• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

Craft brewing canning trends: We review the numbers and confirm the hype

January 4, 2016Chris Crowell

CANFEST
Cans are everywhere. In fact, this picture actually goes on for another few miles.

Every year, we end the Craft Brewing Business calendar year with a look back at the biggest headlines and our best features across our main topic categories. As I was looking back at the year in packaging, once again, the canning headlines stood out, both for their sheer volume and their coolness factor. But this was also the case last year. So, is this just media-driven buzz, or is there really a huge shift to cans happening in craft beer?

First consider the vast number of breweries promoting cans. This is the sheer volume factor. You have Saint Arnold Brewing Co. rolling out cans for its two top-selling year-round beers — Saint Arnold Fancy Lawnmower Beer and Santo — after installing its 20-head filler canning line. Victory Brewing Co. debuted Summer Love Ale in convenient 12-ouncers. Firestone Walker released its core beer in cans, including Union Jack, Easy Jack and Pivo. And, of course, there were new cans from Tallgrass Brewing, Meadowlark Brewing, Saltwater Brewery, Kulshan Brewing and new canning lines for a bunch of breweries, such as Crystal Lake Brewing and Eddyline Brewery (Eddyline did so to minimize aroma loss).

“We could have rushed into canning a few years ago, but we wanted the timing to be right,” said brewery co-proprietor of Firestone Walker David Walker. “The market for canned craft beer is now hitting its stride, and canning technology has come a long way in a short period. Also, cans are a perfect fit for life here on the Central Coast. All of these factors converged to finally reach a tipping point for us.”

As for the innovation (the coolness factor), you have Hilton Head Brewing, which went with the 90 percent certified recycled evercans from Novelis; introduced in 2014, Novelis’ evercan has been adopted as the material of choice by Red Hare Brewing Co., Red Brick Brewing Co., Southbound Brewing Co. and Second Self Beer Co. as well. Fifty West Brewing, to celebrate its first-ever can release, issued special, limited-edition cans with removable ‘Golden Ticket’ labels that were redeemable for one free entry to this year’s Fifty Fest.

Big Choice Brewing experimented with the XO reclosable end from Xolution that creates an airtight seal every time the tab is re-closed. Mike Hess Brewing capitalized on Crown’s 360 End technology (the entire top comes off, creating more of a pint glass experience).

Does this prove anything on its own? Not really. But remember, 2015 kicked off with a report on the growing demand for cans. In “Cans way up, bottles trending down according to 2014 beer industry data,” the chief economist of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, Lester Jones, pointed to data that showed:

The can segment was the big winner in 2014, growing more than 30 million cases and gaining almost 1 share point of total volumes from 2013. Bottle packages lost almost 18 million cases and subsequently lost almost all of their share to can packages. Draft, on the other hand, continues to hold a 10 share of the market, losing only about 1.2 million case equivalents (CEs). The shift between can and bottle packages in the marketplace was seen in both import (+18%) and domestic (+1.1%) volumes. Clearly, the can package has managed to break into the high-end beer business where glass has traditionally had a hold for both craft and imported beers. Craft beer’s expansion into more channels from convenience to airlines over the past few years also has helped increase can packages share of total business.

And as we ended 2015, reports talked of demand having tidal waved, cramping supply and driving up minimum orders, especially in the 16-ounce category, which many craft brewers are gravitating toward to stand out from the pack. From Fox News:

“Certainly we’ve seen some of our brewery members struggle in recent months,” Bart Watson, chief economist at the craft beer trade group Brewers Association, told the Times. “This has proven to be a real challenge for members that have built their business model around getting these cans.”

In previous years, many small brewers purchased cans from just one manufacturer, Crown, for orders in the low thousands. But as the company started feeling the squeeze to deliver more types of cans with more microbreweries popping up around the country, the can maker upped its minimum order to a truckload, which can range from about 155,000 to 200,000, depending can size.

“That’s a lot of cans to store, it’s a lot of cash to lay out, and the little guys just don’t have that,” Tim Dorward, a mobile canner, told the Times. “Crown was working with people, and they’re very interested in the craft industry, but it just caught them by surprise.”

For further insight, we consulted, Ron Skotleski, director of marketing for Crown Beverage Packaging, North America. Crown is the world leader in innovation for metal beverage packaging and is currently investing in and working on a wide variety of projects to improve user experience, functionality and offer new technologies that would allow brewers greater freedom to create new types of products to offer in a metal can.

Crown ends craft brewers conference
Companies like Crown offer a variety of unique ends to go on your canned craft beverages.

In 2015, Crown continued to see explosive growth, including tremendous growth in the number of new breweries starting to use cans (bringing on 135 new craft customers year to date 2015). And there has indeed been an increase in interest in 16- vs. 12-ounce cans, but 12 ounce still makes up the majority of Crown’s business, and those aforementioned large regional players are the ones that have really boosted demand.

“We have also been seeing many of our core craft customers double and even triple in size,” Skotleski said. “We have been seeing lately many of the larger craft players, who have traditionally been in glass, looking at starting or improving their can footprint.”

