Can It: Sam Adams Rolls Out New Option for Boston Lager

The Samuel Adams brewery in Upper Macungie Township is the new home to a facility that will manufacture its famed Boston Lager beer in cans for the first time.

Boston Beer Company Senior Public Relations Manager Jessica Paar confirmed a company release stating it will produce Samuel Adams Boston Lager in cans by early summer exclusively in the Upper Macungie brewery.

The brewery, at 7880 Penn Drive in Breinigsville, is visible from Interstate 78.

Paar said the new canning line was recently installed in the Upper Macungie plant. Test runs will occur in coming weeks, she said, and the company hopes to offer the Samuel Adams beer in cans by early summer.

Boston Beer spent $1 million on the canning line, the company said.

Paar did not say if the new canning line would create new jobs at the Upper Macungie plant. The company said it continues to add resources and invest in all of its breweries, which in turn will allow it to create more jobs.

The company said the cans will be available in 12-packs nationwide beginning early summer for a suggested retail price of between $14.99 and $17.99.

Boston Lager in cans will arrive on shelves in time for drinking occasions that call for the convenience of a can, such as sporting events, boating or the beach.

“The debate over bottles vs. cans has been a sticking point for brewers in the craft beer community for years,” Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams, said in a release. “In the past, I had my doubts about putting Sam Adams in a can because I wasn’t convinced that Boston Lager would taste as good as it does from a bottle. But cans have changed. And I believe we’ve designed a can that provides a slight but noticeably better drinking experience than the standard beer can.”

The can's flared lip and wider top work in concert to deliver the beer in a way that makes the flavor closer to drinking out of a glass, the company said.