On May 1, 2020, Wiley Roots released Howl at the Moon Together, a blood orange hard seltzer in 16oz four-packs, to raise money to supply local organizations with needed sanitizer and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including gloves and masks. By partnering with Innovative Labeling Solutions, Source of Nature, Propagate Lab, and the distribution arm of WeldWerks Brewing Company, Wiley Roots was able reduce the cost of production, allowing the brewery to raise as much money as possible from the sale of the hard seltzer.

With more than 120 different labels put out by Colorado’s Weldwerks Brewing in each of the past two years, and Director of Marketing Jake Goodman indicating that more than 80% of those being new beers with new labels, the process of can design might be a tad different than larger breweries.

With so many small producers in the wine, beer, spirits, and cider markets, standing out from the crowd is top of mind. One way to do so is with shrink sleeve technology, which offers virtually unlimited creativity regarding graphics, look and feel. The biggest market for this has been craft beer, but other types of producers are discovering and employing it due to its suitability for small runs. Easiest for canned beverages, shrink sleeves are also suitable for glass bottles of any shape and size.

Canning continues to grow as a craft brewing industry trend, and with more cans comes more need for can labeling solutions. Craft Brewing Business contacted Sean Gallagher, director of innovation with Innovative Labeling Solutions (ILS), to learn a little more about the digitally printed sleeve option that is drawing more and more interest from the craft beer industry.