This bit of news caught our collective eye. Schlafly Beer just announced plans to release its first 12-pack beer offering of 16-ounce cans before the end of 2017. The largest, locally owned brewery in Missouri will launch a 12-pack of its popular White Lager beer in 16-ounce cans across its distribution footprint with an initial roll-out in Missouri and Illinois. The suggested retail price for the 12-pack is $14.99 — the line price of the brewery’s 12-ounce, 12-pack offerings.
Founding Brewer Stephen Hale explained: “The consumer is essentially getting four beers free. Our White Lager is extremely sessionable, and we’ve seen a great response from the craft beer enthusiast to the craft beer novice. With its high drinkability and mass appeal, it made sense to roll out a larger-format offering of White Lager in cans.”
Big cans continue to gain appeal. According to Nielsen VP of Beverage Alcohol Practice, Danelle Kosmal, as told to Craft Business Daily, 16-ounce, 12-packs were up 60 percent in dollars in the craft segment for the 52 weeks. Schlafly Beer re-entered the craft can market this April with 16-ounce cans of White Lager, Kölsch and Expo IPA beers, mostly for on-premise. Throughout the year, Schlafly Beer expanded into off-premise via single serve offerings.
Hale explained more, “Our single-serve, 16-ounce cans significantly helped with breaking into the C-store segment, and we expect the 12-pack offering to have the same results in smaller liquor stores and large regional grocery chains.” All canning and packaging takes place at Schlafly Beer’s Bottleworks facility.
Schlafly Beer developed White Lager as part of its Small Brews program, a weekly experimental brewing day at the Bottleworks location on the brewery’s 20-gallon system. White Lager debuted in 2015 at Schlafly’s HOP in the City, the annual fall beer festival at the Tap Room location. Of the 40 styles of Schlafly Beer showcased at the event, White Lager was the first to run out, cuing the company to the beer’s potential in the wider marketplace. After its 2016 success as a seasonal release, the brewery added White Lager to its year-round portfolio in spring 2017. The beer has been recognized by several publications from Eater to All About Beer.
The White Lager 12-packs will be available for purchase at the Schlafly brewpubs or across the brewery’s distribution region ($14.99 suggested retail).
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