RIP Summerfest

A few years back a small percentage of SF was canned and of course I choose that option when available. I agree that that is a better format for this style of beer. SN disagreed I guess.

 

And apparently a significant portion of their customers disagreed with SN thereby leaving plenty of bottled Summerfest on the beer retailers' shelves.

Cheers!

@SierraTerence

 

I actually would think this was more an outdoor year (in the summer months) than any other due to Covid.

 

I understand that cans are more convenient, but a "better" format for Pilsner? Even when I buy cans, for home of course, I still pour into a glass. Never drank a Pilsner in Europe that wasn't in a glass either -- even hiking in the Alps!

 

These are actually designed for Convenience store. To be unboxed and sold as singles and the and the case equivalent is the same as 24X12fl.oz. pack.

These have become a popular item with employees for their take home case with ever pay check.

 

Yeah, along those lines... I also think that our Hazy, is not super NE style... It's more approachable for the non-Hazy Bros, widely distributed and very tasty.

 

Five straight years of mostly double digit losses in sales would say otherwise.

A few other things... Summerfest did see cans, but that didn't help much. One issue, Summerfest is in a rotational series with bottled beer. It's a shelf space problem at retail... That space is not designed to go from bottle to can and back to bottle.

Southern Gothic love... I hear you. It would be great to give that beer a little love ($$$) and see what it would do.

 

that’s a bummer. Seems like “craft lagers” have been trending up and summerfest is one of the best. Sad to see the sales declining so much. I tried to do my part, multiple 12 packs last summer. Thanks for the info. Cheers

 

So why not change all seasonals to cans? Unless I'm misunderstanding what you wrote above.

Most of the craft industry packages in cans already anyways, seems to be the more popular option.

 

We are... starting this summer. I think we will still do a little of our Oktoberfest and Celebration in the bottle for 2021 but we will be phasing them out.

One thing you might not know is there is a HUGE can shortage in the US... When we change our seasonal rotation to cans, it takes more than just saying, okay change. It involves securing contracts for ~100,000 bbls worth of cans with the proper BPA non-intent liners all the while your #1 growing brand is in cans and you have to account for that volume.

Don't forget, we might be big in some peoples eyes, but we are not Coke or ABI big when the can suppliers are producing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/road-to-recovery/2020/10/08/craft-beer-can-shortage/

 

@SierraTerence , can you share any insights or suspicions as to why you guys are having a hard time getting a lager to stick right at the time that consumer awareness of and desire for lager varieties appears to be ticking up in the craft segment?

 

No snark intended here: do you have any hard evidence that this is actually happening? Or is it really just a case of being in the middle of the crowd that's enthusiastic, but outside the crowd it's all apathy?

 

I would be curious be see sales figures for Firestone Walker's Lager as they seem to have been pushing it hard for the past 1+ years. I prefer Summerfest and FW's Pivo to FW Lager, but it is a tasty beverage.

 

Can you please provide more details as regards "pushing it hard"?

In contrast I have not seen Firestone Walker Lager at any of my local beer retailers (Philly area) in well over a year. My local beer retailers do have Pivo on the shelves but that beer is always too old for me to consider buying it.

Based upon my readings I was under the impression that Firestone Walker was "pushing" the 805 beer.

Cheers!

 

I'm not in the industry, I'm simply a craft beer drinker. FW seemed to push Lager in social media (Twitter) and I see it at pretty much every craft brew friendly store in my area of central California, this, at the same time that Pivo disappeared from the shelves.

The success of 805 is a mystery to me, but I think every craft brewery is looking for this kind of success and I think Hazy Little Thing was SN's response.

Bonus tidbit, I saw an 805 variant just last week and took a closer look. It's a Mexican style lager with lime.

 

I'm going to assume that what @deanzaZZR meant by Firestone Lager is 805 (edit - looks like that's correct), and concur that it is everywhere here in CA. FW really caught a star with that beer.

I wish we saw more (fresh) Pivo too!

 

I suppose in today's social media world that is an effective advertising strategy? I personally do not Twitter so I really don't know here.

Well, that is a 'sign'. The beer has to be on beer retailers shelves in order to sell IMO. Having stated that it seems like some breweries are trying to sell product via e-Commerce; this way of selling will not work with me since I insist on reading the packaging date before making a purchase.

I wonder if Firestone Walker thinks that your area will only support the purchasing of a single lager brand and they decided that their Lager will move the most units?

805 does not make it to the East Coast so I have never tasted this beer. From my readings this beer seems to be somewhat of a 'cross-over' beer - it appeals to non-hard core craft beer drinkers. As an example Yuengling Lager sells super well in my area. A beer with just a bit 'more' than an AAL like Bud, Miller, Coors and with the benefit of being reasonably priced.

Since Firestone Walker set up an independent website to hawk 805 I was suspecting that they intended to leverage 805 as being a brand name akin to Firestone Walker. There seems to be two beer brands under the 805 umbrella now: 805 Original and 805 Cerveza.

https://www.805beer.com/

I am a little surprised they didn't brand their first product as 805 Blonde.

Cheers!

 

I presumed that @deanzaZZR meant this product:

 

Sorry to confuse. 805 is literally EVERYWHERE. FW Lager can be found at liquor stores that sell craft beer so probably not your local Safeway, but it is possibly there.

 

No hard evidence, just an increased presence on local shelves of lager brands. I'm assuming these are driven by some evidence but who knows.

There is definitely the most advertising around 805, but out here the lager has been kept on the shelves in 12 packs and is frequently put on sale so it does seem like FW is making some effort to promote that brand