Why Drinkers Are Buying Beer One Can At A Time

Deschutes Brewery's line of Symphonic Chronic double IPAs is available only in single 19.2-ounce cans, tapping into the consumer trend to in-the-moment buying.
Deschutes Brewery
In a presentation for members, the Brewers Association recently reported that single-can sales of craft beer are catching up to sales of 4-packs, traditionally the preferred pack-size for off-premise sales of craft beer. The Brewers Association is the not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American craft brewers.
The increase in single-can sales is occurring despite overall craft beer sales being flat, against a backdrop of overall beer sales declining. The Brewers Association measures beer sales by craft brewers, which it defines as brewers having annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less (approximately 3 percent of U.S. annual sales) and having less than 25 percent ownership or control (or equivalent economic interest) by a beverage alcohol industry member that is not itself a craft brewer.
While sales of craft beer overall are down, sales of single cans of craft beer are growing, according to the Brewers Association.
Brewers Association
'Consumers are making more shopping trips and buying only what they need at that time, rather than stocking up,' said Kate Bernot, lead analyst with Sightlines, a beverage alcohol insights platform, in a telephone interview. The shift in consumer behavior is a combination of buyers now being accustomed to having their needs satisfied on demand, thanks to services like Amazon Prime and Instacart, and consumers seeing smaller, though more frequent, store visits as being more palatable in the face of higher prices.
'The big weekly trip to grocery store that used to be the norm requires planning and organization,' said Bernot. 'Meanwhile, savings rates are low and loan defaults are ticking up. So, consumers are shopping for what they need right now. It's psychologically easier to spend $40 three times than $120 once, even though it's the same amount of money.'
According to Sightlines, consumers are buying less per trip to the store, but going to the store more frequently.
Sightlines
According to NACS, the trade association representing convenience and fuel retailing, American consumers visit convenience stores more than any other type of brick-and-mortar retail location. More than ever, consumers want what is quick and convenient.
Shifts in consumer spending patterns drive the decisions of craft breweries which are now, more than ever, needing to find growth wherever the consumer is. Bend, Oregon's Deschutes Brewery recently released a line of beers exclusively in single-serve, 19.2-ounce cans; the beers are not available in any multi-pack format.
'We started a new brand exclusively for the convenience channel called Symphonic Chronic,' said Peter Skrbek, CEO at Deschutes via email. 'The key insights for the channel were fan preference for single serve products at a higher ABV than our IPAs in the grocery channel. This was driven exclusively by fan preference in the channel.'
Is it working?
'Consumer response has been incredible,' said Skrbek. 'We are seeing more distribution gains in the convenience channel than any other channel . The only part of our portfolio growing faster are our non-alcoholic brands. We are now in the process of releasing an additional product in the line called Symphonic Chronic Double Juicy IPA.'
A shift toward single-can purchases can lower the cost barrier to try new breweries and brands as there is risk in buying one can versus a 12-pack. Still, Bernot suggests that tight budgets and quick shopping favors trusted brands. 'When budgets are tight, shoppers stick with something safer,' said Bernot. 'If they're buying one can of beer, consumers are less likely to take a risk on something they don't know, so there's a move back to trusted brands.'
Bernot notes that when shoppers pop into convenience stores for a quick purchase, they are less likely to examine all of the available brands, weighing the pros and cons of each, instead grabbing what is familiar. That convenience-store behavior transfers over to grocery stores when consumers are doing small shops of a few items.
This shift favors familiar brands like Deschutes, an early pioneer in craft beer founded in 1988. While beer rating apps like Untappd have in recent years driven craft beer drinkers to continuously seek new beers by gamifying beer drinking, the shift by consumers to single-serve cans from tried-and-true breweries suggests the constant quest for what's new might be waning.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Hamilton Spectator

37 minutes ago

• Hamilton Spectator

GOP tax bill would ease regulations on gun silencers and some rifles and shotguns

