16 replies to this topic

[Bklmt2000]

Saw this on my book o' Faces: the biodegradable 6-pack holder  https://www.goodnews...f-harming-them/

 

Seems like a pretty good idea to me.

[positiveContact]

nothing against them doing it but how much does it really matter?  best case I would say if this works maybe more packaging would be made from something biodegradable/edible and a bigger dent could be made.

 

eta: I think the idea seems good on it's own but I just wonder if this is one of those things where plastic can rings aren't the boogieman they've been made out to be and that there are bigger fish to fry.

Edited by Evil_Morty, 19 May 2016 - 10:21 AM.

[Bklmt2000]

nothing against them doing it but how much does it really matter?  best case I would say if this works maybe more packaging would be made from something biodegradable/edible and a bigger dent could be made.

 

It's a step in the right direction; getting more plastic out of our landfills/oceans, etc., is a good thing.

[positiveContact]

It's a step in the right direction; getting more plastic out of our landfills/oceans, etc., is a good thing.

 

in general yeah.  I'd want to see what's involved in the production of these new can rings.  what kind of resources does it take to create them?

[SchwanzBrewer]

Small brewers will buy this stuff, but it won't matter until Coca Cola, Pepsi, and AB-Inbev start using it.

 

It's probably not terribly hard to make. 

[positiveContact]

I just feel like I hardly ever see 6 pack holders anymore.  I feel like most canned stuff comes in 12 packs or larger and people buy that b/c it's cheaper.

[Murphy]

while not really edible (might be however) there has been polylactic acid plastics for quite some time and PLA is recyclable and biodegradable and is produced from corn starch (among other things).

 

so this really isn't that new

[positiveContact]

I think our cups at work might be made from cornstarch or something similar.  I'm not sure though.

[MtnBrewer]

I just feel like I hardly ever see 6 pack holders anymore.  I feel like most canned stuff comes in 12 packs or larger and people buy that b/c it's cheaper.

 

I usually buy my cans in boxed 12-packs (Oskar Blues Pinner, for example) but around here a lot of sixers come in some sort of plastic holder. There are two predominant types. One is the soft plastic that goes around the middle of the can and has a handle that you can use to carry the 6-pack sideways. The other type can feck right off and is made out of harder plastic that goes over the top of the can. Pulling the can out of this type of holder usually shakes up the contents to the point that you get a foamer when you open it.

 

And speaking of cans, does anybody remember Jdtirado and his horror at the idea of craft beer in cans? Pretty much all breweries around here are going to cans and the day is not far off when the only bottles will be bombers and larger sizes.

[positiveContact]

I usually buy my cans in boxed 12-packs (Oskar Blues Pinner, for example) but around here a lot of sixers come in some sort of plastic holder. There are two predominant types. One is the soft plastic that goes around the middle of the can and has a handle that you can use to carry the 6-pack sideways. The other type can feck right off and is made out of harder plastic that goes over the top of the can. Pulling the can out of this type of holder usually shakes up the contents to the point that you get a foamer when you open it.

 

And speaking of cans, does anybody remember Jdtirado and his horror at the idea of craft beer in cans? Pretty much all breweries around here are going to cans and the day is not far off when the only bottles will be bombers and larger sizes.

 

I was thinking vast majority of sales which is cases of bud light, etc.

[MtnBrewer]

Yeah you're absolutely right about that.

[positiveContact]

Yeah you're absolutely right about that.

 

also yes, those hard plastic can holders are a PITA.  takes a lot of force and when they release it's sudden.

[SchwanzBrewer]

I usually buy my cans in boxed 12-packs (Oskar Blues Pinner, for example) but around here a lot of sixers come in some sort of plastic holder. There are two predominant types. One is the soft plastic that goes around the middle of the can and has a handle that you can use to carry the 6-pack sideways. The other type can feck right off and is made out of harder plastic that goes over the top of the can. Pulling the can out of this type of holder usually shakes up the contents to the point that you get a foamer when you open it.

 

And speaking of cans, does anybody remember Jdtirado and his horror at the idea of craft beer in cans? Pretty much all breweries around here are going to cans and the day is not far off when the only bottles will be bombers and larger sizes.

 

I doubt bottles even for craft will ever go away. Coppertail chose to do bottles for good reason... air vacuum the bottle prior to co2. I've thought about it if I ever get my damn thing off the ground and I like the idea of using premium swing top bottles like the German breweries do in Altstadt. But, a 2-6 head canner ain't very expensive to buy/run. Maybe by the time I get off the ground you can buy less than half a truck load of cans too.

[MtnBrewer]

Paradox was using the swing top bottles but abandoned them because they were unreliable. A lot of their beers were losing carbonation. Plus they're expensive.

[SchwanzBrewer]

Paradox was using the swing top bottles but abandoned them because they were unreliable. A lot of their beers were losing carbonation. Plus they're expensive.

 

Yeah, things the future me might hopefully one day have to worry about. Right now the light at the end of the tunnel dim.

[MtnBrewer]

I hear that.

 

I think Paradox's gaskets were just poor quality -- they weren't squishy enough to make a good seal. On the plus side a lot of us around here got a bunch of swing-top bottles for free.

[Genesee Ted]

I doubt bottles even for craft will ever go away. Coppertail chose to do bottles for good reason... air vacuum the bottle prior to co2. I've thought about it if I ever get my damn thing off the ground and I like the idea of using premium swing top bottles like the German breweries do in Altstadt. But, a 2-6 head canner ain't very expensive to buy/run. Maybe by the time I get off the ground you can buy less than half a truck load of cans too.

The one we had at the last brewery I brewed at was like $200,000 for a 5 head one. Not to mention all the extra stuff that didn't come with it like a can code printer and a bigger air compressor, depalletizer, etc. I'm not saying that it doesn't pay for itself over time, but that's no small chunk of change for a small brewery. We had to upgrade to floor too to the tune of $8 sq ft IIRC.

At the place I'm building now, we will definitely be getting a canning line but we are a year or so maybe out from that. We may use a mobile canning service in the meantime though. Interestingly, the old ass building where we are in is the old American Canning Company building, in which the world's first beer can was developed and produced.

ETA: You don't need to buy truckloads of cans anymore. There are both printed and sleeve solutions I believe.