330ml vs 500ml bottles

[Dai]

Just wondering what the advantage of buying 500ml bottles of craft beers are, when 330ml versions are available? When you do the math, it is usually better to buy the 330ml bottles as the price per litre is lower. This always puzzled me as Emerson's 500ml'ers were more expensive than say Epic or Crouchers 330ml'ers by volume; however, I was comparing apples with oranges here as these are obviously different brands, and made no difference to me because sometimes I would just feel like a Emerson's, so the added price was not a barrier.

Now, conveniently, Epic comes in the larger 500ml size, so a direct comparison can be made. Excuse my nerdiness, but the local New World has 500ml Epics for $6.50 ($13/litre), while a six pack of Epic 330ml is $18 (a shade over $9/litre). This is a big difference, and I can hear you saying that you have to buy 6x 330ml to make the saving. True, however, my local beer shop sells 330ml Epics for $3.50ea (same as Crouchers), which, unless my powers of arithmetic have failed me, comes out to $10.60/litre, and still a significant saving.

So, apart from looking cool having these oversized bottles of beer in your grocery trolley, where is the advantage? Is it more expensive to use larger bottles, or is there a marketing strategy at play here? Possibly, craft beer buyers only buy one or two bottles at a time, so they will prefer a 500ml bottle, as it will give them slightly more of the good stuff, and they will not notice the price difference?

Anyway, something I will ponder over further over a few bottles tonight! I'd be interested in hearing the reason for this discrepancy.

Also, was gutted to hear that 1.125ml Bookbinders are going to be no longer. Moving to pasteurised, 500ml bottles (I am dreading the subsequent calculations to see how much more I am going to have to pay for this!!). :(

[Stu McKinlay]

Can't take the credit. It was Derek Walsh who I actually first heard mention this, at the judging table at BrewNZ (15 months ago). He didn't know what it was at the time.

[Dale Cooper]

Greenman reuse those 500ml bottles, so long as you can get your bottles to them in Dunedin.

[Martin Bridges]

In terms of why brewers go for single 500ml rather than the 6-pack of 330ml, my understanding (following a discussion with Luke and an article Bruce Holloway wrote recently) is that it's an attempt to get people to buy into the brand. Shoppers are more likely to "gamble" $6.50 on a single 500ml bottle than $18 on a 6-pack. Which, where craft beer is concerned, is an important consideration.

[Soren]

Totally agree and it also gives the consumer an option of trying a wide variety instead of just a 6 pack of one beer. When I go to the states for example, I find it really annoying that you can only get sixpacks. there are so many great brews on offer and I want to try them all. and when I buy 10 sixpacks on a 2 day stopover in LA, my girlfriend looks at me like I'm some sort of psyco...:) Also, consumers may find it dificult to try a sixpack of craftbrew at little under $20, when Mac's and Monteiths is sitting right next to it on special for $9.99. Putting it in 500 ml bottles gives the consumer the feeling of getting something extra, or at least different, than a 330 ml bottle. Few new customers will look at the price per litre I think.

[Stu McKinlay]

And those who do are essentially looking at $ per litre of alcohol.