EUGENE, OR – For consumers looking to bring home a six-pack of craft brew, they can expect to pay at least $10.00, and for that price will receive exactly 72 ounces of whichever style they have chosen.
Ninkasi, the free-spirited brewing company from Eugene is taking a slightly different packaging approach – seasonal four packs by way of the 220z bottle.
Bombers (as they are referred to in the craft community) are most typically sold individually and can often times limit the selection for a consumer.
Ninkasi, in an attempt to not only capture market share but also offer the consumer a broad choice in styles, first introduced the packaging for their Winter Seasonal pack.
“It took us a year to create the packaging, pricing, and to educate our distributor partners on the concept,” said Marty Ochs, the National Sales Director. “We launched with the Winter four-pack last year, which was natural timing going into the holidays.”
Since, the brewing company has released a Spring seasonal pack and most recently their Summer seasonal four-pack, which features the Nuptiale Cream Ale, a beer that can only be purchased through the four-pack.
“We have added even more value to it (the four-pack) by putting an exclusive 22oz of Nuptiale Cream Ale, an early release of our fanatically craved for 22oz Maiden the Shade, as well as a drop card of 18 songs from Northwest bands we support,” Ochs said.
And Ochs should know about value, as it was this original idea that helped land him his job with the company.
“In the interview process, I wanted to make sure this company could be creative and met all the hype I had been hearing about,” he said. “The four pack is an original idea that I came up with when researching Ninkasi sales before I came on board.”
Ochs reviewed scans Ninkasi had received from local and regional chains that showed consumers purchased 2-3, 22oz bottles per sale.
“Sample packs, while hard to package, are one of the best selling and sought after packages but no one was doing a 22oz sample pack,” he said. “It was so obvious that I guess no one else looked at it that way.”
And consumers won’t have to fret about a higher price tag, as Ninkasi aims to compete at lower price margins even for such high-quality brew. Their seasonal four-pack is suggested to retail for $13.99, but has recently been spotted at various retailers for as low as $11.99.
And if the most recent IRI sales reports in Oregon are any indication, Ninkasi is doing something right. Their Total Domination IPA (included in the summer four-pack) is the number-one selling IPA in the state, out-pacing Deschutes Inversion IPA and capturing over 15% of the market share in that category.
The Ninkasi four-pack provides 88 ounces of beer total, across 4 different styles and will often times compete on price with many other high-quality six-pack offerings. The brewery has produced 30,000 summer seasonal four-packs, which hit markets on June 1st.
Last year, Ninkasi brewed 30,000 barrels of beer and they are projecting 50,000 barrels produced for 2011.
For more information visit their website.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Lakefront Brewery in Wisconsin also distributes variety four-packs of 22oz bottles.