When it comes to purchasing beverages, you can find them in various containers at the grocery store like cartons, bottles – both glass and plastic, and cans. In certain industries, like the craft beer industry, you can find options in either glass bottles or cans. What are the differences between canning and bottling, and is one better than the other?
To determine which method is better for your business, it’s important to understand the differences between canning and bottling. We’ll discuss the canning and bottling processes and the main differences below.
What is the Canning Process?
To start the canning process, you can either start with pre-printed cans or blank cans. These cans start without lids/ends and are fed automatically onto a conveyor belt of a canning machine. The cans are either rinsed with wate, sanitizer or ionized air. They are then purged of oxygen with a blast of carbon dioxide. Any oxygen left in a can can affect the taste stability of the beverage down the road.
Once the cans are properly cleaned, they proceed down the line and are filled with beer. After the cans are full, lids are placed on the top while carbon dioxide is simultaneously burst into the can to push the last bit of air out, leaving little headspace.
The cans continue down the line to the seamer. Each can rotates, and a motor spins the can at high speed with a crimping seam, sealing the cans. The cans are then externally rinsed, checked for fill level, dated, and packaged for sale. After being filled, the cans are sometimes pasteurized.
If cans are pre-printed before filling, they can be packaged right away for sale. If cans are filled blank, the labeling process happens after cans have dried and before they are packaged for sale.
Cans can be separated into 4 or 6 packs with a plastic ring or top to hold them together or boxed into larger quantities. Cans are then palletized and ready for delivery!
The canning process can be completed manually, semi-automatically, or automatically with varying canning systems. Depending on the size of the beverage company, automatic canning systems can fill, lid, and seam cans from 50 cans per minute to over 2,000.
What is the Bottling Process?
The bottling process starts with depalletizing – empty bottles are removed from their original pallet packaging from the manufacturer. This is so that bottles can be handled individually.
Bottles are rinsed with water and may have carbon dioxide injected into them to help reduce the level of oxygen within the bottle, similar to the canning process.
Bottles are then sent to the filler, which fills the bottle with beer. Because of the small opening at the top, liquid is filled slowly to avoid overflow and spilling. Once filled, a small burst of carbon dioxide is injected on top of the liquid to disperse any remaining oxygen or some automated bottling lines will pass the bottles underneath a highly pressurized water jet to foam up the liquid. This drives out the remaining oxygen and replaces it with carbon dioxide.
Before oxygen has a chance to re-enter the bottle, the bottles are topped with a bottle cap, sealing the bottle. Some companies will bottle their product with a cork and cage.
Bottles are then labeled with a labeling machine. The product is then packed into boxes, warehoused, and ready for sale.
There are several different types of bottling machinery. Liquid level machines fill bottles, so they appear to be filled to the same line on every bottle. Volumetric filling machinery fills each bottle with exactly the same amount of liquid. Overflow pressure fillers are the most popular machines, while gravity filling machines are the most cost-effective. Like canning, bottling machines also come in varying types of automation but usually require more human labor.
Why is Canning Better Than Bottling?
After reviewing both the processes for canning and bottling, there are several factors that point to canning being the more favorable method.
Filling Time and Fill Levels
Due to the wide opening in a can, the filling process is faster than that of bottling, whose filling flow is decreased to ensure accuracy into the small opening at the neck of the bottle. Over time, the large difference in filling times adds up to be huge cost and time savings. Cans are also able to be filled all the way to the top, so they have less headspace than drinks that are bottled.
Human Operation
The canning process requires less human operators than bottling, so talent and resources can be utilized in other areas, or less employees can be hired.
Storage
Cans require less storage space in a warehouse. Due to their uniform size and material, cans can easily stack on top of each other. The storage of bottles usually involves more materials like boxes in order to stack, increasing the space needed for storage.
Shipping and Transportation
Similarly to storing, cans take up less space in a truck so that you can fit more cans within a single load. Since cans are lighter than bottles, transportation and shipping costs are reduced, simultaneously lowering the carbon footprint associated with moving product.
Durability
Cans are more durable than glass bottles, making them safer to transport and safer to the consumer for consumption. There is a reduced risk of loss due to breakage using cans, and they are more portable for consumers to enjoy at home or in the great outdoors.
Environmental
Not only is the carbon footprint of transporting cans reduced due to their weight, but the emissions created to make an aluminum can are significantly less than those to make a bottle. The emissions associated with making enough glass to hold a liter of beer was found to be about 1.5 times the emission rate to make an aluminum can for the same amount of liquid.
Freshness
A key advantage of using cans is preventing oxidation, keeping your beverage fresher for longer. Oxygenation in the beverage occurs when oxygen interacts with the liquid. On the filling line, cans have less headspace than bottles, giving less access to oxygen to seep in. Bottles are also more likely to be improperly sealed, letting air seep into the bottle over time. The freshness of the beverage can also be affected by light. Glass bottles let in various amounts of light depending on if it’s clear, brown, or green glass. Aluminum cans do not let in any light.
Is it Better to Drink From a Can or a Bottle?
In the past, cans have been considered to be a lesser beer, but the perception is changing because craft breweries are continuously opting for cans.
Many studies have looked at the taste between beer cans and bottles, and the results are inconclusive. When put to a blind test, most people can’t tell the difference between canned and bottled beer, and the majority have said that they taste the same.
Bottles are also susceptible to filtered light that changes the quality and taste of a beer over time. Clear bottles offer no light protection, while brown and green bottles offer more protection at varying levels. Beers that have been overexposed to light are called “skunky beer” or “light-struck” beer. Skunked beer is a well known flavor defect that occurs when light-sensitive hopes, the main ingredient in beer, get exposed to too much light. This phenomenon has been documented as early as 1875. Brewers have tried to combat skunky beer by storing it in green or brown bottles to filter light. Cans and Kegs, however, block out light completely and will keep the beer from becoming skunked.
Oxygen can also affect the taste of beer and since cans are filled up completely to the top with minimal headspace, oxygenation of canned beer is less likely than bottled beer. While bottled beer was originally perceived to be better, canned beer is less likely to lose its original taste and quality.
Is it cheaper to can or bottle beer?
The upfront cost of a canning equipment line is more expensive than a bottling line, but since canning is more inexpensive overall, the cost over time is less. Aluminum cans also have a higher minimum order which adds to the upfront costs. But with a partner like Wildpak and our flexible run sizes, minimum orders aren’t something to worry about.
Canning requires fewer human operators than bottling equipment, so there is an opportunity to either hire fewer employees or utilize the resources and talent on hand elsewhere. This can be a cost saver to a business.
Due to the fragility of glass, bottles require extra packaging to make sure they are secure. The added packaging is an added cost. Bottles also weigh about 7.5 ounces more than cans. The additional weight means higher transportation and shipping costs.
Glass bottles used to be more inexpensive to produce than cans, but with recent technology, the cost of aluminum cans has come closer to that of bottles. Aluminum cans have an average wall thickness of 0.097 millimeters – approximately the width of human hair. This thinness helps drive down cost to be much more competitive with glass on a container by container basis.
Why Would a Business Choose Either?
There are many factors for a business to consider when deciding between canning or bottling their product, such as storage, equipment capability, budget, and more. At Wildpack Beverage, we’re here to help you scale your beverage brand and take it to the next level.
Our team focuses on creating the best manufacturing experience possible. We offer transparency into our process every step of the way. For more information, contact us today!