WASHINGTON (AP) — The massive tax and spending cuts package that President Donald Trump wants on his desk by July 4 would loosen regulations on gun silencers and certain types of rifles and shotguns, advancing a longtime priority of the gun industry as Republican leaders in the House and Senate try to win enough votes to pass the bill. The guns provision was first requested in the House by Georgia Rep. Andrew Clyde, a Republican gun store owner who had initially opposed the larger tax package. The House bill would remove silencers — called 'suppressors' by the gun industry — from a 1930s law that regulates firearms that are considered the most dangerous, eliminating a $200 tax while removing a layer of background checks. The Senate kept the provision on silencers in its version of the bill and expanded upon it, adding short-barreled, or sawed-off, rifles and shotguns. Republicans who have long supported the changes, along with the gun industry, say the tax infringes on Second Amendment rights. They say silencers are mostly used by hunters and target shooters for sport. 'Burdensome regulations and unconstitutional taxes shouldn't stand in the way of protecting American gun owners' hearing,' said Clyde, who owns two gun stores in Georgia and often wears a pin shaped like an assault rifle on his suit lapel. Democrats are fighting to stop the provision, which was unveiled days after two Minnesota state legislators were shot in their homes , as the bill speeds through the Senate. They argue that loosening regulations on silencers could make it easier for criminals and active shooters to conceal their weapons. 'Parents don't want silencers on their streets, police don't want silencers on their streets,' said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The gun language has broad support among Republicans and has received little attention as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., work to settle differences within the party on cuts to Medicaid and energy tax credits, among other issues. But it is just one of hundreds of policy and spending items included to entice members to vote for the legislation that could have broad implications if the bill is enacted within weeks, as Trump wants. Inclusion of the provision is also a sharp turn from the climate in Washington just three years ago when Democrats, like Republicans now, controlled Congress and the White House and pushed through bipartisan gun legislation . The bill increased background checks for some buyers under the age of 21, made it easier to take firearms from potentially dangerous people and sent millions of dollars to mental health services in schools. Passed in the summer of 2022, just weeks after the shooting of 19 children and two adults at a school in Uvalde, Texas, it was the most significant legislative response to gun violence in decades. Three years later, as they try to take advantage of their consolidated power in Washington, Republicans are packing as many of their longtime priorities as possible, including the gun legislation, into the massive, wide-ranging bill that Trump has called 'beautiful.' 'I'm glad the Senate is joining the House to stand up for the Second Amendment and our Constitution, and I will continue to fight for these priorities as the Senate works to pass President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill,' said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who was one of the lead negotiators on the bipartisan gun bill in 2022 but is now facing a primary challenge from the right in his bid for reelection next year. If the gun provisions remain in the larger legislation and it is passed, silencers and the short-barrel rifles and shotguns would lose an extra layer of regulation that they are subject to under the National Firearms Act, passed in the 1930s in response to concerns about mafia violence. They would still be subject to the same regulations that apply to most other guns — and that includes possible loopholes that allow some gun buyers to avoid background checks when guns are sold privately or online. Larry Keane of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, who supports the legislation, says changes are aimed at helping target shooters and hunters protect their hearing. He argues that the use of silencers in violent crimes is rare. 'All it's ever intended to do is to reduce the report of the firearm to hearing safe levels,' Keane says. Speaking on the floor before the bill passed the House, Rep. Clyde said the bill restores Second Amendment rights from 'over 90 years of draconian taxes.' Clyde said Johnson included his legislation in the larger bill 'with the purest of motive.' 'Who asked for it? I asked,' said Clyde, who ultimately voted for the bill after the gun silencer provision was added. Clyde was responding to Rep. Maxwell Frost, a 28-year-old Florida Democrat, who went to the floor and demanded to know who was responsible for the gun provision. Frost, who was a gun-control activist before being elected to Congress, called himself a member of the 'mass shooting generation' and said the bill would help 'gun manufacturers make more money off the death of children and our people.' Among other concerns, control advocates say less regulation for silencers could make it harder for law enforcement to stop an active shooter. 'There's a reason silencers have been regulated for nearly a century: They make it much harder for law enforcement and bystanders to react quickly to gunshots,' said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. Schumer and other Democrats are trying to convince the Senate parliamentarian to drop the language as she reviews the bill for policy provisions that aren't budget-related. 'Senate Democrats will fight this provision at the parliamentary level and every other level with everything we've got,' Schumer said earlier this month. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

