In conjunction with National Beer Can Appreciation Day on Friday January 24, Smartmouth announces that it will begin canning its beer this spring, with cans hitting the market this summer.
Why Cans?
Smartmouth is committed to serving great beer and cans provide better packaging than bottles. There are two primary enemies of finished beer – oxygen and light. The double-crimped seal on a can is better at preventing air from getting to the beer than bottle caps and no light can penetrate the aluminum. Cans are infinitely recyclable which makes them more environmentally friendly than bottles. Each can weighs less than a bottle by approximately 6oz and takes up less space, which means it is takes less energy to ship a pallet or carry a six pack home or stack them in your fridge. Cans also cool faster than bottles so you can enjoy them faster. Lastly, cans go where bottles can’t – including swimming pools, boats and the beach. As far as taste, cans today are lined with a water-based polymer lining that eliminates any metallic contamination or flavors. (Facts gathered from craftcans.com and slyfoxbeer.com.)
How, When, What?
Smartmouth will be canning our three flagship styles: Alter Ego Saison, Murphy’s Law Amber and Rule G IPA. We have purchased a canning line from Wild Goose Canning that will package approximately 24 12oz cans a minute. One barrel of beer converts to approximately 14 cases of beer. Our brewery team and 20-barrel brew house produced just over 1,300 barrels in 2013. To account for our new growth into the canning market, we are increasing our capacity by 50% by adding two new 40-barrel fermenters, which will be online by early February. Cans will be available for off-premise purchase in our tasting room. We are also in discussions with our distributors (Hoffman Beverage, M Price and Loveland) regarding the rollout of cans to on and off-premise accounts. Consumers will be able to enjoy Smartmouth in a can this summer from Virginia Beach to Richmond.
National Beer Can Appreciation Day (NBCAD) began in 1935 when the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company teamed up with the American Can Company to produce a test run of 2,000 cans of Krueger’s Special Beer. Today, according to craftcans.com, there are around 381 U.S. craft breweries canning 1352 beers in all 50 states.
Smartmouth Beer Can Day Event –
On Thursday, January 23, Smartmouth will have a sale on their pub-style glasses. Stay tuned next week for additional details. On Friday, January 24, in honor of the NBCAD, Smartmouth will release its new glassware which begins to introduce the can design. The full can design is currently being approved by the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) and will be released once it is blessed by Uncle Sam.
Smartmouth Brewing Co. is located the Chelsea neighborhood in West Ghent section of Norfolk near the midtown tunnel. We have a large tasting room that is open Wednesdays, Thursdays & Fridays from 4:30pm-8pm and Saturdays from noon till 7pm. Tastings, flights, and pints are available onsite and growlers and kegs are available for off premise purchase. Free tours of the production brewery are offered every hour on Saturdays. Our selection of beers styles on tap in the tasting room changes monthly. Please visit “our beer” page on our website for a full list of beers on tap and a list of all that we have brewed since we opened.
Media Contact: Chris Neikirk – cell phone (not for publication) 757-478-3836
President: Porter Hardy – cell phone (not for publication) 757-647-6031
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