When Justin Hawke, founder and head brewer at Moor Beer, Bristol, decided it was time to can his beer, he didn’t think ‘cheap and cheerful’ was the way to go.
A firm believer that cans are the best way to preserve the condition and flavour of beer, he settled on a state-of-the-art canning system coasting more than the average UK house.
After months of research, he went with a canning line from German manufacturer Leibinger, Hantelmann and Lubeca. It includes a revolutionary new approach to can de-palletising (removing cans from a delivery pallet so they can be filled) from British engineering company Lynchet, which one brewery spokesman described as being “the Lamborghini of can filling systems”.
Justin said: “People know about craft beer, but the next thing is quality. That’s the message we need to get out there. Breweries can buy a cheap canning line or use mobile equipment, but there’s not enough quality control on the beer or the can.” He admitted the time and money Moor Beer has invested on putting its beer in cans was considerable — and not an option for every brewery — but feels confident it will pay off.
“Beer has to be able to shake off the cheap tinned lager image or those investing in putting their beer in cans are going to suffer. We’ve spent a lot, but I think we’ve got equipment that enables us to put world-class beer in a world-class package, and drinkers should be able to tell the difference.”
Moor Beer will officially launch eight different beers in 330ml cans at a series of public events in London on Saturday, September 5. The first cans will be available at Bottle Dog, Kings Cross, from noon, followed by We Brought Beer, Balham, at 2.30pm, Hop Burns & Black, East Dulwich, 5pm, and culminating in a party at the Black Heart, Camden, from 9pm.
Justin said: “We went down this long and expensive route to can our beer because, despite general perception, the humble can is the best package for preserving beer freshness. It keeps out light and oxygen, is more environmentally friendly, and safer.
“True to our core belief, we’re also can-conditioning our beer to offer our drinkers around the world the pinnacle of the brewer’s art: modern real ale in a can.”
