Brown's Brewing Co. moving away from bottled beers

North Hoosick brewing facility

• From the Times Union

The new German-made Leibinger canning equipment that [Brown's Brewing Company owner Garry Brown] recently installed in the North Hoosick warehouse that brews his beers has a $1.2 million price tag and is a big shift for both his company and craft beer in the Capital Region.

Most beer produced in the region is immediately placed in kegs (for distribution or for the brewery's own use) or bottled in brown glass. Brown's plans to use bottles only for special releases. The move to cans is pricey, but the benefits of canned beer has appeal for brewers and customers.

"Cans are like a mini keg. They keep our product fresher for longer," says Kelly Brown, Garry's wife and business partner. Garry Brown cites more positives about cans: They have a longer shelf life than bottles and let in less light and oxygen (helping to keep beer fresh), are cheaper to ship because they are lighter than bottles, easier to store and are more environmentally friendly than bottles, as they require less resources to recycle.

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