Silver lining comes as WV canned beer

If there is a silver lining to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has to be the proliferation of beer in cans from West Virginia breweries. Canned beers, it seems, are popping up everywhere.

From simple crowler fillers to multi-head canning mechanisms, West Virginia breweries have recently committed a bunch of new resources to canning. New investments in equipment and materials all coming during a most uncertain business time. Those with canning equipment have seen overall great sales results. Now, there is no turning back. Even as breweries reopen their taprooms and begin selling pints of draft, they have to keep those cans coming or else a lot of their customers will be very unhappy.

Canned beer has always been the perfect complement to the state’s outdoor lifestyle. The can has so many advantages in portability, safety, recycling, and beer freshness. It’s a no-brainer and is certainly THE package for the Mountain State. A brewery without canning is now at a real competitive disadvantage—their road ahead will be much harder to navigate successfully.

By our count, over a dozen West Virginia breweries now offer some form of canned beer, with more on the way. By the number of WV beer can photos posted on social media, we can tell that these cans are a big hit with WV beer fans.

Recent Canning Converts

The following breweries have begun canning in one form or another this year.

Abolitionist

Now offering 16-oz. and 32-oz. fills of many beers.
Availability: primarily at the brewery

High Ground

New canning equipment is producing lots of tasty offerings in 16-oz. cans.
Availability: at the brewery and in distribution

The Peddler

Added a crowler seamer and now offers all its beers in 32-oz. package
Availability: at the brewery

Morgantown Brewing

Installed some basic canning equipment and now offer their fun brews in 16-oz. cans.
Availability: at brewery

Screech Owl

Has a canning line on order; should begin canning within a couple months.
Availability: coming soon to the brewery and distribution

Short Story

Has added 16-oz. cans of some of their new and popular products. Seeing lagers, pale ales, and IPAs now canned.

Availability: at the brewery in Rivesville and their taproom in Deep Creek Lake.

Breweries saying “Yeah. Told you so.”

These are the brewers who committed to canning well before the pandemic and now are reaping the benefit of the increased demand for canned beer by increasing the number of cans they are producing.

Greenbrier Valley

The state’s first canning craft brewery continues producing six packs of 12-oz. cans for all its flagship brands.
Availability: at brewery and in distribution

Big Timber

Produces the most widely distributed canned beer in the state. This year have added more small batch products in cans. Offered in four-packs of 16-oz. cans.
Availability: at brewery and in distribution

Mountain State

Offering all their flagships in six packs of 12-oz. cans.
Availability: at brewery and in distribution

Parkersburg Brewing

Pumping out more varieties than ever before in six-packs of 12-oz. cans.
Availability: at brewery and in distribution

Berkeley Springs Brewing

Using mobile canner to keep their six-packs of 12-oz. cans flowing.
Availability: at brewery and in distribution

Chestnut

Doing small batches of their popular brews in 16-oz. cans.
Availability: at brewery

Stumptown

Putting small batches of their beers in 16-oz. cans weekly.
Availability: at brewery

Weathered Ground

Added a nice little beer canning set-up in addition to their crowler filler. Offering an increasing number of brews in 16-oz four packs.
Availability: at the brewery and in distribution

Bad Shepherd

Added new higher capacity equipment to continue canning and finally adding distribution. 16-oz. cans in four-packs.
Availability: at brewery and in distribution

Brew Keepers

Filling 32-oz. growlers of everything they tap.
Availability: at brewery