Popularity - Canning in the craft beverage industry was on the rise, pre-pandemic. In the below chart, weeks 1-11 reflect what was becoming the norm in package mix breakout for the craft beverage industry, with cans making up 60% of the total market. However, with draft dropping off completely for most breweries in weeks 12-20 due to COVID-19 restrictions, cans further grew in popularity. As breweries begin to once again offer on-premise experiences, it will be interesting to see how the percentages shakeout. It is likely that cans will continue to outpace bottle usage with draft trending back up to around 8%.
Can Shortage - Cans are so popular right now, sourcing has become a major pain point for breweries. As a result of heightened demand, Ball Corporation will build two new specialty beverage aluminum can plants in the U.S. next year. In the short-term, however, many breweries are left sourcing cans internationally or panic-posting on social media to try and score a pallet of the coveted aluminum container.
Canning Line Buyer’s Guide - Our friends over at Craft Brewing Business, put together a convenient Craft Beer Canning Line Buyer’s Guide for anyone looking to install their first canning line or upgrade their existing setup in 2020. We were happy to provide information about the essential process of can seam evaluation and overview our all-in-one craft beverage system for inclusion in the guide.