A 32oz'r at a 9.99 six pack price would be 4.44 and a 32oz'r at a 4.99 22oz price would be about 7.25. I think it'll land around 6.50 due to the higher glass cost and our desire to be profitable! This will prolly disappoint LStaff's twittering outrage over large format pricing. But maybe the beer will win her/him over.

But the bottle molds have been made, the hops have been contracted, the bottling change parts all ordered... We're just waiting for the hop harvest now. I can't wait. I think the bottles will look hysterical on the shelf next to Olde English and the beer will be fresher as larger format, low surface area to volume packages usually are...

Chairs!

 

Beautiful. Thanks for replying. I agree on the OE800 point.

BTW - I saw the Primus Sailing The Seas Of Cheese re-master webcast last week and they gave you all a shout out in the credits at the end. I smiled.

Chairs to you as well!

 

Thanks for the well written and though out response! Really surprised and happy to see a brewery giving their honest explanation for what they're doing.

In the end, the 32 oz. will still be an incredible value, just like Hop Stoopid, which I still am blown away by how good the value is on that.
Hell, I just paid $15 for a 4 pack of Double Trouble. I'd gladly pay over $8 for a 32 oz. of Sucks. Not to mention that Sucks is my second favorite DIPA.

I only had a bottle of it earlier this year when it was fresh and been wanting to have it fresh again. Can't wait until this fall. Also can't wait to see how this "pry top" looks like. I would love to have a cool bottle like that sitting on my bar display. Always through breweries should do more pry tops like Grolsch.

 

Love your beers, always have, love your pricing below what others charge, so please don't think I am some troll. I am a homebrewer, so it could be that the pricing for large breweries is different than for homebrewers, but here is what I pay for my glass.
24 12 oz. bottles -- 11.99
12 22 oz. bottles -- 12.99
The 22 oz. bottles do in fact cost more, in the neighborhood of a few cents per ounce. I am sure there are other related costs, such as changing the bottling line over, but let's be honest here, unless the economy of scale at a large brewery involves things I don't understand, it seems all about a much larger profit on the beer, and not at all about equal pass along of cost of time and material. In fact, some things about bombers are less expensive, no 4/6 pak holders to buy, and no time for machine/worker to fill them, fewer labels to buy and apply.

As I say, love your beers, respect you guys, but I am gonna call BS, and here is your opportunity to settle this with numbers so all us BA's can have our suspicious, know it all mouths shut on this topic once and for all. School us on this topic, DogTown, slap us down with facts.

 

I'll get an OE.

 

There was a post on here the other day noting that some markets would see the quart bottles, while some would still see six packs. Cant find it now of course.

Im another not fan of the big bottles, especially when this beer will go from $.13 oz to around $.20 oz

 

Can't wait for this. Love the idea of ready access to this beer.

Would Tony consider 32oz cans down the road?

 

There is a difference between the 12's and the 22's, and it adds up. Cavedave: in the ratio between the two, I'd say that you're paying way too much for the 12's and so to you the ratio looks flatter than it is for us. Another thing is how much slower the filler ru s for 22's in ord to keep the O2 low. Thing is, 22's are more profitable, and 12's are lee less so, in that there is a balance. Kegs are the least profitable of all. You might say that one facilitates the other. Also, until recently most nano and micro start-ups began in 22's and they really need a lot more money for whatever they do since most of the costs are in fixed costs and every bottle gets a heavy dose of rent and insurance and payroll taxes and such. When ya get bigger that balance shifts to variable costs like malt and hops and vintage guitars. I charged less when we were small too but that was more about surviving the late '90's and also because I didn't know anything about cost accounting. Now we can afford it so it stays the same.but don't get me wrong- Sucks costs a fortune to make. So does DayTime, despite the low ABV. In fact, DayTime costs more to make than IPA.

And I have no illusions about shutting anyone up here on BA! If I did what would happen to all the fun int he world? LStaff tweeted words that sounded exactly like 'screwed' was an ingredient in large format bottles, that got me going. I do have pretty thin skin about things I try to be honest about... But even that's a personal problem and is not an ingredient in the beer...lol.

 

Hi Fankenstiener. Comments like that are why so few other brewers will even expose themselves, under their own identity, to this site. Maybe you think I have thick skin.

But I asked myself; 'Self? Why would someone post a snide thing like that?' It must be an ego thing.

You might as well ask why I started a brewery?... It was ego.

 

(sorry that was so negative)

Cheers, BA..!

 

No worries, I'm going to drink the shit out of the quarts if they make it to Ohio.

 

Not to mention many place still do bombers on a four head filler or small portable system and hand pack bringing labor sky high, instead of investing in the entire bottling line getting upgraded from conveyor rails adjusting, drop packer heads, sealer adjustments for the taller package.

 

A 32 oz. sucks will be 50 cents higher than a 22oz of Hop Stoopid? If that's the case, fantastic news and it will be a popular product. However, I'll believe that the retailers offer the beer at 6.50 a pc when I see it.

I know that's not in your control, but it's a reality. Regardless, thanks for your time spent on BA explaining your product. And fwiw, Lill Sumpin is a staple in my fridge. 8.99 a sixer for that beer is incredible.

 

I think those that are asking Tony to defend the higher price of bombers are going after the wrong guy. Lagunitas prices their bombers fairly. Hop Stoopid, WTF, Lucky 13 and Cappucino Stout are all in the $4.99-$5.50 range in the lovely Garden State. How can anyone complain about that? And all their great 12oz offerings are in 6 packs but priced like other breweries price 4 packs. On a quality to price ratio, Lagunitas is #1 by a mile in IMO.

 

Not to derail this thread or anything, but I just had my first Lucky 13 last night, and I think I might be okay without Sucks for awhile now...