Variety packs 3 or 4 beers each?

Just picked up a Devils Backbone collaboration pack 4 of each beer. Pretty sure Sierra Nevada has theirs 4x each in their seasonal varieties. Also Troegs recent variety pack I think? If I'm understanding your question.

 

I'd rather have three 4-packs myself. 3 bottles of a particular beer never seems enough, and I like to drink in pairs anyway so this way I can have two bottles left over for another night.

 

So the question is......?

 

I like 4 different beers, 3 bottles each.

 

I'd bet a beer that if we wanted to research this that the results would be 50-50 with 3 beers vs. 4 beers being about equal. (Ignoring the few variety packs that have 6-12 different beers.)

 

In PA you'd lose that bet. We have lots of variety cases/packs ( because of the case law) and four is close to universal. I have bought one case with 3 that was originally intended for 4 but the fourth never got brewed for distro so eventually they changed the case label) and I have bought 1 case with six but most I buy (and I buy several, 6-8, in any given year) are 4 different beer of six bottles each without many repeats in any given year.

 

I'd prefer 2 bottles each, makes sense because it would add more meaning to "variety."

 

The biggest variety of beers I have seen in a 12-pack is New Belgium's folly pack. They have 5 beers, 2 each of 4 of their regular beers and 4 of whatever seasonal is being featured.

 

The more variety the better, in my opinion. This is why I prefer to make my own variety packs from singles. Yes it's more expensive but it's so much more satisfying to hand-select which beers you want instead of the brewery doing it for you.

 

I like 2 bottles each of 6 different styles. Seems to be a dying breed though.

 

Hmm... depends.

If I'm buying a variety pack to try out a bunch of beers I've never had before, 5 or 6 beers in a pack is the ideal (so I get to try a bunch of new beer, but at the same time get at least two bottles of each) but 4 is not bad at all either. I've always thought New Belgium's "4 bottles of the 'revived' old seasonal beer you can only get in this pack, 2 bottles each of 4 other beers" setup was pretty neat -- it's like you're getting a 4-pack of a harder-to-find beer and a "variety 8-pack" in the same box. The "6 beers, 2 bottles each" setup is really nice for getting the most variety possible (while still having two of each), but the only variety pack I've seen that does that is Blue Moon.

If I already knew I liked the beers in the pack and just wanted more of them without having to buy a full six-pack of each, I might lean more toward the "three beers, four each" packs, though. Seems like not that many breweries (or at least, not that many that I see around here) use the "4 each of 3 beers" format, though -- I think I've only seen that with the Redhook and some Goose Island variety packs (though the Goose Island one on the shelves now is 4 beers with three each.)

 

There is one brewery in southern Minnesota that put out an 8 pack with one bottle of 8 different beers. It was a nice way to try there whole line up. It was a like a to-go flight.

 

6 different beers, 2 bottles of each.

 

I prefer 4, but if they are going to include one of their year rounds (SNPA, SA Boston Lager)
I would just as soon have 3.

 

3 bottles is best imo.

 

3 each of 4 kinds or 2 each of six kinds...I lean toward more variety if I am buying a "variety pack," but 3 types can still be considered a variety although it's more fun to have as many flavors as possible to try...It would be really cool to see a pack where there are 12 separate styles and one of each...

 

3 of 4, 4 of 3, 2 of 6, 6 of 2, 4 of 6, 6 of 4....I'll try any of 'em!

 

I will try a variety pack from time to time but I seem to be doing it less and less. Many of them contain at least one beer that I already know I don't like so if it is a 3 each or 4 each I just avoid them. If it is only 2 each I might give it a go. I think these variety packs are a good way to sample new beers or new beer styles if they don't contain a beer that I know I won't like. So many now contain a "session IPA" and I have yet to find one that I would buy again.

 

As long as I like all the beers, it doesn't really matter. I think Green Flash's was a mix 8 pack with 4 west coast and 2 each of hop head red and the double stout. As long as they are good beers, bring em on!