Powderkeg Brewery has installed a canning line at its brewery in Woodbury Salterton, near Exeter. The project has been supported by a grant from East Devon Council’s Innovation and Resilience Fund.
The brewery will be able to package its beers in house, meaning more limited edition releases, higher quality standards, and a considerable reduction in its carbon footprint.
“We’ve brewed over 70 different beers in the past seven years, but many of them have had very limited release due to packaging constraints,” said Powderkeg co-founder and head brewer John Magill.
“This canning line should let us offer the full Powderkeg experience to a much wider audience. That’s a very exciting prospect for us and our supporters.”
Dream Land session NEIPA is the first special edition release off the line and is available now. That will be swiftly followed by Cool Hand, a summery Kolsch-style beer with white wine notes from New Zealand hops.
Then PKIPA will return, along with 6ixes & 7evens, a West Coast amber, making a much anticipated comeback. Harmony Helles has earned a permanent place in the 440ml line-up, too, a perfectly tuned session lager.
The canning machinery has bee supplied by Vigo, a Devon-based specialist in drinks equipment, and is able to fill both 330 and 440ml cans, at a rate of up to 35 per minute. The model is an ABE Craftcan 35 with an auto depalletiser, twin Z-rinse, in-line labelling, and inkjet date coder.
“This year we will prioritise canning our own beer and gaining industry accreditation, then in 2023 we will look to offer a contract canning service,” said John. “It’s a really exciting move for us to have full quality control over our end product and develop the business in this way.”
