OB promotes small size 'one sip' Cass beer

Oriental Brewery's 250 milliliter CASS can beer, left, and 500 milliliter beer. / Courtesy of OB

By Nam Hyun-woo

Oriental Brewery's (OB) 250 milliliter Cass canned beer is gaining popularity as a growing number of consumers enjoying outdoor activities want smaller beers, the company said Sunday.

OB released Cass 250 milliliter canned beer in July targeting campers enjoying outdoor activities and looking for lighter and smaller beers.

Dubbed the “one sip can,” the 250 milliliter can is suitable for light drinkers and also has the advantage of becoming cold faster than large cans or types of bottles, the company said. Also the size allows the content to maintain its freshness until the drinker finishes it.

OB said it targeted the growing number of people who are enjoying outdoor activities during their increased leisure time amid Korea's statutory 52 hour working week.

Statistics Korea assumes that at least 5 million people frequently enjoyed camping in 2016, up from 600,000 in 2011.

Also, the trend of more people seeking the value of “YOLO,” an acronym for “you only live once” meaning the view that one should make the most of the present moment without worrying about the future, is driving more people out to enjoy light camping or a picnic, boosting beer sales.

“The one sip can was released to reflect young consumers' drinking habits and their distinctive lifestyle,” an OB official said. “The product's small size and light weight would be handy especially for those who have many things to pack for outdoor activities.”

OB said its social network postings about the small can were hailed by more than 20,000 replies soon after the launch and the majority of those replies were from female drinkers.

“Cass will continue releasing products to meet the various demands of consumers,” the official said.

The 10-pack of 250 milliliter cans is available for 9,900 won at large discount chains across the country.