We are extremely happy to announce about enormous changes that will soon be noticed by our clients and final customers – we go into canning.
While the changes are still taking place there may be situations where we will have mixed packaging. But our main goal is turn into canning completely.
Just a decade ago canning was associated with big beer exclusively. It was extremely expensive, difficult to maintain and was usually designed around large scale production. Situation changed when more and more craft breweries came into play. Engineers around the world started offering small scale canning solutions. More and more breweries joined this trend and now canning became a benchmark in craft beer packaging around the globe. We’re happy we’re joining this trend.
We understand that glass bottles have a lot of supporters and for some people our decision may be painful and difficult to understand. We feel we have to explain the situation in detailed manner:
Quality, flavour and preservation
There have been plenty of studies on the perceived effect of beer canning versus bottling on a beer’s flavor. There is some consensus that over time, the light that filters through bottles may have some effect on the quality and taste of the beer. Clear bottles offer no protection from light, while brown and green bottles offer varying levels of protection. Light-struck beer is often associated with skunky off flavours.
The other element that damages beer quality is oxygen. The canning process seals each can with very little headspace, instead injecting a shot of carbon dioxide into the can just before the lid is sealed. This reduces the amount of oxygen left in the can and minimizes any off flavours as a result.
Beer connoisseurs have plenty to say when it comes to how beer packaging affects the quality of the beer. It wasn’t long ago that canned beer was assumed to be low-quality beer – but as more and more craft breweries embrace canning, that perception is shifting. Over the years, aluminum can manufacturers have made further innovations in the quality and production of their cans, building trust among the brewing community.
Weight, size, transportation, storage
Thanks to their thin walls and uniform cylinder shape, cans take up less space than bottles do. Cans can also be easily stacked, whereas bottles require boxes or other extra materials in order to be stacked.
Cans are also more durable than glass bottles, which can break if not secured properly throughout the entire transport process – from being loaded into trucks to being unloaded onto shelves. Cans are about half as tall as bottles and don’t require any extra materials for transportation, meaning that you can fit two to three times the number of beer cans on your shelves.
Additionally, cans serve the adventurous and outdoorsy types well. Whether you’re headed to the beach, the pool, or on a camping trip, beer cans are typically the preferred packaging type for beverages.
Ecological footprint
Consumers at some level may prefer bottles due to preconceived notions about quality, but lifestyle considerations often make cans the preferred choice. Craft breweries and their consumers tend to value environmental impact, and cans are typically made up of about 70% recycled materials. Conversely, bottles are typically made up of 20-30% recycled materials.
The wall of an aluminum can is about as thick as a human hair – making it incredibly lightweight when compared to its bottle counterpart. A bottle weighs much more than a can this way resulting in higher CO2 emissions while in logistics.