BREWING
AND BEVERAGE
INDUSTRY
INTERNATIONAL
OF CANS AND COVID
The year 2020 will certainly not go down in history as one of the best for the international brewing
and beverage industry. Forced by the Covid-19 pandemic, the partial shutdown of restaurants all
across the globe meant considerable sales losses for many beverage producers.
Some manufacturers, however, were able to use clever marketing and quick response strategies
to deal with the drastic changes in their circumstances. By focusing on drinks for consumption
on the go or at home, they were able to make up at least part of their sales losses. In the USA
in particular, canned beverages have become increasingly popular with consumers.
This increased demand for beverages in cans, however, also means that cans themselves as
containers are becoming a scarce commodity. Find out more about the current can shortage
in the United States in an interesting article by Mike Kallenberger on page 18.
One drink that is packaged almost exclusively in cans is Hard Seltzer, a beverage category that
has made serious inroads in the alcoholic beverage market in the United States in recent years.
Clearly on trend, they are mostly sugar-free drinks that tend to have an alcohol content of roughly
5 percent. In response, not just in the USA, but also in many other parts of the world, both startups
and large beverage groups are now trying to establish Hard Seltzer in various markets. In order
for Hard Seltzer to maintain its foothold, however, it is essential that it be a microbiologically pure
product. In this issue of BREWING AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY INTERNATIONAL, we present
one way of packaging Hard Seltzer aseptically (page 20).
Notwithstanding all the difficulties that 2020 has brought us, there are now glimmers of hope
at the end of the year. Indeed, there are early reports of possible vaccines, which bear with them
the prospect that someday in the not too distant future we may once again be able to drink
a beer together, or maybe even a hard seltzer, in a bar or a pub.
We are looking forward to that!
The entire team at Sachon Publishers wishes you a relaxing Christmas season and a good start
into what we hope will be a healthy and successful 2021.
WOLFGANG BURKART
Cheers!