[5/12 Update: I’ll keep this up unedited for posterity but let it be known, Saranac Pale Ale cans are imminent.]

(Windsor, VT) – Harpoon Brewery becomes the latest brewery to add its brands to cans this summer. The most interesting part about this, though, is where they are canning the beer.

The brewery hasn’t officially made an announcement on timing though rumor has it that the cans could be ready for dispatch as early as the end of the month. Harpoon is only offering its IPA and Summer Beer in cans to start, both of which will be available only in 12-packs.

The beer is brewed at Harpoon’s own facility and then shipped over to FX Matt, makers of Saranac, in Utica, NY, where the beer is then canned.

What seems odd about this from FX Matt’s standpoint is that Saranac beers are not offered in cans. If there is a brand in the USA that is positioned perfectly to try out cans, it is FX Matt.

They have the sales being ranked 7th in the country. They have the capacity (think back to the reports where they were trying to buy Flying Bison and said that they could brew some FB in Utica). Cans fit into FX Matt’s “Be Green” philosophy. The brewery is located right near the Adirondack Mountains and several lakes where cans are especially advantageous over bottles. They are marketed as such by most breweries offering cans including Harpoon. The labels and marketing materials almost exclusively feature outdoors scenes so the branding is already perfectly aligned for cans. Hell, they even have a canning line installed!

And yet, instead of doing the obvious thing, they invite the competing Harpoon Brewery, ranked not far behind them in overall sales, to come over and use their canning line.

What do you think?