Ted Young, of Waverley, said he was having drinks at home with friends recently when he saw cans of Moa beer in plastic six-pack holders.
Even worse, some four packs of other beer bottles were collected in plastic rings.
These are used by some supermarkets to group bottles together when packaging has been damaged.
"I was absolutely stunned, shocked and horrified. I'm not green, but that really offended me."
Both types of packaging had holes which could trap marine or bird life, he said.
"It's just unnecessary plastic. What's wrong with a cardboard box?"
Mr Young was an avid diver and regularly saw alcohol litter left on beaches.
"From time to time, boxes can be damaged in transit so we use plastic bottle holders to salvage bottled products that can still be sold."
The company encouraged customers to recycle the bottle holders, which were allowed in kerbside bins across the country.
She did not comment on a question about a potential impact to marine life.
A Foodstuffs spokeswoman said its New World and Pak'N Save stores did not use single-use plastic to either hold or transport beer.
Moa general manager Gareth Hughes said the Marlborough company evaluated many options for its six-packs.
It needed to make a tradeoff when considering the cost of cardboard.
The holders were made from 100% recycled plastic and included paid postage so customers could send them back to the brewery.
The company had received some negative feedback regarding the can holders, which it began using about a year ago.
It was continuing to look at alternative options.
While there was the potential for harm to wildlife, they were much safer than the can holders of the past, he said.
