FOOD NEWS
The Brewery That May Have Invented The Six-Pack Of Beer
By Kimberley Laws
If you visit any purveyor of alcoholic beverages, you will see both canned and bottled beer varieties offered in a six-pack. While some say that six was chosen because four cans weren't enough, and eight cans were too much, others believe that six bottles or cans were preferable as they could be easily lugged home, and fit perfectly into an ordinary paper bag.
The National Bohemian began hocking their beer in half-dozens in the 1940s, and now that Pabst Blue Ribbon owns the company, they take credit for the invention of the six-pack. Ballantine, too, claimed to have invented the six-pack in 1938, and Florida's own Jax Brewing Co. is said to have come up with the idea of selling multiple beers in burlap sacks before plastic rings were invented.
Interestingly, the beverage giant Coca-Cola also claims to have developed the "six-pack carrier" in 1923, in order to make it easier for shoppers to take home packages of Coke and drink it more often with the expansion of home refrigeration. While they may not deal in beer, their "six-pack carrier" idea could’ve planted the seed in the minds of future beer manufacturers.
