Craft Beer in the UK following the US canned beer rise

Craft brewers are choosing cans over bottles because they are cheaper, easier to recycle, look good and make the beer taste great.

Over the last year the US has seen a 89% rise in the number of sales of Craft Beer in cans. And the UK is about to follow suit.

Gone are the days where “canned beer” was about warm, fizzy, tasteless lager enjoyed on park benches, beaches or village fetes. This is certainly not what the quality craft ale is about in the UK. But all this could be about to change as a new breed of British brewer begins to opt for metal in favour of glass.

According to Peter Love, the owner of one of the US’s most successful canning companies, Cask, sales of craft beer cans in the US are up 89% year on year.

New technologies, typically lead by the US mean that canning craft ale is now a real alternative. Cans do not have the same issue as bottles in respect to light spoiling and the improvements in technology mean that oxygen levels in cans can be far less than typically in bottled beer – all resulting in a better taste for longer.

Brewers still face the challenge of course as regards the cost of the equipment but more of an issue is the cost and minimum orders for the cans themselves. Typical minimum order quantities can be as much as 400,000 cans, and storing them is another problem !! Lets face it we can all see that moving beer from a canning / bottling facility and back again (and the hassle in between) makes for an expensive addition. However, there’s now even a solution to these problems…

WeCan Solutions Ltd is the first company in the UK to solve the canning problem by offering a mobile canning service. With the ability to can at volumes of only 10 barrels (and even less in certain

circumstances) even the smallest brewer can take advantage of the benefits of having their beer canned and then moved to wider markets.

WeCan Solutions Ltd arrive at a brewery with the brewers own (pre-designed) labels on the cans. As seen in the US market, the 330ml can is the can of choice (other can sizes available). With the ability to fill 9,000 cans or 15 barrels in a day there’s no holding them back. A simple process leaving the brewer with a package ready for the market.

Welcome to the world of canned craft beer !!