Yes, they can: New Belgium goes portable
Published by Staff on 5.28.2008 at 12:35 p.m.To lessen its ecological impact and allow Fat Tire fans to bring their brew practically everywhere, New Belgium is now canning the beer that gave fame to the Fort Collins, Colo. brewery.
“Introducing cans was a natural choice given that they are outdoor-friendly, light for transport and readily recyclable,” says Bryan Simpson, a New Belgium spokesperson. “In addition to the lighter carbon footprint, Fat Tire can now travel to places where glass is not an option.”
The brewery argues that distributing Fat Tire in cans will lighten trucks, thereby saving fuel during transport. New Belgium already uses biodiesel in its distribution trucks and vehicles used during its summer Tour de Fat events.
The cans, which will feature Fat Tire’s original watercolor artwork, are 100 percent recyclable. And die-hards needn’t worry about taste differences between the bottled and canned versions: “We took a unique can-conditioning approach and its flavor was not compromised in any way,” says Simpson. “We ran a series of tests using our friends at Oskar Blues canning line and there was virtually no flavor differential.”
Watch for cans to hit stores mid-June. For more information, visit www.newbelgium.com.