Resealable Crowler
Oskar Blues Brewery*, Ball Corporation*, Dayton Systems Group (DSG)* and Actega DS announce the new Resealable Crowler which was made available at the Craft Brewers Conference in Washington D.C. in April and will be presented at Interpack in Düsseldorf, 4.- 10. May.
First introduced in 2014, the original Crowler (can plus growler) is a single-use can that comes in 25 oz (750 ml) and 32oz sizes (ca. 946 ml). They may be both filled and sealed with a custom machine that features a design based on one commonly used for canning perishable food. It is filled with fresh draft beer then seamed at the bar using a table-top seamer to be sold to consumers as a take home container.
The reasons behind the popularity of this development are apparent. It travels much better than glass and can be readily taken to parks, campgrounds and down the river or to a friend’s house. The beer is as fresh tasting as straight from the tap and there are no leakages because it is mechanically sealed. It has the superior qualities of a can – for the EU market composed of 68 percent recycled content -, includes the ability to block out light and oxygen all while providing a shareable 100 percent recyclable container.
As the popularity of the Crowlers has surged, Oskar Blues has sold more than 1.000 Crowler systems in the United States to bars and breweries with tasting rooms. Jeremy Rudolf, who manages Crowler integration at Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont, Colorado, says, “We get off on pushing the limits, doing things differently and the Resealable Crowler is another step of innovation to take advantage of what the can package has to offer from behind the bar”. In cooperation with DSG’s lug thread technology and Actega DS,the 32oz Resealable Crowler includes a cap containing an oxygen scavenging barrier – a small piece of TPE (thermoplastic elastomere) inside – that both helps remove oxygen from the beer poured into the container as well as gives the lid a better seal.
The Crowler® name is a Ball trademark, and it refers to the container itself. The machine used to close it is made by an American company and is sold through Oskar Blues. Then, Bachmann adds, “DSG’s unique lug thread and seal lining technologies, utilizing Actega’s seal material, combines to finish this innovative package for the craft beer industry”.
Finally the TPE sealing compound for closures – SVELOX® 5200 L – is part of Actega DS oxygen scavenger product family, protecting beverages from oxygen induced taste deterioration. It was developed for use on fruit juices, beer and mineral water and shows excellent elastic and organoleptic properties. This compound is based on SVELON® 520L with the oxygen scavenger package. After this compound became approved with the DSG Cap Can, breweries asked for reduction of the oxygen in the headspace to ensure taste properties and shelf life of the beer within the container. Therefore the SVELOX® 5200 L became a suitable solution for this specific application.
An overview of the benefits
Increase the to go business of breweries, bars, coffee shops, grocery chains with a convenient take home package
-Easy to fill and cap on site
-Customized cans using either pressure sensitive labels or shrink sleeves
-Resealable cap for maintaining freshness and drinking anytime, anywhere
-Seal liner in cap contains oxygen scavenger to help keep beer fresh
-Easy pour opening
Coming to Europe
The updated version of the table-top seamer will allow seaming of the standard end a n d Cap Can version, carry CE standards, and food safety standards required for chains such as Kroger (U.S. largest grocery chain by sales volume in excess of $115 billion) to purchase and use the machine.
The Crowler is currently available in the United States. But with things heating up in the craft beer world in UK and EU, Oskar Blues reports about lots of inquiries from companies there wishing to purchase the system. Brew Dog with 100 locations has recently committed to begin using Crowlers.
Actega DS will be presenting at Interpack in Düsseldorf, May 4-10, 2017, innovations in the areas of packaging and sealing compounds at Stand 11A12 in Hall 11 and at Fakuma in Friedrichshafen, October 17-21, innovations in the area of TPE materials for medical and pharmaceutical applications as well as consumer goods at Stand B5-5210 in Hall B5.
