Posts

MicroBrewr 048: Package your beer cheap and easy with mobile canning, with Mobile West Canning.

MicroBrewr 048: Package your beer cheap and easy with mobile canning

You pinched every penny. You begged, borrowed, and stole to start your brewery. People are enjoying your beer at the taproom, and now you want to expand your reach. You still don’t have capital to buy a dedicated canning or bottling line. Matt Woempner, from Mobile West Canning, in San Diego, California, explains how mobile canning can work for you.

Mobile Canning West serves San Diego, Arizona and Southern Nevada. Mobile Canning Systems provides training and guidance to all of their affiliates. So if you’re outside of

Mobile West Canning’s area, you can likely find another affiliate who will come to you.

The system is pretty similar throughout.

Contact the mobile canners when you start a new batch of beer. So they’ll have enough time to schedule your job.

This might be the first time that you’re beer in being packaged, so attention short be given to the label. “Artwork, artwork, artwork,” says Matt. TTB has requirements for your label design, and many state alcohol control boards have additional requirements. The mobile canner will help make sure your labels are in compliance.

When the canners arrive, they’ll wheel the machine into your brewery, within several feet of the fermenter or bright tank. They will bring one or 2 people, and they’ll need the help of a few people from your brewery.

At the end of the day, your beer is in 12 oz. or 16 oz. cans, and ready to be sold!

There is a ton of detailed information in this episode—too much to recap here. So listen to the whole episode and see if mobile canning can help you achieve the goals for your brewery.

“This is a tremendous business to be in, and it’s an exciting time to be in that business.” [Tweet This]

 

Listener question:

From Lester Foldi: Is the Craft Brewers Conference worth the price for a nanobrewery still in the planning phase?

Book recommendation:

Check out the entire list of recommended books, click here.

Your Free Audio Book

An upcoming beer style:

India Pale Ale

Other resources:

You can reach Matt Woempner and Mobile West Canning at:

Sponsors:

Kinnek

“Compare free quotes from top suppliers within 48 hours.”

Kinnek "Compare free quotes from top suppliers within 48 hours." http://www.kinnek.com/microbrewr

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

Subscribe on iTunes             Listen to Stitcher

MicroBrewr 030: Hire a mobile canning system and put your beer cans on store shelves sooner, with Borderlands Brewing Co.

MicroBrewr 030: Hire a mobile canning system and put your beer cans on store shelves sooner

Myles Stone was in his second year of medical school when he and Michael Mallozzi started Borderlands Brewing Co. in Tucson, Arizona with just $2,000. They both have full-time jobs besides the brewery, but they make it work. “Our secret,” says Myles, “Is to have wonderful people around us.”

Water is scarce in the deserts around Tucson. Conservation is central to Borderlands Brewing Co. operations. They save water in the following ways.

  • Cut water use one-third by running hot water in the heat exchanger, through cool water in a rainwater harvesting system.
  • Save rinse-water by adjusting pH to use it again, before putting it down the drain.

I wasn’t expecting a discussion about mobile canning companies. Yet Myles offers great insight on using mobile canning systems for his craft brewery.

Three years since opening, Borderlands Brewing Co. is already canning beer. Rather than buy their own canning line, Borderlands Brewing Co. hires mobile canning companies to package their product into beer cans.

Mobile canning is becoming very popular for small craft breweries. After investing in all the normal brewing equipment, there is no capital left for luxuries like a beer canning system.

There are now several mobile canning companies in the US. Usually their truck will travel wide, often spanning several states. Reservations must be made well in advance. A large truck will come with fully operational, mobile canning equipment, and package your product on-site.

Check out the resources below and find out whether mobile beer canning is right for your craft beer.

Listener question:

From Sean Myles: Is it important to allow customers to see the production facility? If so, how much do you let them see? What do you want to keep out of their view?

Book recommendation:

Check out the entire list of recommended books, click here.

Your Free Audio Book

An upcoming beer style:

Dark beer

Sour beer

Other resources:

You can reach Myles Stone and Borderlands Brewing Co. at:

If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher. When you subscribe, it’ll let you know when there’s a new episode, you won’t miss a thing!

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

Subscribe on iTunes             Listen to Stitcher

MicroBrewr 021: The most expensive beer that’s been poured in Pinellas County, Florida, with 7venth Sun Brewery.

MicroBrewr 021: The most expensive beer that’s been poured in Pinellas County, Florida

Justin Stange opened 7venth Sun Brewery in Dunedin, Florida in January 2012. They’re contributing to the explosive growth of beer in Florida by focusing on consistency and creativity. 7venth Sun made the first canned Berliner Weisse in Florida. And their first beer sold for $203 per pint—the most expensive beer that’s been poured in Pinellas County, Florida!

About his proudest moment as a brewery owner, Justin says: When I saw my beer being poured out in other accounts for the first time, that was really cool because then I felt amongst my peers, the other friends I have that own breweries, and even the national brands, too. You really feel like you’re part of the club then.

Among other great info in this episode, Justin advises:

  • Double-batch to correct mistakes
  • Utilize mobile canning to win a bet
  • Take good notes on every batch

Listener question:

From Jon Tiffany: What do you feel are the most important aspects of your brewing? How do you approach improving on that?

Book recommendation:

Check out the entire list of recommended books, click here.

Your Free Audio Book

An upcoming beer style:

Berliner Weisse

Florida Weisse

Other resources:

You can reach Justin Stange and 7venth Sun Brewery at:

If you like the show, please subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher. When you subscribe, it’ll let you know when there’s a new episode, you won’t miss a thing!

Support MicroBrewr

Help keep MicroBrewr on the air. CLICK HERE for ways you can help.

Subscribe on iTunes             Listen to Stitcher