(Chicago, IL) – The number of regional breweries that haven’t yet tried cans continues to dwindle.
Label approval came through this week, paving the way for 312 Urban Wheat to become Goose Island‘s first beer in cans. In addition to 12 oz. cans, 12 oz. and 22 oz. bottle labels were also approved. All labels notes the beer being produced at the Anheuser-Busch facility in Baldwinsville, New York.
A spokesman for the company said that 2012 packaging decisions won’t be finalized until January.
Goose Island has been the subject of much banter since it was sold to Anheuser-Busch for $30 million earlier this year. Some consternation arose with the revelation that some production would be outsourced to the Baldwinsville plant. The company had already outsourced some production to RedHook’s facility in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, under a separate contract. The Baldwinsville plant will now take a larger role in 312 production in 2012, having previously only produced it in kegs.
Syracuse Online reported this week that AB is injecting several million dollars into Baldwinsville in hopes of increasing production capacity as much as 30%.
I for one am sick of all the AB buyout comments. Anyone who is more concerned with who’s name is on the label, rather than the quality of what’s in the can or bottle is just being a snob. With the exception of the IPA, Goose’s beer s as good as it ever was. When Redhook couldn’t reproduce the IPA to the quality standard consumers were used to, they moved the production back to Chicago. Problem solved. The barrel program is still going. The Christmas ale is back and this year is as good as it ever was.
Thanks Daniel D. Goose Island is moving production of some beers from Chicago to meet increasing demand and to make room to grow its barrel and secondary fermentation program at the Fulton Street brewery. The one thing that Goose will not change, in any way, shape, or form, is its commitment to quality and innovation. (It’s been said before but it bears repeating). The truth is in the bottle – or in the can!
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