Ask The Brewmasters

Hello all.

We have some cans that came into our warehouse which have a pretty severe discolorization on the inside. Our first thoughts were that the liner was sprayed on thicker than spec. The cans in question are amber colored on the inside, rather than the normal aluminum silver. Not every can on the pallet looks this way. So far we've found 2 layers. 

Has anyone seen this before? 

Is it safe to pack beer into them? We've set the pallet aside and don't plan to use them, but I am very curious. THis is the first time we've seen this.

We also have a call into the manufacturer, but I would love to get some insight from all of you. 

Thanks.

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Josh Rein
Head Brewer
Logboat Brewing Company
Columbia MO
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Hi Josh, 

Congratulations on checking the inside of the cans after receiving them at the brewery. I don't know if you have any quality agreements with your can supplier, but this is a good point to complain about. I have never had this problem, but I remember the negative impact on flavors when we changed the can lid material (liner ), the impact on the filling line with the change in can inner material, and also possibly losing some foam unexpectedly (finding the cause was exhausting). Check whether the color comes from the aluminum or the liner, and the supplier will be able to provide quality control parameters. 

I hope my comment can help you in some way.

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Daniela El Alam

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Thanks for your insight.

I'd be interested to know more about your process when troubleshooting off flavors after a change in liner material. 

We have sent some of the cans in question back to the manufacturer so they can inspect them. This is a relatively new supplier for us and it's just reminded me that I should have a discussion with them about a quality agreement, etc. 

Cheers!

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David Rein
Head Brewer
Logboat Brewing Company
Columbia MO
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-22-2024 03:22
From: Daniela El Alam
Subject: Can Liner Discolorization

Hi Josh, 

Congratulations on checking the inside of the cans after receiving them at the brewery. I don't know if you have any quality agreements with your can supplier, but this is a good point to complain about. I have never had this problem, but I remember the negative impact on flavors when we changed the can lid material (liner ), the impact on the filling line with the change in can inner material, and also possibly losing some foam unexpectedly (finding the cause was exhausting). Check whether the color comes from the aluminum or the liner, and the supplier will be able to provide quality control parameters. 

I hope my comment can help you in some way.

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Daniela El Alam

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