Hex
Well-Known Member
I wonder if any homebrewers are taking advantage of this service?
http://brewreview.com/blog/the-can-van/
http://brewreview.com/blog/the-can-van/
The Can Van
- Thread starter Hex
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DaytonBrewing
Active Member
It says any amount.
snccoulter
Well-Known Member
I agree not economical but it would be cool to have your beer in a can.
OP
OP
Hex
Well-Known Member
Maybe a club event?
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I expect 5 gallons may be enough to prime the lines for that system.
Didn't the article start off with a minimum of 100,000 cans? That's a lot HBT batches.
I wish they would franchise this. I'd love to purchase one and run a side business with it. I have no interest in brewing beer commercially, but would love to be involved in the business somehow.
broadbill
Well-Known Member
Why do you need a franchise setup to do this? You could probably set up the same biz on your own...
Was wondering how long it would take for a person to do this after BYO launched that article about canning. Sure didn't take long!
Good point, although a francise would be much easier since this would be a side business for me.
CreamyGoodness
Well-Known Member
Airborne, you do this I'll roll with you on some weekends. Sounds like a hoot.
No, it says:
"Typically canning requires a minimum order of 100,000 cans, but by labeling cans in a similar process to labeling glass bottles, The Can Van is able to can any amount of beer with no minimums necessary, at up to 36 cans per minute."
I seriously wish, but highly doubt it. Definitely a great business idea though, and probably really cheap to get into.
CreamyGoodness
Well-Known Member
"How was your weekend?" "It was ok, went the to gym and cleaned up the apartment, how about you?" "I canned beer with a cop from a van."
Which story wins? Thought so...
Which story wins? Thought so...
broadbill
Well-Known Member
By no minimum, I think they mean they are willing to come out for someones 1BBL pilot system...which is small pototaoes on the craft beer scale.
I don't think "by no minimum" means they are willing to drive anywhere to can up your 5-10 gallons of pale ale.
Keep in mind that cans are sold by the pallet load....automatically their minimum order is set at those types of numbers.
hmm, broadbill just got me thinking even more. I would just drive to Brooklyn on the weekends, advertise my location on Twitter, and have the homebrewers come to me. That would be my morning. My afternoon would be spent at the Brooklyn Brewery.
iandh
Well-Known Member
So I ask the Can Van folks what their minimum size was and it's 100 cases or ~8 BBLs. They are open to negotiations, but I only think a very small number of homebrewers with HUGE systems would consider that viable. (still would be cool though!)
It's kind of surprising to me that a producer that has 8 barrels on hand ready for canning would find it economical to pay these folks. It seems like if you'd be canning with any regularity it would be better to own your own facilities or contract out to an established canner (or however breweries do it now). If not, these guys have a great business model.
iandh
Well-Known Member
I talk with them about 1/2 an hour and think its a brilliant idea. I see two types of groups interested in their services.
1) Contract brewers who are are draft only and want to can one-off batches
2) Brewpubs who don't have the space to store cans or a canning line (remember you need to order cans by the truck load).
Since they are targeting the San Francisco area where space is a premium. There are plenty of brewpubs/small brewers who want to be "green" and distribute in stores, but don't have the storage space for pallets of cans.
They are also based out of Devils Canyon Brewery who does a lot of contact brewing/alternating proprietorships. So they are already in the same building as some of their key customers.
1) Contract brewers who are are draft only and want to can one-off batches
2) Brewpubs who don't have the space to store cans or a canning line (remember you need to order cans by the truck load).
Since they are targeting the San Francisco area where space is a premium. There are plenty of brewpubs/small brewers who want to be "green" and distribute in stores, but don't have the storage space for pallets of cans.
They are also based out of Devils Canyon Brewery who does a lot of contact brewing/alternating proprietorships. So they are already in the same building as some of their key customers.
Makes a lot of sense. I had thought of one-offs but space/minimum order issues make sense too. Although I wonder if the Can Van patented whatever labelling innovation allows them to be the only one to do less than a pallet's worth or truck's worth. Otherwise one of their big advantages might get eroded pretty quickly.
Seems to me, that if you are in a cooler climate, cans would end up being a seasonal thing since one of the big points is that many public spaces don't allow glass.
Something like this might do well on the east coast as well...
Something like this might do well on the east coast as well...
Wayne1
Well-Known Member
Mobile Canning is doing the same thing on the Colorado Front Range. They have worked with a manufacturer in Boulder to design a mobile canning system.
The same machine is being used by Breckenridge/Wynkoop breweries to fill their cans. Wild Goose Canning
broadbill
Well-Known Member
Some of the larger East Coast breweries, with the exception of SA and Red Hook, have started putting some of their product in cans (harpoon, magic hat are the ones that come to mind).
Canning has been a big marketing point for Baxter Brewing in Maine; they are really making a good go of it, but that could be due to the product in the can more than the can itself!
