Best Beer Ball Buying Options For You

The beer ball was a plastic container for draft beer, holding around 5 gallons. Marketed as The Party Ball by Bud and Coors, it was sold for around $30 and was perfect for parties. Beer balls were especially popular in the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, but both Coors and Bud discontinued them in 2011. While you may struggle to find a beer ball these days, you can still find them on sites like Etsy and Amazon, as well as on forums.

Party Ball by Bud and Coors

The Party Ball by Bud and Coors was a plastic ball that held 5.2 gallons of beer (approximately 55 cups) and was sold for around $30. It was marketed as The Party Ball and came in a box with a plastic bag. To set it up, you would put the plastic liner in the box, fill it with ice or snow, and then add the beer ball. The tap was a cheap black pump with a spear-like tube that you would stab through a small port in the ball.

The Party Ball was known for its convenience and portability. It was lightweight and easy to carry, making it perfect for parties and special occasions. Its unique design and functionality made it a hit at gatherings, leaving a lasting impression on those who used it. The Party Ball was also cost-effective, providing an affordable alternative to full kegs.

However, despite its initial popularity, the demand for the Party Ball began to decline in the late 2000s. By 2011, both Coors and Bud had discontinued the production of the Party Ball. The decline was attributed to several factors, including the rise of craft beers, environmental concerns over non-recyclable materials, and production challenges.

Today, the Party Ball is no longer in production, but it has left a lasting impact on the beer industry. Its innovative design and the memories associated with it have created a sense of nostalgia among those who experienced it during its heyday in the 1980s and early 1990s. There is even speculation about a potential revival, with modern innovations and a shift towards sustainable materials, which could bring a new wave of excitement to the beer industry.

Beerball by F.X. Matt Brewing Co

F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, New York, introduced the world's first beerball—a plastic container for draft beer—sometime around 1976. The beerball was a hard plastic container that held 5.2 gallons of draft beer (or 55 cups). It was marketed as a party package, serving as an alternative to the standard metal keg. The ball came in a cardboard box, and users would open the box top, fill the area around the ball with ice, attach a tap, and pump.

The beerball was primarily marketed as The Party Ball by Bud and Coors, and it was especially popular in Boston, where it was used for special occasions like graduation time, Super Bowl Sunday, and Patriots Day. It was also popular in Upstate New York, where it was first produced, and along the East Coast during the summer, as it was perfect for beach parties.

The beerball was produced by several breweries, including F.X. Matt Brewing Co., Coors, Genesee, and Anheuser-Busch. It was sold at various prices, ranging from $14.99 to $18.49, and even up to $20. However, as the price of plastic rose, so did the cost of the beerball, making it less appealing to consumers.

The beerball craze swept the nation in the 1980s, but it eventually faded due to various factors, including the rise in popularity of light beer, which the beerball did not accommodate, and the fact that it was considered a niche product that took up valuable supermarket cooler space. Additionally, the taps that came with the beerball were known to be a bit unreliable.

Despite the end of the beerball era, it remains a nostalgic item for many, and there have been periodic calls for its return. F.X. Matt Brewing Co., the originator of the beerball, has considered bringing it back but in a smaller package and at a lower price point.

Beerballs in California

Beer balls were a popular item in the late 1970s to the mid-1990s, especially in Upstate New York. They were hard plastic containers that held 5.2 gallons of draft beer (roughly 55 cups). Marketed as The Party Ball by Bud and Coors, they were sold for about $30 and came in a box with a plastic bag. The tap was a cheap black pump with a spear-like tube that you would stab through a port in the ball.

Beer balls were first introduced by the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica, starting around 1976. They became very popular in the 1980s, especially for parties, as they were lightweight and portable. They were also reusable and easy to clean. However, they eventually fell out of favour due to rising production costs and the rise in popularity of light beer, which could not be packaged in beer balls.

While beer balls are no longer produced, they remain a nostalgic item for many people, and there have been occasional calls for their return.

Beerball taps

The "beer ball" was a plastic container for draft beer, holding around 5 gallons of beer. They were sold by various companies, including F.X. Matt Brewing Co. (the first to introduce the beer ball), Coors, Genesee, and Anheuser-Busch.

The beer ball was primarily a party package, used in place of a standard metal keg. The ball came in a cardboard box, and to use it, you would open the box top, fill the area around the ball with ice, attach a tap, and pump. The taps were cheap and sometimes unreliable, but if the tap didn't work, people would simply cut the top off the ball and dunk their glasses in.

The beer ball was particularly popular in the 1980s, but by the early 2000s, they had mostly disappeared from the market. There are a few reasons speculated for their disappearance:

• Economics: Producing and distributing the beer balls may not have been worth it for the big brewers and distributors, and they also took up valuable supermarket cooler space.
• Competition from other beverages: The rise in popularity of light beer, seltzer, craft beers, and wine meant that people were less likely to gather around a single keg of beer at a party.
• Cost: As the price of plastic rose, so did the cost of the beer ball, making it less appealing to consumers.

Despite the beer ball's demise, it still evokes fond memories for many, and there are occasional calls for its return. Some craft breweries have considered bringing it back, but in a smaller package and at a lower price point.

While you may not be able to find a beer ball nowadays, you can still find taps and other accessories for sale online, and some people even create their own DIY versions of the beer ball for special events.

So, while the beer ball may no longer be readily available, its legacy lives on in the form of nostalgic memories and creative inspirations for beer enthusiasts.

Beerball's decline

The "beer ball" was a plastic container for draft beer, holding a little over 5 gallons (or approximately 55 cups) of beer. Beer balls were introduced by the F.X. Matt Brewing Co. in Utica in 1976 and rose to popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, especially at parties. However, by the late 2000s, their demand started to decline, and major brands stopped their production by 2011. Here are some reasons that led to the decline of beer balls:

• Environmental Concerns: Beer balls were made of non-recyclable materials, which raised environmental waste concerns among consumers. As public awareness of environmental issues grew, consumers preferred more sustainable packaging alternatives.
• Rise of Craft Beers: The increasing popularity of craft beers offered a wider range of flavours and styles, reducing the demand for the standard lagers and light beers typically found in beer balls. The craft beer movement also emphasized local and small-scale production, contrasting with the mass-market appeal of beer balls.
• Production and Storage Challenges: The cost of plastic used in manufacturing beer balls increased over time, making them less competitive in the market. Additionally, beer balls contributed a small percentage to overall brewery revenue, making them less economically viable for continued production.
• More Convenient Packaging Options: The emergence of more convenient and eco-friendly packaging options, such as standard keg designs, made beer balls less appealing to consumers.
• Changing Party Dynamics: Modern parties offer a variety of beverage options beyond just beer, including seltzer, light beer, imports, craft beers, and wine. The days when everyone at a party gathered around the same keg are long gone.

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