Would you buy beer in smaller cans?

[QuadConPana]

Imperial Stouts, Barleywines, etc. are usually poured in 8oz servings in most bars. But, they're still in 12oz bottles for home consumption,(if they're not a bomber)

That usually means, either I have to be choosy about when I crack one open, or share. Pony bottles are out, since they apparently aren't made anymore. I read an article that when Stone was releasing smaller bottles, it was because they came across a supply of them, which they couldn't replace when they ran out.

But now, cans are coming into vogue.

Would you buy an 8 pack of something high gravity in this size if it was priced accordingly?

 

[cilestiok]

I love the 8oz size idea.

 

[Algonzo]

I've long looked for a supply of 250ml (8.4oz) bottles for strong beers - they are common in belgium but seems there is no north american supply.

 

[dsaavedra]

I've seen a lot of commercial beer in 7oz bottles - Rolling Rock, Corona, Heineken, Miller come to mind. Looks like Bud and Coors also put out 7oz bottles though I haven't seen them. As far as re-using them for strong homebrew, I think they would all be twist offs, except Corona (the 7oz ones are called Coronitas haha) and Heineken, though they are clear and green respectively, they should be fine for homebrew if you store them properly.

 

[Hello]

21st Amendment put out their barleywine in an 8 oz can. At first I didn't love it, but it makes sense. The pricing of those was a bit high though, if I recall.

Either way, I wouldn't mind having smaller cans of bigger beers.

 

[QuadConPana]

I've seen a lot of commercial beer in 7oz bottles - Rolling Rock, Corona, Heineken, Miller come to mind. Looks like Bud and Coors also put out 7oz bottles though I haven't seen them. As far as re-using them for strong homebrew, I think they would all be twist offs, except Corona (the 7oz ones are called Coronitas haha) and Heineken, though they are clear and green respectively, they should be fine for homebrew if you store them properly.

They've apparently gone the way of the 8 track. (Ask your dad what that is.)

 

[dsaavedra]

They've apparently gone the way of the 8 track. (Ask your dad what that is.)

Must be a location thing because I see them everywhere. Then again where I live the best selling beer is Bud Light (or, for the adventurous, Bud Heavy) packaged in 10 oz cans. I have personally witnessed people turn down Bud Light in 12 oz cans, and one guy I know accidentally bought a case of 12 oz Bud Light and gave it away because he only drinks 10 oz. I guess the rednecks where I'm from are fond of their small serving sizes.

Oh, I almost forgot, where I live is practically the only place in the country where 10 oz Bud is even distributed: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5336207, https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...59a2b6-1711-11e2-8792-cf5305eddf60_story.html, http://www.gazette.net/stories/111705/busipgl154036_31896.shtml, http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1996-09-17/news/1996261017_1_beer-eastern-shore-dew. It is a strange phenomenon indeed.

 

[MaxStout]

Smaller containers of high-gravity beers make sense. But looks like another way for breweries to charge more per oz., just as they're already doing with bombers.

 

[EJay]

I haven't had any trouble sourcing small clear bottles.

When my daughter was born last July I made an amber ale in 'baby' bottles to give away. 187ml champagne bottles take a crown cap just fine. I bought these:

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/187-ml-clear-champagne-bottles-24-per-case.html

Actually, large champagne bottles also take a cap fine if you want to go the other direction.

I wish more stores would let me buy 12 ounces bottle individually. It seems you have to buy a 6 pack of 12 or a bomber if you just want to try something out at most places around me.

 

[xandersaml]

I prefer the 12 ounce size. I would occasionally consider smaller portion, IF (as you stipulated) priced proportionately.

 

[cilestiok]

I prefer the 12 ounce size. I would occasionally consider smaller portion, IF (as you stipulated) priced proportionately.

I agree with this. Often times specialty beers come in 4 packs of 12oz'ers. I would love to have barleywines or RIS in 6 packs of 8oz'ers for the same $. I doubt it would ever work that way though.

 

[JoshuaW]

I would, but I dont see it happening anytime soon. Cans have to be purchased in such huge quantities, it doesnt make sense to add another size for something that is going to be used even less frequently. Besides, none of the current canning lines are setup for 8oz cans, so there would be a lot of machinery modification or new investment required to get there. Its just not appealing for the brewers.

 

[Rev2010]

I think we need bigger cans, not smaller ones. Even for heavy beers, I think a 22 or 25oz bottle is good. But man, I could never jive with those 33cl (11.2oz) European bottles. Seems like it's done in 3 sips lol. Even worse are the smaller one's, I believe they are 25cl. I want the beer, not the bottle I like the option for smaller in pubs since I may not want a whole pint more after drinking a few already. For home I prefer larger offerings.


