Do you have your own craft brewery? Are you looking for a way to get that craft beer onto more retail shelves? One way may be to sell your beer in cans in addition to or even instead of bottles. Retailers sometimes prefer cans because they often take up less space on the shelf. That allows the retailer to carry more product. Also, your consumers may prefer a canned option for things like camping trips, grill outs, and tailgates. You probably started with bottling because that can be done manually and requires little expensive equipment. You have options, though, to make canning work. Here are three of the most effective options for canning your craft beer:

Use a mobile canning service. These services have risen in response to the high numbers of new craft beer brands in recent years. A mobile canning service can come out to your brewery and can your beer onsite. The benefit of this is that you don't have to invest in equipment and you don't have to send barrels of your beer offsite for canning and then have it shipped back. You can have your beer canned in your facility and then distribute it directly.

However, a mobile canning service may not offer much variety in the way of can design. You'll also only be able to can when the service has availability to come to your facility. If they can't come out at a specific date, that could create problems in your distribution process.

Outsource to a canning line. You can also send your beer to a canning service to have the job done. You'll barrel your beer in kegs and send it to the canning service to be canned, and then the service will either distribute the beer on your behalf or send the canned beer back to you for distribution. This can be an effective logistical solution. However, the process of shipping your beer to a third party can be costly. You're also giving up some control to the canning service in terms of can design. Also, if the canning service has an issue or a malfunction, that could impact your distribution.

Can it yourself. You may find that the best solution is to install your own canning line in your facility. While the system may require a substantial investment, it could actually save you money in the long run because you won't have to pay a third party. You'll need a canning line that includes equipment like a can roller, a filler, and a can seamer. You'll also need a packaging system that applies plastic handles to your packs of beers.

Aside from long-term cost savings, the benefit of having your own system is that you'll have more control. You can change the can design, control when your beer gets canned, and distribute to stores as soon as the canned beer is ready.

For more information, contact a service that sells canning supplies. They can help you find a filler, can seamer, and all of the other equipment you may need.