Great Lakes Brewing Begins Canning, Adds Rally Drum Red to Rotation

Canning beers, so hot right now. Even for an old guard Midwestern stalwart like Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC), the practice of canning beers has become so ubiquitous and widely adopted that after 28 years, the Cleveland-based brewery has shifted to offer a new option toward their packaged beer products.

Beginning in May, Great Lakes will begin offering their year-round Turntable Pils, and seasonal Lightkeeper Blonde Ale in 12 oz. canned 12-packs. Additionally Rally Drum Red Ale, a brand previously exclusive to the Great Lakes Pub, now becomes available in 16 oz. canned 12-packs with Turntable Pils becoming available in the 16 oz. 12 pack format as well in August 2017.

In order to make canning a more immediate possibility with consideration for a production expansion in the future, Great Lakes has turned to industry friend and Boston-based brewery, Harpoon Brewery to help produce and can these three brands in the interim.

“Getting Great Lakes’ beer into cans so it can be enjoyed in places and situations where bottles are not viable has been our intention for some time. We have great respect for the Harpoon organization and feel our values, culture, and commitment to great beer fit very well together,” said Bill Boor, CEO of Great Lakes. “So the opportunity to work in partnership with them is the right initial step in our can strategy. We’re very excited about what this means for our products and customers and we’re excited to be working with Harpoon to make this happen.”

“What’s most important to me is making sure the quality and taste of any beer we put our name on is what our customers expect, said Mark Hunger,” Brewmaster at Great Lakes. “We are very confident in Harpoon’s process and quality standards and I’m looking forward to working closely with them, especially with these three excellent beers.”

The new Great Lakes cans will continue to feature artwork by illustrator Darren Booth. Booth’s illustrations for GLBC represents celebrated stories and figures from the Great Lakes region.