Mobile canning operations have been a boon for many smaller brewers, allowing them to get their beers in package for off-premise sales with relatively low capital investment. Packaging beer is a complex set of tasks, each with safety, quality, and other concerns and considerations. This is true even when utilizing mobile canning.

The Brewers Association’s Quality, Safety, and Engineering Subcommittees have developed a white paper that addresses many of the questions and concerns when considering or utilizing a mobile canning operation in your brewery. The new resource, Quality and Safety Plan for Mobile Canning, includes information on creating a safe operating environment for mobile canning, managing the quality of your beer going into package, regulatory requirements for reporting packaging operations, and a checklist planning tool to employ when making final preparations to package beer with a mobile canner.

Aluminum Can Shortage Advisory

Demand for aluminum cans has recently outpaced the can manufacturing industry’s capacity to produce cans. Many factors have contributed to this increased demand, including cans becoming the package of choice for craft brewers, as well as a shift to cans in both new and existing brands of soft drinks, seltzers, waters, coffees, kombuchas, energy drinks, wine, and cocktails. Also, the shift to off-premise sales due to the pandemic has increased demand for packaged alcohol and non-alcohol beverages. This shortage is a medium to long term issue that will not likely be resolved until the can manufacturing industry builds more capacity. Brewers are advised to take steps that create surety of supply before planning any investment in canning operations, mobile or otherwise. More information here.

Visit the Brewers Association Suppliers Directory to connect with a mobile canning company near you.