There are a number of different ways to enjoy craft beer – at home, at a restaurant or at the local taproom. For me, most of the the beer I consume is done at my house. Ending the day with a single beer is quite common for me. This means the majority of the beer I drink is packaged (bottled or canned). So I really care how it is packaged and craft beer bombers are my least favorite type of packaging.
What Is A Bomber?
For the longest time, beer came in 12 oz bottles or cans. This was the standard and everyone seemed quite happy with this format. Somewhere along the line, larger bottles gained popularity.
Technically, a bomber is a 22oz bottle. But many use the term bomber to mean any large bottle.
Today beer commonly comes in 12, 16, 22, or 25 oz containers.
When I started to really dive into the craft beer world, the best beers came in a bomber. When entering a bottle shop, my first stop was the bomber section to see what limited release I could get my hands on.
I really enjoyed feeling like I was buying something unique but that feeling has faded as I have decided that these bottles are not for me.
The Problem With Craft Beer Bombers
Too Much Beer
My goal when drinking a beer is to enjoy the taste, complexity and style. So quality is much more important than quantity. Bombers are simply more beer than what I want to consume in a single session.
If I want more beer, I will most likely move on to a different beer instead of drinking the same thing all night.
While this is my preference, I know many that feel the same way. This means that we must save the craft beer bombers for sharing with a friend or a group at a bottle share.
Furthermore, if I had two 12oz bottles, instead of one bomber, then I could enjoy that beer on two separate occasions instead of drinking it all during one sitting.
For those that like to age or cellar beer, small bottles are ideal as well. One four pack of a beer can be enjoyed now and three times in the future.
Related Article: Three Questions To Ask Before Aging Craft Beer
Wrong Kind Of Beer
What is most odd is the type of beer that is frequently found in bombers. There are more high ABV beers in these types of bottles than anything else.
Stouts dominate this category; especially if it is barrel-aged. This really doesn’t make much sense since most people will often drink less of a high ABV beer compared to low ABV.
It would be better to put a low ABV beer into these large bottles. But that goes against the philosophy of craft beer bombers featuring a premium or rare beer.
Now this is not always the case because some lower ABV beers will make it into large bottles from time to time. For example, saisons, sours and others are often featured in the larger bottles.
But more often than not, it is a high octane beer like 12% barrel-aged Russian imperial stouts that is in the largest bottles.
Pricing
The most unsettling issue is with pricing. Craft beer bombers are often priced much higher per ounce compared to similar beers found in 12oz cans or bottles.
For example, it is common for a bomber to be priced around $15. Which makes is the beer $.68 per ounce. If a 12oz bottle was priced in a similar manner it would be around $8. How many $8 bottles of beer are out there?
And at $15 it might not even be a barrel-aged beer as most that have been in a barrel are closer to $20 a bottle.
There are some exceptions; the Lagunitas Cappuccino and Rivertown Death both come to mind. Both are well under $10 a bottle and are excellent beers. Still probably more than I want to drink in one sitting but at least the price is fair.
In defense of the pricing, some of these beers in bombers are small batch, special release, etc. These factors drive up the cost. However, I am often deterred by the cost of bombers and I don’t think that I am alone.
While I love Founders, their latest release of KBS has me scratching my head.
A four-pack of this Kentucky Breakfast Stout beer is around $24 for a four-pack ($6 a bottle) which makes it $.50 per ounce. Pricey but not out of question for a barrel-aged beer of this quality.
The same beer also comes in a 25oz bottle and is around $20 or $.80 per ounce.
It is more expensive to buy the larger bottle. Why? It should be the same price if not slightly less than the smaller bottles.
Related Article: Founders Frootwood Review
Why Breweries Use Bombers
Bombers are a great way to display a beer that a brewer is proud of. As I mentioned earlier, there’s something special about having a large format bottle of a rare beer. This prestige helps drive attention to the brewery and their beer.
In addition, packaging beer into bombers allows a brewery to have less units available for sale which can help move the limited release product faster. Because in the end, the brewery has to sell their beer to keep cash flowing.
With regards to cost, these larger bottles are more expensive to purchase than smaller bottles and they are buying them in smaller quantities. This adds to the cost of the final product.
And typically a special release beer is made in lower quantities and will use higher cost ingredients. Both of these factors add to the cost as well.
For these reasons, bombers can cost more per ounce than smaller bottles but hopefully the beer inside justifies it. For me, I’d still love to see less bombers and at some breweries that’s already happening.
Times Are Changing
Luckily, it appears that craft beer drinkers are in agreement – craft beer bombers are not ideal. And breweries have started to move away from the larger bottles in favor of the traditional 12 oz bottle based on consumer demand.
Southern Tier is a great example of this trend to smaller bottles. In the past, their limited release beers were almost exclusively in bombers.
Now Pumpking, Warlock, Creme Brulee, their latest release Thick Mint and many others are available in both bombers and 4-packs of 12oz bottles.
