A Yorkshire Wolds brewery has invested in a canning line in response to customer demand.

Wold Newton based Wold Top Brewery marked its entry into the canned beer market with the launch of Wild Swim last week.

One of a series of six limited edition canned beers that will be launched throughout 2024 to complement the 21-year-old brewery’s range of bottled beers, Wild Swim, 4% alc, is a stripped-back, clean and refreshing lager that was developed by brewer Henry Culpepper.

Brewery director, Alex Balchin said: “Our contract customers have been asking us to provide a canned beer packaging service for quite a while, but we had to weigh up all the options before we invested.  We have a strong and loyal fan base of bottle drinkers and wanted to ensure that we didn’t marginalise any other area of the business. By introducing cans as a seasonal, limited edition line, we aim to develop strong markets for both forms of packaging.”

The canning line was supplied by British company MicroCan and has the capacity to fill up to 2000 cans per hour. The £100,000 investment was supported by the Farming Sustainability Fund, which supports rural and farm-based businesses. 

Wild Swim is gluten-free and suitable for vegans. It is available online at woldtopbrewery.com and from selected retailers and costs £2.34 for a 440ml can. The remaining beers in the range include a Vienna pale ale, a New Zealand pale ale and an American Red IPA amongst others. The striking can designs were created by Leeds-based brand consultancy Carrot Juice Creative.

Farm-based Wold Top also brews cask, keg and bottled ales using home and Wolds-grown malting barley, hops and pure, chalk-filtered Yorkshire Wolds water.