I've recently noticed one of my daily drinker standbys have been increasingly harder to find in a 12 pack (14.99) and a glutton of it in a boxed 6 pack for 10.99. It's a small brewery and not that good to be selling less for more. Thoughts?
Your noting that it's a small brewery immediately made me think that perhaps they're just trying to unload those 6-pack cartons so they can go to 12's all of the time - or probably they just ran out of 12 packs and had no choice but to put out 6's. Who knows??? The packaging side for a small brewery can be difficult, and I think you'll see the issue rectify itself within a month or so.
It might just be the retailer has chosen to only carry the 6 packs because he needs shelf for other craft beers.
Distributor could have dropped the 12pks. The distributor for Detroit's west side has dropped Torpedo and Hop Hunter 12s but kept the sixers. Reason being the chain stores don't want them.
I found it disappointing when a local went from a six pack to a four pack of the same beer and charged the same price. Voted with my wallet.
The honest reason could be that they don't make as much with 12pks, but with a 6pk it is more accessible. Also if something went to 4pk. Remember some companies taking their beer in 12oz bottles and selling them in 8/9oz bottles?
Weird thing, but subconsciously a fair number of folks see a 6-pack as a lower quality quantity beer, while they see a 4-pack as something more special because it is sold in limited amounts. Folks will often pay more per ounce for a 4-pack.
I agree, I'm questioning why after years of 12 oz 12 packs and no 12 oz. 6 packs, they are going the other way. I understand that they are in business to make money, not to keep me happy, but isn't craft beer supposed to be marketed to folks who aren't the rank and file "they'll buy anything at any price" consumer? Seems like a big beer tactic to me.
It's quite possible that it's a retailer or computer error. It has happened before. For example, a few years back Brooklyn Brewing switched their packaging on the Black Chocolate Stout from 6 pack to 4 pack but without without any price increase for a case of the beer. Some retailers, not all, were charging the 6 pack price for their 4 packs because their computer had not been "adjusted" to deal with the new packaging.
Confirmed the change with the brewer who cheerfully informed me their beer "was worth it" due to being craft, high quality ingredients, blah, blah, blah.
Why are you assuming the brewery itself is at fault? It could be the retailer or the distributor has decided not to carry the 12 packs for reasons good or bad.
Once burnt... However, in this case I have no direct experience (buying in cases only back then--which is part of how I learned no change by Brooklyn on the per case price) and was relying of what a few of our fellow BAs reported ro us they had found out after some direct on site checking into what seemed to have gone on with at least a few of those retailers.