For cans specifically, YTD the industry as a whole has experienced slightly over 2 percent growth in the Alcoholic Beverage Segment, according Skotleski. In 2015, Crown is projecting can sales for the craft market to finish up 56 percent vs. 2014. From the innovation side, Skotleski expects to see more and more breweries experimenting with a variety of graphics capabilities (inks and varnishes) and some larger breweries trying specific labels in the sleek-styled can size vs. the traditional standard 12- and 16-ounce cans.

So, as we head into 2016, much like the craft brewing industry, do not expect the canning craze to slow down.

“From a marco, industry-wide perspective, I would expect 2016 to continue down the path of acquisition for larger, regional craft breweries. I would not be surprised to see regional breweries continue to expand their distribution footprint and open additional facilities to become national players. I am also optimistic that the larger craft breweries that up until now have focused traditionally on glass, will make a bigger push into cans,” Skotleski said.

CANFEST
Quick can supply updates from Crown and Ball corporate calls in Q3
wrapped-cans-notext-1024x614-1
Saxco acquires We Sleeve-It to expand shrink sleeve labeling capabilities
Cyclone-tonejet
Check out Tonejet’s new Cyclone C4+ direct digital can decorator at CBC 2021
iron-heart-canning
Mobile canner Iron Heart Canning opened two new warehouses

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AluminumNews says

    January 8, 2016 at 7:50 pm

    Canned craft beer: confirming the hype and the trend. https://t.co/X2Czt6yqsH

    Log in to Reply
  2. Aluminum_Cans says

    January 8, 2016 at 7:50 pm

    Canned craft beer: confirming the hype and the trend. https://t.co/1yU2Lsfr5i

    Log in to Reply
  3. treehugger1618 says

    January 8, 2016 at 5:44 pm

    Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/VQC5Elm2RF

    Log in to Reply
  4. AluminumNews says

    January 8, 2016 at 9:45 am

    “So, as we head into 2016, much like the craft brewing industry, do not expect the canning craze to slow down.” https://t.co/NTCq8Hy2A6

    Log in to Reply
  5. Aluminum_Cans says

    January 8, 2016 at 9:45 am

    “So, as we head into 2016, much like the craft brewing industry, do not expect the canning craze to slow down.” https://t.co/ew6nRGLB0i

    Log in to Reply
  6. Krones AG says

    January 8, 2016 at 4:06 am

    Krones AG liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  7. WeberPackaging says

    January 7, 2016 at 2:11 pm

    Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/J05D0AWqiq @Craftbrewingbiz #CraftBeer https://t.co/63eJ8lbyaZ

    Log in to Reply
  8. charliebrown47a says

    January 7, 2016 at 10:13 am

    Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/ez5GDRXcA2

    Log in to Reply
  9. JoseNotJuan says

    January 6, 2016 at 9:44 pm

    RT @BevvShop: Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/WpEVga8ggA via @craftbrewingbiz #canning #beer #trends https://t.…

    Log in to Reply
  10. SpokesMobileCan says

    January 6, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/BwxzBJGCGS

    Log in to Reply
  11. BryanDRoth says

    January 6, 2016 at 7:36 pm

    @OliverJGray pssst.

    hey.

    did you see these stats about beer in cans?

    https://t.co/oSO0hVzXP3

    Log in to Reply
  12. StasBorecky says

    January 6, 2016 at 5:51 pm

    BevvShop Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/DezEOdl31G via craftbrewingbiz #canning #bee… https://t.co/KLOP8qOAh9

    Log in to Reply
  13. BevvShop says

    January 6, 2016 at 5:40 pm

    Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/WpEVga8ggA via @craftbrewingbiz #canning #beer #trends https://t.co/HjNswN56xY

    Log in to Reply
  14. nasilemak_m7 says

    January 6, 2016 at 4:28 pm

    RT @allgatesbrewery: U.S Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/fgj4BixjMp

    Log in to Reply
  15. allgatesbrewery says

    January 6, 2016 at 4:23 pm

    U.S Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/fgj4BixjMp

    Log in to Reply
  16. johnthargrove says

    January 6, 2016 at 3:58 pm

    Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/jW5IK8Qt1g via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  17. craftbeerbabes says

    January 6, 2016 at 3:40 pm

    Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/KdMlLka3AW via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  18. tyivy says

    January 6, 2016 at 12:39 am

    @ArmadilloMC @CraftBrewingBiz Cans, cans and more cans!

