Lakefront Brewery ditches glass bottles, switches exclusively to cans

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Bottles will soon be a thing of the past for one Milwaukee brewery looking to reduce its carbon footprint while staying ahead of the curve.

"Right now, more craft beers drink out of cans, 65%, compared to bottles, 35%, in the industry," Lakefront Brewery President Russ Klisch said.

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The brewery has already sold all of its bottling lines to a company in New Mexico. They are preparing to get the new canning system up and running within the next month.

Klisch tells CBS 58 the swap to aluminum helps the environment by reducing transport.

"A case of cans weighs 22 pounds, a case of bottles weighs 33," he said. "Right now, if I got a truckload of cans in here, it's equal to three truckloads of bottles."

He also says many people prefer cans because they can take them to the beach and carry them while hiking.

For those who like drinking beer out of a glass, Klisch suggests pouring the can into a glass cup for the same experience because the recipe has not changed.

"I understand there's people out there that prefer a bottle. I grew up on a bottle and like it. I would just say that the liquid is the same," he said.

CBS 58 spoke to some beer drinkers out for lunch on Thursday in Milwaukee, asking them whether they like beer in bottles or cans.

"Well, I like beer of all kinds, but if I have a choice, it's always a bottle," Wayne Weber said. "It tastes better."

"Beer tastes better, [has a] better feel when you have it in your hand," Bruce Houtler said.

Personal preference aside, the brewery says studies show people cannot tell the difference between the two.

"If you look at all the research, it all says you cannot pass a blind test and say, 'that's a can,' 'that's a bottle,'" Lakefront Brewery Employee Ryan Schabach said.

When it comes to Lakefront Brewery's beloved brewery tour, slight changes are coming, like the jokes told by tours, focusing on cans and not bottles, but for the most part, it will still be the same experience.

"Obviously, you won't be seeing a bottling line, but we're still going to have Laverne and Shirley still there, we'll still have the glove, we'll still sing the song, and it'll still be fun," Klisch said.

Those interested in getting a bottle of Lakefront Brewery beer have until March to grab one.


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