Rahr & Sons sees itself in the future as being a “Can & Keg” facility as the North Texas brewery is continuing its transition into cans with its “Ugly Pug” Schwarzbier being the next to enter the canning line in September.
It’s been a process that has been ongoing for two years said Rahr creative director Jeff Wood. Several of Rahr & Sons’ beers have become available in cans since beginning the transition process. The brewery recently purchased a larger canning line for the facility that outputs more than 20,000 barrels per year and has doubled its production capacity to up to 1,200 cases a day with plans to eventually produce cans almost exclusively.
“We see the market heading that direction and it’s definitely where our heads are at the moment,” Wood said. “We are at a crossroads right now in regards to our positioning of bottles vs. cans, but we are making an active push towards cans and will continue to do so as we finish out 2016 and into 2017.”
To promote the beer’s launch in cans to its consumers, the brewery will utilize the tagline “Chug A Pug” on pint glasses, t-shirts and posters. A kick-off event is planned for September 21.
Wood said that with the transference from bottles to cans Rahr & Sons would take the opportunity to give the beer a little marketing push at the same time and utilize the announcement of the switch to launch the slogan.
“The updated can design along with new “Chug A Pug” marketing point-of-sale posters, case cards, banners and merchandise should appeal to a wide range of consumers, both young and old, including current Ugly Pug fans and those discovering it for the first time,” he said.
Switching to cans is something that had been discussed at length for years, Wood said. The approach has continued to be a well-planned transfer over a manageable period of time. Wood added internally, the brewery saw the market moving toward cans based on consumer demand, cost advantages, eco-friendliness, as well as from the vendor/store display/marketing standpoint.
“[We] remain committed to creating delicious craft beers while evolving with the market,” said owner Fritz Rahr. “Cans are more portable, eco-friendly and prevent unnecessary light and oxygen from breaking down the hops in a beer.”
With the switch, Rahr & Sons decided to freshen up the look on the cans by enlarging the graphics and using bright, bold colors.
“Working with cans is always a joy as there’s something special about the metallic, iridescent look of water-based ink and graphics on a shiny, metallic aluminum background,” Wood said.
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