SCIENCE THE DIVERSITY OF CIDER PROFILES

SECTOR CANNING THE CRAFT OF CANNING BEING ABLE TO SELL AND DISTRIBUTE YOUR BEER IN SMALL PACK FORMAT HAS BEEN THE SAVIOUR OF COUNTLESS BUSINESS DURING THE LAST 18 MONTHS. AND CANNING HAS PLAYED A HUGE PART IN

THAT. HERE, WE LOOK AT SOME OF THE LATEST

INNOVATIONS, OPINIONS AND INSTALLATIONS CASK RELEASES “ULTIMATE MOBILE CANNING SYSTEM”

TAKING PLACE IN THIS EVER-POPULAR SPACE.

The canning sector, like the wider brewing industry around it, has been something of a rollercoaster during the last 18 months.

In the early spring months of 2020, countless breweries were forced to pivot (everyone’s favourite word) their packaging away from kegs and casks exclusively to small pack. And for many outfits, that meant canning.

Those that had a canning line in-house were the lucky ones, while mobile canning businesses would end up working overtime and then some. But even if you had your own line, the sheer pressure on empty cans, labelling and ancillary packaging meant many breweries were unable to distribute beer even if they wanted to.

Thankfully, though, the supply chain is starting to right itself. However, the business models many breweries adopted as a result of the pandemic means these businesses will continue to place an increased emphasis on their small pack output, regardless of their ability to supply beer in cask and keg once more.

And according to research from Modor Intelligence, the beer cans market witnessed a shipment of approximately 90.2 million units of beer cans globally in 2020 and is estimated to reach to 110.9 million units by 2026, registering a CAGR of 3.6% for the forecast period (2021-2026). and packaging space as well as some recent installations where breweries are taking their packaging offering to the next level.

LOW-COST DEPALLETIZER FROM SKA FABRICATING

Ska Fabricating has launched The Nimbus, a new machine designed to support breweries of all sizes and distribution models with the most portable, most customizable options the manufacturer offers. Cask Global Canning Solutions has released a new system designed especially for mobile canners.

The ACS Mobile (Automatic Canning System) is said to be a highly agile version of Cask’s ACS V5. It delivers the speed and state-of-the-art automation of the ACS V5 on a frame that is just under 88 inches long.

It’s an especially timely new system, as large numbers of non-packaging breweries have had to shift to packaged beer to survive the pandemic.

The Nimbus half height depalletizer combines the best features from Ska Fabricating’s best-selling machines to create a new, low-cost depalletizer that’s optimized for small spaces and lower speed applications.

It expands the cutting- edge features of Ska Fab’s patented turntable design, providing additional accumulation and the ability to fold down and stow the rotary table—further reducing the machine’s footprint when not in use. This innovation, combined with the Cani-Bus’ pallet lift and layer sweep design, creates a compact, efficient can depalletizer with a discharge height that allows for excellent can drop and many discharge angle options. This machine is essentially silent with no vibrator, and requires minimal real estate on a production floor.

Cask co-owner Neil Love, said: “Our goal with the ACS Mobile was to create the ultimate canning system for mobile canners and their customers.

“It gives mobile canners facing increased demand the best array of tools for efficiently canning distribution-ready craft beverages. For brewers turning to mobile canning for help during the pandemic, they get beers with extremely low dissolved oxygen and minimal product waste or low fills.”

He added: “The ACS Mobile puts our industry leading fill technology on an immensely compact system that packages an array of beverages and can sizes and includes a weigh scale, auto-reject, and the other sophisticated automation that comes on a full-size Cask canning system.”

The ACS Mobile fills all Slim/Sleek/Standard cans up to 19.2 oz. and the system’s floating can-indexing wheel makes for the fastest available changeover between can sizes.

The system’s stainless-steel fill heads are compatible with beer, wine, kombucha, cider, mead and other beverage types, and can handle high-strength CIP measures to ensure no transfer of flavor or residue between beverages.

The system also has an easy to operate Windows 10-based operating program that enables a fast set up.

LABATT BREWERIES INVESTS TO BOOST RTD CAPACITY

Labatt Breweries of Canada is kicking off a $119 million capital program that will significantly boost its Ready-To-Drink (RTD) capacity.

