There’s been a lot of talk around craft 15-packs recently, including Boston Beer CEO Jim Koch’s warning during last week’s earnings call that they could exert downward pressure on craft pricing.
Intrigued, we dug in to Nielsen to see how big this pack really is, what brands are driving it and what pricing looks like.
Here are some observations based on Nielsen data.
Nine craft 15-packs could be found nationally over the last 13 weeks, according to Nielsen. Collectively the group has 0.3 share of beer, about 1.5 percent share of craft, and has grown at an 87 percent clip.
The Founders All Day IPA 15-pack is the leader with a 1 share, according to the Nielsen data. All Day, along with ABI’s Shocktop, had the only broadly available 15-pack last year.
Craft Business Daily (subscription required) last week noted that the 15-pack is now the lead pack for All Day and its expansion has led to a decline in the national average price-to-consumer level.
Coming up fast is New Belgium’s Dayblazer. Since the pack rolled out, it has established itself as the No. 2 craft 15-pack and has 0.4 share in craft, according to Nielsen.
According to Nielsen data, the average price-to-consumer for the Dayblazer 15-pack is $15.16, the second-lowest among craft 15s. Shocktop is at $15.73 and All Day is at $17.83.
About 50 percent of accounts reviewed have priced Dayblazer at $14.99 or lower in the last 13 weeks, the equivalent of an $11.99 12-pack. The lowest price-to-consumer level in Nielsen was $9.99, the equivalent of a $7.99 12-pack – Economy pricing.
Meanwhile, Beer Marketer’s Insights (subscription required) last week reported that in Las Vegas 24-ounce cans of Dayblazer were on sale at two for $3.
As of now, craft 15-packs are not a broad issue, but definitely something to watch.