Canmore Cans More With Labels

When your brewery is named for your town and the town is called Canmore, the packaging choice for your beer is obvious, right? But Canmore Brewing cofounder Marc Gagne says it was something else that inspired him and his partner Brian Dunn to embrace the mighty aluminum package for their Alberta, Canada brewery.

“Freshness for our product,” Gagne says, “and lightweight and durable packaging that aligns with our messaging that says ‘take our beer wherever you go on your outdoor excursions.’ Plus,” Gagne adds, “the 473ml cans offer a great surface for the branding of our beer.”

That branding stretches across a quartet of core canned beers — Ten Peaks Pale Ale, Railway Avenue Rye IPA, Georgetown Brown Strong Ale and Mineside Stout – filled and seamed on Cask’s Automated Canning System.

But instead of the typical printed cans, these beers get their graphics in a novel and nimble fashion. The cans for all four styles bear the same brewery identifying graphics inked onto printed cans. But the individual brands are distinguished from one another by an adhesive label bearing the beer’s name. The labels are applied with an optically controlled labeler from Pack Leader USA that places the labels in the exact spot reserved for the beer name on the printed can.

“There are a few of us at Canmore,” Gagne admits, “that some might call techno-nerds, and our label applicator fits right in with us. Integrating the optics into the label application was a task Cask and Pack Leader took on, and after some commissioning work we are very happy with the system.”


There are a few of us at Canmore,” Gagne admits, “that some might call techno-nerds, and our label applicator fits right in with us. Integrating the optics into the label application was a task Cask and Pack Leader took on, and after some commissioning work we are very happy with the system.


Gagne says this printed-can-with-label system has several benefits for his new and growing craft brewery. “It’s a unique solution to maximize our flexibility, costs and evolving product line,” Gagne says. “There’s the savings of using one painted can across all of our beer types, and in many ways that also helps make our products easily recognizable on the shelf.”

The labels also give Gagne and Dunn valuable design flexibility in developing graphics for their expanding line up of beers, which will include upcoming seasonal and specialty beers. The labels are made by a nearby Alberta company for extra convenience.

That Canmore’s packaging equipment is also made in Alberta — by Cask Brewing Systems — is a special plus. “We get to work with a world-class equipment company that’s also local,” Gagne says.

Canmore’s beers are available at the brewery’s tasting room and retail locations throughout its local area. The beers will soon head to more stores in Southern Alberta and Gagne and Dunn are planning to add additional markets soon. What more can a Canmore brewery ask for but to can more beer?

 

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