Want some top-drawer takeaway beer in a versatile eco package? Help us to equip our Brewery Taphouse with a can-seaming "Crowler" machine!
by Phil Saltonstall in Malton, England, United Kingdom
Having helped us to hit the initial £7000 target, way ahead of our deadline, the Crowler machine is coming to Malton! We're now stretching our target to £9000, to see if we can generate some extra funds to make our Crowler Club membership scheme the best it can be, offering substantial perks to those who hop onboard.
AIM
We're looking to start a 'Crowler Club', by equipping our Brewery Taphouse with a can-seaming "Crowler" machine so that we can put takeaway beer into a versatile can. That will allow fresh beer to travel out of our Taphouse in the best possible packaging - locally and to locations across the UK. 'Crowler' has become the given name for a 32oz can that is filled and closed at the bar, full of your favourite fresh beer. 'Crowler Club' membership will give you deals on crowler-fills of beer; along with access to exclusive Brass Castle offers, beers and other merchandise.
ABOUT US
Brass Castle is a microbrewery based in the centre of Malton, North Yorkshire, with an on-site Taphouse - boasting way more than its fair share of beer awards. We have a permanent staff of nine people, besides a willing band of extras who help when needed at various festivals and charity events. All of our beers are vegan/vegetarian friendly and a number are gluten-free.
OUR ETHOS
We're a community brewery, deliberately based in the centre of Yorkshire's Food Capital to allow passers-by to come and see what we get up to. We seek to push the boundaries with beer styles that are fun and interesting, alongside trialling new techniques and technologies. Our process has always been vegan/vegetarian friendly, as that requirement has helped to ensure that our beer is of the highest quality - with no corners cut. We have also looked closely at our environmental impact and do our level best to make full use of brewery waste products. Spent grain goes to a nearby anaerobic digester and spent hops go to local allotments. We're very much trying to do beer thoughtfully and in the right way.
WHAT WILL THE MONEY BE USED FOR?
We're hoping to gather together £7000. £6000 for a Dixie Canner 'crowler' can-seaming machine to be bought and imported from the USA (sadly, there is no supplier in the UK currently), and £1000 for a quantity of 32oz cans to get us underway.
WHY A "CROWLER" CANNING MACHINE?
We want to give visitors to our Taphouse - and people further afield - the best possible beer takeaway option. The 32oz 'Crowler' can has become a mainstay of US brewery taprooms, allowing fresh beer to be collected direct from the brewery - in a way that cannot be matched at the supermarket or bottle shop, or by former 'growler' bottle or carton options. With a can-seaming 'Crowler' machine, we will be able to put 946ml (1.66 imp pints) of any of the eight beers on our Taphouse bar, either cask or keg, into a unique and tightly-sealed takeaway container. That will significantly enhance our current core range of four 330ml canned gluten-free beers.
We also want to make our more unique, seasonal or exclusive beers available to interested beer drinkers across the UK. If the beer is on our Taphouse bar, then we should be able to can it in a 'Crowler' and send it anywhere in the UK.
Properly seamed crowler cans keep out taste-destroying light and oxygen, and the water-based polymer interior coating means that no metal tang is transferred to the beer. Cans can go where more hazardous glass containers cannot. Aluminium crowler cans are lightweight, shatterproof, and pack easily. That also makes them cheaper to transport (less fuel used) and causes them to require less energy to be recycled than glass. Cans are simply an all-round better option for beer packaging.
WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU?
Join our Crowler Club! We imagine a future when we can send beer fresh from our Taphouse out to anyone in Britain. People will be able to choose to package any of the fresh beers that we have on our bar. That will allow visitors to pop-in and collect a completely bespoke beer experience to take home or to gift to a friend.
We would be very grateful if you could share in this goal and pledge towards our idea. In return for your contribution, we've set out a range of rewards in the panel to the right. As a matter of course, everyone who pledges or donates will instantly become a member of our Crowler Club, gaining access to other exclusive offers. Even if you're not captivated yourself, then a pledge might make an excellent gift for someone that you know.
Cheers,
The Brass Castle crew
This project offers rewards in return for your donation. Please select a reward below.