Rev.

 

[JKoravos]

I'd love to have 8 oz. bottles for my homebrew but I don't expect to see any breweries using them any time soon. Not only for lack of supply but if there was a supply they'd need to purchase an entirely separate bottling line to package the beer, as I'm sure their production 12oz. bottling lines aren't easily adjustable (if at all). Maybe some very small breweries for hand bottle 8oz. servings but the cost would be astronomical.

Anchor used to bottle Foghorn in smaller bottles (6oz., i beleive). i don't know how they handled that.

 

[slym2none]

I wish more stores would let me buy 12 ounces bottle individually. It seems you have to buy a 6 pack of 12 or a bomber if you just want to try something out at most places around me.

I guess I am lucky - most of the bottle shops nearby let you buy most anything in a single, so you can make your own mixed 4- or 6-pack. Only if it's packaged together, like Abita, will they not let you take a single.

 

[grevengrevs]

I've bought Mich Ultra in 8oz cans for the lady. She drinks slow and would usually dump the last 2-3 ounces from a 12oz because it got too warm. The 8's are perfect for her.

 

[JKaranka]

Here we complain because most cans went down from a pint (568ml) to half a litre (500ml). It's hard to even get pint bottles. On the other hand, you buy everything individually rather than six packs or stuff like that (3 for £5 pick and mix is quite popular).

 

[N4teTheGreat]

Maybe I'm a lush, but it'd be all about price for me. 12oz of big beer is juuuust fine and a bomber just means I don't have to get up for a fresh beer as often.

-- Nathan

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Hmmmm...


All my cans are 5 gallons.

 

[slym2none]

Hmmmm...


All my cans are 5 gallons.

You sell your beer?

 

[bobeer]

The price would have to worth while. Usually less costs more unless, like someone said, you'd get 8 small cans so the volume would stay the same. IDK though. Another 3-4 oz's of strong beer isn't going to kill anyone.
You can split a 12 oz high gravity beer with someone and still have enough to enjoy. I do this occasionally at the DFH Ale house with their 120 minute IPA.

In conclusion, I could go either way, I suppose.

 

[IslandLizard]

I hate small packaging, everything and everywhere. About all you pay for IS the packaging and you get less content.

That said, $8-12 for a bomber is a bit steep too, and again, I blame the packaging for that. Similar for 750s.

 

[esteiner16]

Just because they serve stronger beers in 8 oz glasses, doesn't mean I don't want the extra 4 oz. Personally, if somebody tried to sell me smaller cans of beer, I'd give a Ron Swanson giggle and just purchase some other craft company's 12 oz cans.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Corona still comes in pony bottles. I use them for test bottles so I'm not drinking 12oz of so-so beer. The draw back to them is they're clear glass (okay for my purpose) and you need a bench capper as the hand held capper doesn't grip the crown.

 

[Calichusetts]

This will probably happen, unfortunately it will be that the bottle/can is smaller but the price is the same.

 

[Spartan1979]

I was a fan of the 7 oz nips for Barleywines back in the nineties. Imperial Stouts really weren't a thing then, at least commercially. Old Foghorn and Thomas Hardy came in them. I'm not a fan of bombers of these big beers. I can't open a bottle unless I have someone to share with. I've pretty much stopped buying bombers of these beers because they just seem to accumulate and rarely are drank.

 

[Kharnynb]

250 ml, or 8 oz. bottles are pretty rare even in belgium, outside of belgium sizes are 330 ml (11.2 oz.) and half-a-liter(17 oz).

I prefer to bottle my beers in 33 cl for bigger beers or half a liter for ipa/apa etc.

 

[JKoravos]

I was a fan of the 7 oz nips for Barleywines back in the nineties. Imperial Stouts really weren't a thing then, at least commercially. Old Foghorn and Thomas Hardy came in them. I'm not a fan of bombers of these big beers. I can't open a bottle unless I have someone to share with. I've pretty much stopped buying bombers of these beers because they just seem to accumulate and rarely are drank.

Yeah, I can't drink a bomber of 9% beer unless I'm going on a bender, which happens about twice a years nowadays. I haven't bought a bomber of anything in a long time. I'd rather pay $4 for a 7oz. beer than $10 for 22oz. Yeah, per ounce is more expensive, but I'm just simply not going to drink 22 oz of RIS.

 

[k1ngl1ves]

Michael Jackson loved little cans...

 

[mikescooling]

I've never needed beer in a smaller container. But I support the brewers and drinkers ability to make that choice for themselves. But ME, I dink by the pint.