This comprises drinks such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Palm Bay, Okanagan Cider, and American Vintage.

Both Alberta and Edmonton will benefit from the investment with $69.2 million going directly into Labatt’s Edmonton brewery to expand production capacity and capability and meet the changing needs and tastes of Albertans, the company said.

“We’re proud of our history in Alberta with almost 60 years of brewing beer in Edmonton and serving Albertans across the province,” said Kyle Norrington, President of Labatt Breweries of Canada. “As the province continues its post-pandemic recovery, this investment is one more step in the right direction, with new jobs, economic growth and the type of innovation that continues to make Alberta a great place to live, work and do business.”

The Edmonton brewery investment will support new technology, equipment, product lines and upgrades to the brewhouse and control room.

It will also fund 30,000 square feet of new warehouse space and a 30,000 squarefoot ready-to-drink building to support expanded brewing type and capacity. “Today, our Alberta team helps us serve 3,000 retail outlets, bars and restaurants with products that come from 144 suppliers across the province,” added Peter Delamont, general manager of Labatt Edmonton Brewery. “We are truly Made in Alberta and we’re proud to be able to contribute to our communities and to our province’s economy through this investment.”

Built in 1963, Labatt’s Edmonton brewery has undergone four major capital investment programs since 2015. Today, the location employs more than 190 people, with the latest investment expected to create 25 new jobs.

WHY CANS BEAT BOTTLES FOR SUMMER ACTIVITIES

Summer is the peak season for drinking beer. Whether it’s drinking on a back porch, trying your latest varietal in your taproom, or toasting at the top of Mount Evans, your customers want to enjoy a cold one almost anywhere. Unfortunately, not every container can be brought to all the places your customers might want to drink, explain the team at Twin Monkeys Beverage Systems.

Cans are the most versatile, portable, and durable option for distributing your prized beers to as many people as possible, especially in the summertime. Here’s why.

GLASS VS. ALUMINIUM IN OUTDOOR SPACES

There are hundreds of places that your customers love to spend their summer where glass containers simply aren’t allowed.

u Concert venues: the vast majority of concert venues like Red Rocks Amphitheater ban glass containers entirely, while aluminium containers are usually allowed. u Sports stadiums: most stadiums don’t allow outside drinks at all, but they’ll still distribute cans and aluminium bottles inside the stands. If you want your beer to be sold inside the stadium, it’ll have to be through kegs or cans. u Camping areas: all of Colorado’s wilderness areas prohibit glass containers of any kind, and most private campgrounds have the same rule. u Swimming pools: everyone loves to knock back a cold one by the pool, but virtually all pool areas prohibit glass containers.

The fact is, if you’re only distributing your beer in your taproom and in glass growlers, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.

CANS VS. GROWLERS

It’s true that glass growlers have some advantages over canning lines — they’re easy to fill up at the tap with no additional training or equipment and you can buy them for a few dollars each in bulk. Unfortunately, they’re also bulky, heavy, and fragile, and they don’t keep beer fizzy or fresh for very long. The best use of a glass growler is to bring it home, keep it in the fridge, and drink it within a day or two.

Aluminium growlers are an option, but they’re much more expensive, costing anywhere from $20 to $50 apiece. They’re also very heavy and cumbersome and suffer from the same freshness issues as glass growlers, making them difficult to bring anywhere remote.

Cans, or crowlers, are the best of all worlds. They have a tighter seal than glass bottles or growlers, keeping them fresh longer and through a wider range of temperatures.

They’re relatively light and portable, allowing your customers to take them anywhere. Best of all, they’re inexpensive both for canners and customers alike, making them the most accessible option to bring beer to as wide an audience as possible.

GETTING STARTED WITH A CANNING LINE

Two of the most common objections to starting your own canning line are space and cost — most brewers are concerned that they don’t have room for canning equipment in their commercial space, nor can they afford the equipment necessary.

Luckily, a canning line is more affordable than you think. Compact machines like the Mancos can fill 10-15 cans per minute in a footprint the size of a large tabletop, and more versatile machines like our Gunnison line can be paired with dozens of attachments to make them as simple or as complex as the needs of your brewery dictate.