Epic Cans Coming this Summer

When Epic Brewing first burst on to the scene a few years ago, their mantra was basically, go big or go home. And they stuck to that for quite a while. The beers were like nothing that had come before them in Utah; producing no beers under 4.5% ABV.  The packaging was also big, choosing to go with 22oz. bottles instead of the more common 12ozers.

The no 4% beers eventually fell by the wayside with the advent of the Unsacred Brewing line of beers as well as the the creation of the Annex Brewpub. Their new mantra soon became, "never say never". Now comes the official announcement that the Utah/Colorado brewery will be getting into the canned beer game.

Now, less than a year after opening their second production brewery in Denver, Co., Epic Brewing is getting ready to show it's new packaging with their first six packs in 12-ounce cans. The first beers to be released in cans will feature one Colorado Original and one Utah Original. Escape to Colorado IPA – a nicely fruity, dry-hopped Mosaic hoped IPA and Hop Syndrome – a hugely hopped Euro-style lager. The packaging that will feature the Hop Syndrome Lager will be a rotating seasonal, while Escape to Colorado will be the mainstay. Both beers will be brewed and canned exclusively in Colorado, with a tentative release sometime after June.

The Denver brewery is currently in the process of establishing a canning line because the Utah brewery is completely out of space. Epic co-founder Dave Cole said the Eco-friendly PakTech six pack cans will be distributed to the brewery’s markets across the country (including Utah), as well as to Japan.

Epic spokesman Matthew Allred says, While Epic is known for its 22oz bomber format we are also avid adventure junkies and when it comes to the outdoors, the can is king. We’re looking forward to joining you on your next excursion.

I've made no secret of my advocacy for cans and smaller packaging. I'm sure as more breweries recognize the profitability and portability of cans more and more labels will start to appear.

Cheers!