Terrapin Beer Releases Imperial IPA In Giant 19.2 Cans

In the “more bang for your buck” category, this new beer can format is growing fast and Terrapin Beer wants in.

Here’s the deal…

When Terrapin Beer decided to round out its IPA-fueled roster with an Imperial they wanted to ensure that it stood out in a beer market now dominated by 16oz 4-packs and decided to go BIG.

“We knew we were going to do an imperial IPA, and it would be a higher-priced beer just because of the materials.  Brian Sykes, vice president of sales and marketing for Terrapin, part of Tenth & Blake, Molson Coors’ US craft arm told Beer & Beyond. “So it gave us a chance to put it in a different single-serve pack that wouldn’t be priced with our 16-ounce cans,”

When Terrapin Beer’s 9.1% ABV Depth Perception IPA hits shelves this month, it will compete in a fast-growing format that’s been popularized by high-gravity IPAs. New Belgium Brewing’s Voodoo Ranger and Sierra Nevada’s Hazy Little Thing series beers are now being offered in this uber-gracious configuration, as is Lagunitas.

They call these cans “stovepipes” in the beer biz. And it’s second-largest growth package in the US with sales which have doubled over the last three years to $177 million in 2021.

“The format has grown as craft brewers have moved away from the 22-ounce bomber bottles in favor of lighter, more portable and cheaper cans,” says Todd Mattson, a Vancouver, Wash.-based national chain sales executive for Molson Coors who works with 7-Eleven.

Once a skeptic of 19.2 cans Mattson says the numbers speak for themselves. At one account he saw stovepipe sales rise 20% almost overnight. “Two, three years ago, I was fighting it a bit. I’ve done a complete 180 on that.”

“Not only do consumers get more beer per serving, but 19.2s can be a profitable play for retailers. Mattson added. “Selling for less than $5, ‘the price point works’ for both retailers and consumers.”

For Terrapin Beer whose Depth Perception will also be available in six- and 12-packs, its new imperial IPA rollout in the 19.2 cans will serve as a trial balloon of sorts, potentially paving the way for more of its beers to move into the larger can format.

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(All image credits: Terrapin Beer /  Molson Coors)