New Belgium Rolls Out Sunshine Wheat in a Can

As we reported in March, New Belgium Brewing has rolled out its second canned beer - Sunshine Wheat -- in Colorado only (the trucks hit the road on Friday on their way to liquor stores). But if sales are strong - as they were when the Fort Collins brewery introduced...

By Jonathan Shikes

April 28, 2009

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As we reported in March, New Belgium Brewing has rolled out its second canned beer - Sunshine Wheat -- in Colorado only (the trucks hit the road on Friday on their way to liquor stores). But if sales are strong - as they were when the Fort Collins brewery introduced Fat Tire in a can last summer, then New Belgium could distribute Sunshine Wheat in more states as well.

"People have been asking for a more portable Sunshine Wheat for a while," New Belgium spokesman Bryan Simpson said in an e-mail, pointing out that cans are easier to carry and lighter than glass and can be more easily packed into a campground.

The move gives more credence to the growing popularity of canned craft beers - a trend that began in 2002 when the Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons unveiled Dale's Pale Ale.

Stay tuned for a review in the next week or so...

Jonathan Shikes is a Denver native who writes about business and beer for Westword.

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