Success on the Singles Scene: Best Practices for Benchtop Seamers

Crowlers and other cans sealed at the bar have been popular with brewpubs and taprooms for almost a decade now, working around the higher cost of a canning line while still providing a to-go option for customers.

Filling them is quick and easy, making them an attractive option. However, there are several potential downsides—and keeping the liquid at its best requires care on the part of both brewery and drinker. Shelf life is a concern, and there are variables beyond the brewery’s control once that can is sealed.

Here, I outline some of the usual pitfalls of crowler fills, as well as ways to avoid them, so that your customers can experience the best possible version of your beer.

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Bar-Top Benefits

The Ball Corporation introduced the 32-ounce crowler package in 2013—trademarked name, and all—riffing on the growlers that have been around in one form or another since the late 1800s. Those glass jugs are still around, of course, even if they’ve lost ground at small breweries to aluminum—whether filled by small canning lines, mobile canners, or benchtop seamers.

Customers like the option to take beer home with them, and breweries like opportunities to sell more of it. The industry’s gradual shift toward more aluminum packaging has helped to widen those options and opportunities, but full-fledged canning lines come with certain headaches—even besides the cost to buy, maintain, and staff them.

A benchtop (or bar-top) can seamer, on the other hand, is a simpler and cheaper option with a much smaller footprint. Instead of planning a canning run, staff can fill the crowlers or other cans on an as-needed basis, or even ahead of opening for the day. While it takes a team to run a canning line, it takes only one trained employee to properly use a seamer. Plus, even when breweries have canning lines, seamers can be useful for emptying (and freeing up) kegs or tanks without losing product. And not only do customers enjoy taking beer home, but many also enjoy the show of seeing their can filled and seamed.

The price of a bar-top can seamer tends to be attractive, compared to canning lines—the seamers typically range from less than $1,000 up to nearly $4,000, depending on the model selected, with used machines often available for less. You also need to purchase cans and lids. Labels are another consideration; reworking some existing label art to fit 16- or 32-ounce cans may add cost, unless you’re happy to roll with brite cans and Sharpie markers.

Proper Filling

Before we get to the pitfalls, let’s briefly review how to correctly fill and seam a crowler or other can:

• First, inspect the can for dust, debris, or any physical abnormalities.
• Rinse the can thoroughly to ensure that any unseen dust is cleared out.
• If possible, purge the can with CO₂.
• Fill the can from the tap, using a bottom-fill wand or tube if you have it; otherwise, fill it the same way you would pour a good pint: Hold it at an angle and pour along the inside, filling almost to the top with beer, ideally with some foam poking over the top.
• Place the lid onto the foam.
• Use the can seamer to seam the lid to the can.
• Rinse the outside of the can, and make sure it’s labeled with the correct brand, alcohol content, and expiration date.

The Risks of Crowlers

Now, let’s dive into the potential downsides of these fill-on-demand crowlers or other cans.

Microbes

From a quality-control standpoint, the main issue is the potential for microbial growth within the can. Even if your brewery regularly and consistently cleans its draft lines, the potential for microbial growth in the tap lines is greater than it is in a fermentor or a can. The lines usually sit with beer in them overnight, and—depending on temperature control—that beer can harbor any number of wild yeast or bacteria.

Before opening for the day, it’s good practice to bleed off a specified amount of beer to clear out what was sitting in the line. Even once that’s done, there can still be some microbes hanging out on the lines or in the air behind the bar. These aren’t consequential to the draft-beer drinkers in your taproom—the spare microbe won’t cause any off-flavors or sensory damage if the pint is consumed at the usual pace. However, if that draft beer fills a can and then sits a while, it magnifies the risk—especially if the consumer doesn’t keep it cold or drink it relatively soon.

With that in mind, the best thing a brewery can do to avoid any microbial growth in a crowler (or any other can seamed at the bar) is to keep those tap lines clean and bleed off some beer before starting the day.

Seamers from Oktober (left) and Dixie (right)

Oxygen

On a canning line, being able to control and dial in oxygen content is a delicate balance. However, brewers can use special equipment to test for dissolved oxygen during the run, making adjustments if needed as they go.

When it comes to filling crowlers or other cans at the bar, there isn’t as much control. When you are filling one can at a time, there is a greater potential for oxygen to linger in the can. The filling process also can add unnecessary oxygen—any residual headspace will drastically impact shelf life and more rapidly add staling flavors of the beer.

This is where employee training is crucial: The filling and seaming should be done quickly because the longer the can sits open without being sealed, the greater its exposure to oxygen. Providing regular training sessions and making SOPs available will help ensure that all employees fill cans the same way—a way that ensures the best possible product for the customer to enjoy at home.

Shelf Life

For cans seamed at the bar, it’s smart to communicate an expiration date to your customers. You may want to determine this on a brand-by-brand basis, but a two-week maximum shelf life is the usual recommendation.

Some breweries go as long as a month, but filling practices—such as speed, bottom-fill, purging with CO₂, and so on—also vary from brewery to brewery. Another smart practice is to regularly set crowlers aside and taste them after several days and weeks, to see how well they hold up.

Then there is the consumer side of the equation. Ideally, your customers are aware of the need to keep the cans cold—not sitting for long in the car or on the counter at home. Having clear guidelines and communicating them to customers will help to ensure that they get to enjoy the best version of the beer. Clearly writing the expiration date on the can is a good start, but it’s best if a staff member can add a quick explanation about the short shelf life before the customer leaves—or, better yet, before they make the purchase.

Can-Do

There are many advantages to filling crowlers and other cans with bar-top seamers, but cleanliness, oxygen control, and customer education should all be included in the process.

As with any packaged product that leaves the brewery or taproom, the brewer relinquishes control of the beer once it’s gone. Following those best practices can help to ensure that your customers have a positive experience with your beer after it accompanies them home.