Locally in Cincinnati, Listermann Brewing is moving towards using more 12oz bottles where bombers were used in the past. I buy more of their releases because they are in smaller bottles.
The best part of beer moving away from large bottles is I am able to share beer with more people. While some will argue that bombers are great for sharing; they are only great for sharing with people I am with at the moment.
A four or six pack allows me to give beer to friends and co-workers or ship it to craft beer friends across the country.
Smaller packaging is better for spreading craft beer and making more friends with it.
Brewing beer is like any other business, companies have to continually alter their practices to meet the changing demand of consumers. Moving more beer into 12oz bottles or cans is what I want to see.
Do I still buy craft beer in bombers? Yes, there will always be something that I want that is only available in a bomber. But overall, I am buying a lot less large bottles than I did in the past and that trend will continue.
36 thoughts on “Why Craft Beer Bombers Are The Worst”
Great post… and I’m in total agreement! Most of the time Bombers are just too much beer…
I actually bought a bottle that has a swing top cap for those times I have a high ABV bomber and I don’t want to drink the whole thing in one sitting. I fill the swing top and drink what’s left. Saving the rest for another time (within a few days, of course)
That’s a great strategy; I will have to invest in one for just that reason.
I picked one up at TJ Maxx for a few dollars. I don’t use it often, but it has come in handy a few times.
The term “bomber” refers specifically to a 22 oz bottle. This article would more appropriately be titled “Why large format bottles are the worst” (which I do agree with). Cans are the future, as long as they can handle the rigors of cellaring for extended periods. I don’t think we know the honest answer to that one yet. WIth cans, new sizes come along, with the 19.2 oz “stovepipe” being the front-runner to replace the bombers and 750s of “yesteryear”. I fear this may unfortunately result in paying the 22 oz price for only 19.2 oz of beer…
Thanks for the clarification. I guess in my experience people use “bomber” for anything above 16oz which isn’t very accurate. I agree about cans. But I don’t see myself paying 22oz price for 19.2. Sidenote – I should have a review of the Oskar Blues BA Ten Fidy posted later this week. It comes in a stovepipe can which I thought was really unique. It catches the eye for sure. Cheers!
I’ve also heard people use “bomber” for a 750ml bottle.
Seems like anything above 16oz is called a bomber but technically only the 22oz bottle is one. I really prefer ounces over ml too. I’ve never been good at metric.
Couldn’t agree more. Just last night I had Speedway Stout from AleSmith in a bomber–at 12% it was way too much for one sitting.
That’s a great stout and I was pleased to see that they are now putting it in 16oz cans. Not sure on the price point but glad that the ounces are on the way down.
I agree with most of what you said. I dislike the bombers because they are too small and too pricey per ounce. I typically share with friends, and a bomber is no good for more than 3 people especially if it’s a really good beer. A 4 pack could easily accommodate up to 8 people if necessary. I’m glad I’m not the only one to feel this way about bombers and other large vessels. (Although the 750s are great for sharing in party style situations).
For a few people, larger bottles can be good for sharing but for the most part – they just aren’t ideal. I have heard feedback that large bottles are preferred for many that like to age their beer. And I know many sours come in large bottles as well. So there is a good use for them; just not for me most of the time; cheers!
I thought it was common knowledge that bombers and 750mls were intended to be shared.
I think it is but many beers only come in those sizes. But there are times that I don’t have the right opportunity to share. Which means that I really can’t enjoy that beer the way I want to. It’s not the end of the world; I just prefer smaller containers for more flexibility in how I drink it.
I agree, sharing ins’t a reasonable expectation for those beers. For truth, they are packaged that way because the margins are better for the brewery, less work, often hand filled in smaller breweries so using small bottles isn’t feasible. More and more breweries are moving to a smaller bottle for big beers, reacting to customer demand which is nice.
You are correct; it is easier (more profitable) for most breweries to use large bottles. I am all for them making money but the demand is forcing many to move into 12oz bottles. Honestly, I buy more when they are in 12oz bottles so I think it has to be more beneficial for them to sell more than have it sit on shelves.
Yeah I buy way less 22oz now. Way more 4 packs of cans (much easier to split’share) and smaller bottles of big beers. Also more affordable if you like the variety game. Avery does a great job of this!
Avery does do a good job doing a lot of 12oz bottles for high ABV beers. I hear Tweak is really good
The one thing brought to my attention is the cost of the 22 oz bottle is greater than the cost of the 12 oz bottles. So it’s plausible that the increase in cost is also associated to the size. That being said, why not sell the special edition is the same bottle or can you normally use instead and save on the cost.
The larger bottles are more expensive but in many cases the cost per ounce is still much higher for bombers. I agree; that using the same size for all products would have to result in some cost savings.
150% agree with it being “too much beer” in a bomber! A lot of time those beers are ranging in high ABV% and you don’t wanna finish the entire thing by yourself
For sure; I know many people like to share bombers but when you don’t have someone to share with then it’s difficult to justify.