CNBC

an hour ago

• CNBC

Dollar firms as markets brace for Iran response to U.S. attacks

The U.S. dollar firmed slightly on Monday as anxious investors sought safety, although the moves were muted so far suggesting markets were waiting for Iran's response to U.S. attacks on its nuclear sites that have exacerbated tension in the Middle East. The major moves were in the oil market, with oil prices hitting a five-month high, while global stocks slipped in the first market reaction to the U.S. attacks over the weekend. In currency markets, the dollar advanced broadly against most rivals. It was up 0.25% against the Japanese yen at 146.415 after touching a one-month high earlier in the session. The euro was 0.33% lower at $1.1484, while the Australian dollar, often seen as risk proxy, weakened 0.2% to $0.6437, hovering near its lowest level in over three weeks. That left the dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against six other units, 0.12% higher at 99.037. Sterling was 0.25% lower at $1.34175, while the New Zealand dollar also fell 0.24% to $0.5952. Carol Kong, currency strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, said the markets are in wait-and-see mode on how Iran responds, with more worries about the positive inflationary impact of the conflict than the negative economic impact. "The currency markets will be at the mercy of comments and actions from the Iranian, Israeli and U.S. governments. The risks are clearly skewed to further upside in the safe haven currencies if the parties escalate the conflict." Iran vowed to defend itself a day after the U.S. dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs onto the mountain above Iran's Fordow nuclear site. American leaders urged Tehran to stand down while pockets of anti-war protests emerged in U.S. cities. In a step towards what is widely seen as Iran's most effective threat to hurt the West, its parliament approved a move to close the Strait of Hormuz. Nearly a quarter of global oil shipments pass through the narrow waters that Iran shares with Oman and the United Arab Emirates. "Markets appear to be treating the U.S. strikes on Iran as a contained event for now, rather than the start of a broader war," said Charu Chanana, chief investment strategist at Saxo. "The muted haven flows suggest investors are still assuming this is a one-off escalation, not a disruption to global oil supply or trade." While the dollar has reprised its role as a safe haven due to the rapid escalation in geopolitical tension, the relatively muted moves suggested investors remain wary of going all in on the greenback. The U.S. currency has dropped 8.6% this year against its major rivals as economic uncertainty from President Donald Trump's tariffs and concern over their impact on U.S. growth has led to investors scurrying for alternatives. In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin was up 1.3% in early trading after dropping about 4% on Sunday, while ether rose 2.3% on Monday after sliding 9% in the previous session.

Los Angeles Times

3 hours ago

• Los Angeles Times

Oil rises as U.S. stock futures, Asian shares slip after American strike on Iran

NEW YORK — The price of oil rose and U.S. stock futures fell as global markets reacted to the American bombing of nuclear targets in Iran. The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 2.6% to $79 a barrel. U.S. crude rose 2.6% to $75.76 a barrel. U.S. forces attacked three Iranian nuclear sites early Sunday, further increasing the stakes in the war between Israel and Iran. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones industrial average slipped 0.4%, while Nasdaq futures fell 0.5%. Treasury yields were little changed. The modest moves indicate markets are taking the latest development in stride. That was evident in early trading in Asia. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index fell 0.6%. Other major regional markets also logged moderate declines. The conflict, which began with an Israeli attack against Iran on June 13, has sent oil prices yo-yo-ing, which has in turn caused seesaw moves for the U.S. stock market because of rising and ebbing fears that the war could disrupt the global flow of crude. Iran is a major producer of oil and sits on the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world's crude passes. 'The situation remains highly fluid, and much hinges on whether Tehran opts for a restrained reaction or a more aggressive course of action,' Kristian Kerr, head of macro strategy at LPL Financial in Charlotte, N.C., said in a commentary. An Iran retaliation that includes closing off the waterway would be technically difficult to pull off, but traders are afraid Iran could severely disrupt transit through it, sending insurance rates soaring and making shippers nervous to move without U.S. Navy escorts. Some analysts think Iran is unlikely to close down the waterway because the country uses it to transport its own crude, mostly to China, and oil is a major revenue source for the government. 'It's a scorched-earth possibility, a Sherman-burning-Atlanta move,' said Tom Kloza, chief market analyst at Turner Mason & Co. 'It's not probable.' Kloza thinks oil futures will ease back down after initial fears blow over. Ed Yardeni, a longtime analyst, agreed, writing in a report that Tehran leaders would probably hold back. 'They aren't crazy,' he wrote in a note to investors Sunday. 'The price of oil should fall and stock markets around the world should climb higher.' Other experts aren't so sure. Andy Lipow, a Houston analyst who has covered oil markets for 45 years, said that countries are not always rational actors and that he wouldn't be surprised if Tehran lashed out for political or emotional reasons. 'If the Strait of Hormuz was completely shut down, oil prices would rise to $120 to $130 a barrel,' said Lipow, predicting that that would translate to about $4.50 a gallon at the pump in the U.S. and hurt consumers in other ways. 'It would mean higher prices for all those goods transported by truck, and it would be more difficult for the Fed to lower interest rates,' he said. In trading early Monday in Asia, Taiwan's Taiex fell 1.5% while the Kospi in South Korea lost 1%. Both Taiwan and South Korea rely heavily on oil imported through the Strait of Hormuz. Australia's S&P/ASX fell 0.7%, and the benchmark in New Zealand lost 0.5%.