Santa Fe Brewing Makes the Move From Bottles to Cans

Switching from bottles to cans was a decision to increase capacity, reliability, and quality, but SFBC couldn’t do it without an equipment upgrade. SFBC began canning back in 2010 with the release of their flagship Happy Camper IPA in 12-ounce cans, but their equipment and processes had limitations. Their new CFT Master Can Tronic RS 16 does many things the previous canning line and bottling lines could not, such as minimizing oxygen pickup to Mega Brewer levels. Reducing oxygen pick up increases shelf stability, resulting in beer that stays fresh longer. 

Cans are superior to bottles in many other facets as well. The lighter weight of the cans means less expensive shipping and fewer shipments, reducing the brewery’s carbon footprint. They are also more portable and a better choice when recreating outdoors.

“The quality is much better with cans. You may not recognize the State Pen Porter, Pale Ale, or Nut Brown by their new package, but you will definitely remember your favorites by taste,” says SFBC owner Brian Lock.

Brewmaster Bert Boyce had this to say about the new line. “We can produce five times the number of cans per minute than we could previously. We can easily change over to a different style to meet more complicated needs. And the new line should be much more reliable from an uptime and quality perspective. Right now the canning line is purring along at about 140 cans per minute, but will able to fill much faster as the demand for our beers continues to grow.” 

Just recently, SFBC won big at the Can Can Awards, a canned beer competition held annually in Nashville, Tennessee. SFBC took home two golds for best Coffee Beer and Best German Style Pilsner with their Imperial Java Stout and Freestyle Pilsner respectively.