Beer cans moved along a conveyor belt at an Ohio Ball Corp. factory in 2017.
Photo: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg NewsA spate of bad luck has driven many people to the bottle. Now it is happening to an entire industry—literally.
When lockdowns began across the U.S. in March, the timing couldn’t have been worse for brewers. Bars closed before St. Patrick’s Day and the beer-soaked March Madness basketball tournament was canceled. Since then, the closure of bars, stadiums and concert venues in much of the country has left tremendous quantities of beer spoiling in kegs.
One saving grace was that people stuck at home started to buy a lot more packaged beer in the spring, even without televised sports. Now that some leagues are restarting and temperatures are high, however, Covid-19 has thrown up another challenge: There just aren’t enough cans for those suds. The Beer Institute says that aluminum cans have grown far more popular for packaging in recent years, cracking 60% for the first time in the second quarter. Less than one-third is bottled. The Can Manufacturers Institute says 35 billion cans are used annually for alcoholic beverages in the U.S. and Canada.
Can maker Ball Corp. is among those adding capacity, but it might not be in time for Americans to crack open a cold one of their choice as brewers scramble.
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