[Photo credit: OskarBlues.com]

(Longmont, CO) – BeerPulse learned on Wednesday that Oskar Blues Brewery will add Ball Corporation’s new-to-America imperial/royal pint can.

Ball Corp. announced the addition of the package last November:

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Ball is the first beverage can supplier to manufacture a 568mL can – about 19.2 ounces – in North America. The new can size extends Ball’s global beverage can portfolio leadership.

“The 568mL can, often called a royal or imperial pint in the United Kingdom, offers Ball’s North American customers a new option to differentiate their brands and appeal to consumers,” said Robert M. Miles, vice president, sales, for Ball’s metal beverage packaging division, Americas. “Can size has proven to be an important element of branding and Ball now offers more than 20 can sizes worldwide.”

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Oskar Blues would likely be the first U.S. brewery to adopt the new format, the fourth one for the brewery along with 12 oz. cans, 16 oz. cans and 16 oz. Alumi-Tek bottles.

The company became the first U.S. craft brewery to can its beers back in 2002 when it fired up a manual two-head filler from Cask Systems. The brewery would only package beer in 12 oz. cans for the next decade.

That changed in March when Oskar Blues fired up its new German-made KHS canning line and added 16 oz. cans into its mix.

In May, the company became part of another packaging first when the brewery’s collaboration with Sun King Brewing, Chaka, was the first craft beer to be packaged in the Alumi-Tek® re-sealable pint bottle.

Look for Dale’s Pale Ale in the new package in the future. BeerPulse is unaware of what other styles could be packaged in the new can in the future or what impact, if any, this will have to Dale’s Pale Ale in 12 oz. cans.

Oskar Blues released a new video on Wednesday, shown below, celebrating its tenth anniversary of canning craft beer. Marketing Director, Chad Melis, notes in the video that there are some new packages on the horizon which could refer either to multiple styles coming in the imperial pint can or other packages coming in the future.