    Log in to Reply
  19. ArmadilloMC says

    January 6, 2016 at 12:06 am

    https://t.co/wGWRlT1Sjg

    Log in to Reply
  20. KCHopTalk says

    January 5, 2016 at 7:18 pm

    Craft brewing canning trends: Review of the numbers and confirm the hype https://t.co/TtBkk04SCg

    Log in to Reply
  21. CrowdBrewed says

    January 5, 2016 at 7:00 pm

    Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/XkqKggBZep via @craftbrewingbiz #canning #beer #trends https://t.co/7ACgKcWbXJ

    Log in to Reply
  22. I Drink Good Beer says

    January 5, 2016 at 6:22 pm

    I Drink Good Beer liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  23. CrystalLakeBrew says

    January 5, 2016 at 4:44 pm

    #craft cans are the only way to go! Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/oQ9zeVRzYV via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  24. BeallBreweryIns says

    January 5, 2016 at 12:31 pm

    What’s really behind the #CraftBeer canning trend (and what lies ahead for canning in 2016): https://t.co/6H3fYAdZ4c

    Log in to Reply
  25. Buckeyecanning says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:59 am

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: In case you missed it: Craft brewing canning trends. We review the numbers, confirm the hype https://t.co/aBto92TzE3 h…

    Log in to Reply
  26. rccannery says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:29 am

    Crazy growth for cans in 2015 which is projected to continue into this year too! https://t.co/TegOm39IhN

    Log in to Reply
  27. BlindBatBrewer says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:05 am

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: In case you missed it: Craft brewing canning trends. We review the numbers, confirm the hype https://t.co/aBto92TzE3 h…

    Log in to Reply
  28. InsuranceGuyKR says

    January 5, 2016 at 10:05 am

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: In case you missed it: Craft brewing canning trends. We review the numbers, confirm the hype https://t.co/aBto92TzE3 h…

    Log in to Reply
  29. Jonathan Cahoon says

    January 5, 2016 at 6:07 am

    Jonathan Cahoon liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  30. 양준석 says

    January 5, 2016 at 6:07 am

    양준석 liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  31. Nguyễn Văn Quỳnh says

    January 4, 2016 at 9:52 pm

    Nguyễn Văn Quỳnh liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  32. Jaye Beattie says

    January 4, 2016 at 9:52 pm

    Jaye Beattie liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  33. Hauck Architecture says

    January 4, 2016 at 5:36 pm

    Hauck Architecture liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  34. Scott Richards says

    January 4, 2016 at 5:36 pm

    Scott Richards liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  35. crsimp01 says

    January 4, 2016 at 4:11 pm

    Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016 https://t.co/foSY8VASVr via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  36. Beth Demmon Ivey says

    January 4, 2016 at 3:36 pm

    Beth Demmon Ivey liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  37. Solène Ronnaux-Baron says

    January 4, 2016 at 2:36 pm

    Solène Ronnaux-Baron liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  38. LVRGLLC says

    January 4, 2016 at 1:18 pm

    #CraftBeer #CraftBrewing #Beer #BeerBiz Craft brewing canning trends: We review the numbers and confirm the hyp… https://t.co/m46hSzGGj3

    Log in to Reply
  39. jimsanderson11 says

    January 4, 2016 at 1:08 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016. We review the numbers and confirm the hype. https://t.co/UHpEGPNtUE

    Log in to Reply
  40. PatLandon says

    January 4, 2016 at 12:42 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016. We review the numbers and confirm the hype. https://t.co/UHpEGPNtUE

    Log in to Reply
  41. foodncraft says

    January 4, 2016 at 12:42 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016. We review the numbers and confirm the hype. https://t.co/UHpEGPNtUE

    Log in to Reply
  42. JoseNotJuan says

    January 4, 2016 at 12:38 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016. We review the numbers and confirm the hype. https://t.co/UHpEGPNtUE

    Log in to Reply
  43. MichiganBeerGuy says

    January 4, 2016 at 12:37 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016. We review the numbers and confirm the hype. https://t.co/UHpEGPNtUE

    Log in to Reply
  44. MillwallFCEO says

    January 4, 2016 at 12:37 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: Craft brewing canning trends for 2015 and 2016. We review the numbers and confirm the hype. https://t.co/UHpEGPNtUE

    Log in to Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Craft brewing canning trends: We review the numbers and confirm the hype - BeerRun Software says:
    January 13, 2016 at 10:49 am

    […] Read more […]

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Cadaverine: When your beer smells like dead human
  • Unfiltered: There are weevils in my grain – what do I do?
  • Festo takes new approach with VZXA angle seat valves
  • People news: Industry icon John Mallett steps down from Bell’s + moves from Craft ‘Ohana, BrewDog USA and more

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • Cadaverine: When your beer smells like dead human
    January 26, 2023
  • beer taps brain distribution cbb cropUnfiltered: There are weevils in my grain – what do I do?
    January 26, 2023
  • People news: Industry icon John Mallett steps down from Bell’s + moves from Craft ‘Ohana, BrewDog USA and more
    January 25, 2023
  • Premium beer products were one of the top growth markets of 2022, says IWSR 
    January 23, 2023
  • Fair State Brewing Cooperative launches Minnesota’s first cannabis beverage fulfillment, copacking and distribution center
    January 23, 2023
  • Fat-Tire-cansFat Tire and other craft beer legacy brand updates to know in 2023
    January 17, 2023

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2023 · CBB Media LLC