For many beverage and beer consumers, packaging plays a key role in choosing the brand. It guarantees a pleasant consumer experience as it preserves the quality of the drink. In fact, according to a research, packaging is a very important aspect for 53% of American adults while choosing a drink.

The ultimate goal in beer packaging, whether in bottle, keg, cask or can is to deliver a fresh and tasty drink to the end user, especially if the consumption takes place in their place. The above packages are very popular among beer lovers for the following reasons:

• Protect drinks from potential lesions due to bacterial growth, oxygen passage and exposure to light and moisture.
• Packaging materials (glass for bottles and aluminum for cans) do not harm the content and therefore taste remains the same for a long time.
• They are recyclable and can be reused, so they have a low ecological footprint. In fact, a recyclable metal can, can be re-placed on the shelf after 60 days. This environmental friendliness is a particularly important factor for the final market, especially by the Millenials (born between 1980 and 2000) who have a strong ecological awareness.
• Incorporating labels featuring elaborate designs, brand messages and logos, turning packages into works of art and effective marketing tools, helping thus to enhance brand image.

Frequent beer users tend to consume more beverage in metal cans rather than in glass bottles as can is lighter and can therefore be transported, stacked and stored more easily, cools faster and costs less. According to a research, 69% of Americans prefer aluminum cans for drinks as opposed to plastic bottles because cans are cooler and refreshing, while 85% of them believe that cans contribute to the preservation of drinks’ color, taste and carbon dioxide. Furthermore, 67% of Americans claim that cans are more durable and easier to carry than other types of packaging, while 68% of those say they prefer cans as they facilitate on-the-go consumption.
Cans are widely used by the beer industry, with 55% of the beer volume in America being consumed through the use of such packaging. Aluminum cans are increasingly popular in traditional craft beer producers. In 2015 craft beer accounted for 12% of the US beer market in terms of volume and 21% in value terms, making it the fastest growing segment.
According to the US brewery, 57% of Millenials in the US consume weekly a craft beer. In fact, 47% of men of this age are experimenting by buying brands that are not aware, while they experience 5.1 different brands per month, with packaging being the key to their final purchasing decision.
Craft beers are a dynamic consumer trend that, although launched in the US, now conquers Europe, Asia and Latin America, while metal cans are an increasingly popular type of packaging for this drink category. By way of example, 16% of all craft beers marketed in the United Kingdom were packaged in metal cans, recording an increase of 8% in 2015 compared to 2014.