Cans, bottles, crowns and labels: packaging for procurement teams

Why packaging is a quality item, not a commodity

Beer is sensitive to oxygen, light and leaks. The pack is its only protection between the brewery and the glass. A bottle with a poor finish, a crown with a weak liner or a can end that does not seam properly can let oxygen in or CO2 out. The beer then goes stale or flat long before its best before date.

That is why breweries specify packaging materials tightly and why a lower price can be a false saving. Our guide to the beer supply chain shows where packaging sits in the wider flow.

Glass bottles

In India, beer has long been sold in 650 ml glass bottles, with 330 ml and 500 ml sizes also common. Many breweries use returnable glass: bottles are collected, washed and refilled many times. Each trip lowers the cost per fill but adds handling, washing and inspection. Scuffed, chipped or foreign bottles must be rejected on the line.

Key specifications include capacity, weight, height, finish dimensions where the crown seals, pressure resistance and colour. Brown glass protects beer from light far better than green or clear, which allow a skunky lightstruck aroma to form quickly in sunlight.

Crowns

The crown cork seals the bottle. Most beer bottles use a standard 26 mm crown. The liner inside the crown makes the seal. Some liners include oxygen scavengers that absorb oxygen in the bottle neck. Crowns must match the bottle finish and the crowner on the line. A mismatch causes leaks, broken bottles or crowns that are hard to open.

Crowns are small and cheap, which makes them easy to switch suppliers on. Do it only after line trials and shelf life checks.

Brewery quality teams often measure total package oxygen, the oxygen in the beer plus the headspace, on filled bottles. A crown change that raises that figure even slightly can shorten shelf life noticeably in Indian heat. Ask for that data from trials, not only a visual check of seal and opening force.

Cans and ends

Aluminium cans protect beer from light completely and are lighter to transport than glass. They come as two parts: the can body and the end, which is seamed on after filling. Specifications include volume, body and end dimensions, internal lining suitable for beer and print quality. The seam is a critical quality point and is checked regularly on the line.

Can supply can be tight. Minimum order quantities for printed cans can be large. Smaller brands often use plain cans with sleeves or labels to avoid holding large stocks of printed cans for each SKU. Our guide to kegs vs cans for business compares formats.

Labels and secondary packaging

Returnable bottles usually take paper labels applied with glue that washes off in the bottle washer. Non-returnable bottles and cans may use pressure sensitive labels or sleeves. Labels must withstand condensation, ice buckets and handling. Label stock that peels in a chilled cooler looks bad on a shelf.

Secondary packaging includes cartons, crates for returnable bottles, shrink film and pallets. Indian state excise often requires state-specific labels, so label stock planning must follow the approval calendar in each state, not only the production plan.

Lead times, stock and Indian conditions

Packaging lead times can be long, especially for printed cans or new bottle moulds. Monsoon humidity affects paper labels and cartons in storage. Summer heat in warehouses can affect adhesives. A sensible procurement plan holds safety stock for long lead items, stores paper-based materials dry and qualifies more than one supplier for each critical component.

When a supplier change is proposed, involve quality and production early. Trials on the actual line, seal tests and shelf life checks protect the brand far more than a sample approval in a meeting room.

Working with the brewery

The best procurement teams in drinks companies understand why each specification exists. When they can explain to a supplier why oxygen pickup or liner type matters, negotiations get better and quality complaints fall. Packaging also links to line efficiency: materials that jam or reject on the line cost output. See packaging line efficiency and OEE.

Common questions

Why are brown bottles used for beer?

Brown glass blocks most of the light that reacts with hop compounds to create a skunky aroma. Green and clear glass give much less protection.

What is returnable glass?

Bottles that are collected after use, washed, inspected and refilled many times. It lowers the cost per fill but adds handling and inspection work.

Can we switch crown suppliers to save money?

Only after line trials and shelf life checks. Crowns must match the bottle finish and seal reliably, or the beer can go stale or flat.