For me the worst is IPAs in a bomber. I’ll usually save bombers for when I can share them, but I don’t want to sit on IPAs for too long since they’re better fresh. I’m actually OK with high ABV (non-IPA) beers in bombers since they can age a bit until the proper occasion comes up.
Good point; I agree that if the beer can sit for a while then you can easily wait until you have someone to share it with. IPAs seem to make no sense to me. 16oz or less is adequate.
I would have to agree you need larger sized bottles for specific occasions, drinking with friends etc. But in a session by yourself its a bit too much.
I disagree. Good beer comes in bombers, which I believe is best shared with a friend, or maybe a few friends. Pass it around, share the goodness, see people’s reactions, open another one.
There’s no doubt that great beer can come in a bomber; I just wish that same beer was made available in 12oz bottles. Smaller sizes are so much more versatile. I’ll still pick up a bomber from time to time but it’s not where I look first. Cheers!
As a Brewer and owner of a brewing company ‘Beer By Design’ I would like to offer a brewery prospective on this topic. I agree with all the topics of this article and also agree that bombers are not for everyone. As a brewing company currently producing bombers, I can tell you, we do it to provide a wider variety of craft beer to the consumer and yes the higher price allows us to do it profitably as a business. BBD is currently able to produce and provide several different styles of beer to the consumer each year, which in my opinion is what is great about the craft beer industry right now. Some would argue, too many varieties, but data still shows this is not true for the craft beer drinker who enjoys craft beer on a weekly bases. BBD is also looking at 12oz 6-pack can or bottles, but due to the higher packaging costs and higher volume to profit model, we would only be able to do a single offering per year of a vary popular style like a blonde ale or sour style ale. In my opinion, if more and more breweries go in the 12oz. direction, and the current beer size format data definitely supports this as this article points out, this may mean less and less varieties of craft beer available for the consumer. As a craft beer consumer you will dictate and will drive the industry to a place where we as craft beer manufactures will take you, so please make sure it’s where you wish it to be. Cheers!
Thanks for that perspective! I can definitely see how the large format bottles provide small breweries the chance to package a wide variety of beers. I guess I should hope for a cost reduction in canning to help make 12oz cans a more viable option.
Good Point!. And we are seeing some of those cost reductions already in canning here in Colorado, with the less expensive label wrapped can being accepted more and more by liquor store owners and the consumer as opposed to the more expensive pre-printed and shrink wrapped canning options. Using a label wrapped can, breweries can use the same labeling equipment they did for bottles. Leaving just the expense of the canning system as the final investment decision. Great Form, thanks for letting me chime in.
The sticker can has become very popular. In some ways, it’s almost preferred over the pre-printed because it makes it look limited and rare.
Dear CBJ, When were you born? Big bottles are nothing new. The U.S. brewing industry sold “beer” in quart-size returnable bottles well into the 1970s, and disposable “throw aways” long after then. While it was awful generic manufactured “lager” that tasted the same as every other brewery’s awful generic lager, quarts were the cheapest way to buy beer in post WWII America. A couple of people could split a quart and be quite satisfied with amount. Growing up in Milwaukee, the next common large size I was familiar with was a 16 ounce “tall boy.” Tall boys are still quite popular in the cheap malt liquor segment of the market, as a single TB of Colt 45 can deliver a predictable and pronounced buzz, it that’s what you’re after. Regrettably for many beer drinkers, that’s what they’re after. You still see them on ice near the checkout in a lot of convenience stores where it’s legal to sell them; I don’t drive in those states. But back to bombers…my main attractions to the 22 ounce format is they contain just enough beer to be more satisfying than a 12 ounce can or bottle, and they often contain some recipe I can’t buy in cans (e.g. Fremont Brewing “The Brother” was for many years only available in bombers). At a party, it’s nice to have 6-8 different bombers open at once for your friends to sample from without having to commit to a 12 ounce bottle. Anyway…just my thoughts on the matter.
Hey Paul! Thanks for commenting. I wasn’t around in the 70s and wasn’t even of drinking age until quite some time later so I love the insight into how the industry has evolved. And there are many that love bombers. We continue to see many brands move the special release beers into 12 or 16oz packaging but there’s no doubt that the large format bottles will always have their place. Bottle shares are definitely one scenario where 20+ ounces of the same beer can make a lot of sense. Cheers!
22oz Bombers take up more shelf space. It can be…many of these beers are one offs and don’t have selling space or shelf position. That’s a reason for the high prices but many a craft beer today are being priced to the moon. Most craft brewers have less than .50¢ in each pint. 22oz bottles are good long term storage vessels.
Large bottles can have their purpose. However, for a long time, breweries were putting beers into bombers that simply didn’t belong there and charging too much for them. There’s been a strong shift over the past 18 or so months and now there are much less large format beers on the market. And those that do exist are typically barrel-aged, sours, or other styles that are designed for aging. It will be fun to see how packaging continues to evolve in craft beer, cheers!