• 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

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

Crystal Lake Brewing installs Wild Goose canning line

June 25, 2015Chris Crowell

Crystal Lake brewingCrystal Lake Brewing wasted little time — opening not even a year ago — before jumping right into the craft beer canning trend by installing a new, state-of-the-art canning line at its beer production facility in Crystal Lake, IL. Built and installed by Wild Goose Canning, the line is capable of packaging well over 60 cases of beer per hour, allowing CLB to offer its four year-round flagship beers in consumer-friendly six packs.

“We started here in the tap room, last August,” said Chuck Ross, brewery co-founder. “Then last November, our beers became available in local bars and restaurants, so people could enjoy CLB brews when going out. Having easy-to-take-home six packs is the next big step for us, and lets craft beer lovers enjoy our beers at home, on the lake, or wherever they might go.”

More and more brewing newcomers are jumping right to cans as their preferred packaging method. Many have even skipped purchasing their own equipment, going the popular mobile canning route.

Ryan Clooney, brewmaster at Crystal Lake Brewing, explains why the move makes sense for Crystal Lake: “We’re young, but we are committed to becoming a world-class regional brewery. Being able to produce packaged product in large volume is absolutely essential for us to achieve that goal.”

CLB chose canning over bottling for several reasons, the most important of which was the guarantee of product quality. Modern can liners ensure that the beer never touches the aluminum, while light, which is the chief contributor to beer degradation, is blocked entirely. Aluminum cans are also recyclable, can be taken to the beach or pool, pack more efficiently, and chill more quickly. Despite the common notion that bottles are associated with higher-end products, the company believes that cans are by far the better package, making them an easy choice for the forward-thinking brewery.

The new packaging has created one problem for the brewery: production capacity. To meet the demand created by the additional outlet for its products, as well as the expansion into Lake, Kane, Kendall, DuPage and Dekalb counties, CLB is expecting the delivery of three additional fermentation tanks, nearly doubling the existing capacity of the brewery. The new tanks should be installed and operational by the end of July.

“The upgrades are incredibly exciting,” said John O’Fallon, brewery co-founder. “But what really thrills us is the fantastic reception we’ve received from the community. Moving forward, having a great, locally produced beer in a convenient package is the next logical step toward becoming a brewery that beer enthusiasts across northern Illinois can be proud of.”

wild goose canning
Details on the new canning line at Fort Collins Brewery
Victory Logo Long
Victory Brewing to add canning line
Issa Trap-001
Check out the top 10 beer labels on Tavour (and the artists behind them)
Brewboard-inkjet
BrewBoard goes with Tonejet for short run, direct-to-can digital label printing

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. MargarettOLeary says

    June 29, 2015 at 3:41 pm

    Crystal Lake Brewing installs Wild Goose canning line http://t.co/EgI9hUo1kT #CraftBeer @CraftBrewingBiz

    Log in to Reply
  2. crsimp01 says

    June 25, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    Crystal Lake Brewing installs Wild Goose canning line http://t.co/dcqoBBOMNF via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • WeldWerks Brewing debuts diversity scholarship with University of Northern Colorado
  • Old dogs, new tricks: How sales have changed in the wholesale channel
  • Psst. Hi-Wire Brewing has plans for a Louisville, Kentucky taproom
  • Oregon Fruit Products launches Canned Fruit Purees for homebrewers, test batches and consumers

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • wholesale beer salesOld dogs, new tricks: How sales have changed in the wholesale channel
    January 27, 2021
  • Anheuser-Busch cuts Budweiser ad from Super Bowl LV but is still running four minutes of commercials
    January 26, 2021
  • Voodoo-RaintreeExpansion by franchise’n: How Voodoo Brewing is scaling its business nationwide
    January 25, 2021
  • Beer rebrands continue: Ballast Point, Fremont, New Glory and Blue Point (also, enjoy some tips for your refresh)
    January 21, 2021
  • virginia-beer-co-renovationHow Virginia Beer Co. used the shutdown to overhaul its facility (and keep people employed)
    January 19, 2021
  • Clean air, clean beer: New Ingersoll Rand oil-less reciprocating air compressors are ideal for breweries (aeration to canning)
    January 18, 2021

Footer

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

© 2021 · CBB Media LLC

Continue ...

sponsored by