27-03-2025
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.
