Off Color Brewing out of Chicago is putting some of their beer in 8-ounce bottles. A recent article by the Chicago Tribune about the packaging change claims the smaller bottles are meant to appeal to consumers because the 22 oz bottle trend is dying, for ABV reasons, and to promote the idea of elegance.
We talked about this trend on Episode 34 of Life Behind Beer, available for download, but then we asked a couple cousins for their thoughts in the written form because some people prefer reading.
What are your thoughts on the article?
“I’m all about smaller portions and little beer, because I drink slow and my beer tends to get warm when I get down to the end. However, I just couldn’t wrap my head around the price point for less beer, even considering the alcohol content.” — Aimee Bach, Chief Chaos Organizer
“I’m not sure if this is the way for the brewery to go as consumers seem to be gravitating more toward cans, but personally I would be more likely to try a new beer if it was in a smaller bottle. 22 ounces is a lot to drink especially if it turns out you don’t like the new beer you picked out.” — Nicole Klauss, Writer of Words
Is this a good marketing tactic? Why/why not?
“Maybe. Maybe not. It’s one of those big risk, big reward tactics. Though, just from my opinion, I think people are purchasing less bottles and more cans.” — Aimee
“I think it can be a good marketing tactic for a super special beer or a high ABV beer. If you’ve got a really high ABV beer this could be a way to spread the message of drink responsibly. This beer is high ABV so we put it in a bottle size appropriate for a serving. Maybe that could backfire and piss off the consumer. IDK. For special beers that are so rare and limited I could see this being fun to try.” — Nicole
Are there benefits to a smaller bottle size? If so, what are they?
“Absolutely! I’m not a fan of the 22oz bottles that we have, because I simply can’t finish one by myself. I usually tend to wait for a special occasion to share those bottles, which is exactly what they addressed. However, alcohol content typically doesn’t affect my purchasing decisions, so it’s still not worth it to me!” — Aimee
“I also don’t like drinking 22 ounces of beer in one sitting. I think for a stronger beer or more unique beer this might be the way to go. Alcohol content does factor into my purchasing choices. For me personally I wouldn’t drink 22 ounces of a higher ABV beer, but 8 ounces sounds reasonable. If it’s a multipack of 8- ounce bottles then there’s still enough to share.” — Nicole
Is this a trend you think will grow in the beer industry?
“Ehh, it’s a no for me dawg.” — Aimee
“I agree with Aimee. It’s probably not a growing trend, but we might see it more when companies make a special product that want to market.” — Nicole
What do you think about this new packaging size?
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