Discover your next big idea at PACK EXPO Las Vegas this September
Experience a breakthrough in packaging & processing and transform your business with solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries.
REGISTER NOW & SAVE

Bass unveils PET/EVOH beer bottle in U.K.

"We scoured the world for the right technology." That's how Bill Dando, director of package development at Bass Brewers in Burton-on-Trent, England, describes the process that led to Bass' recent launch of one beer and one "alcopop" in identical high-barrier plastic bottles.

Pw 22663 Wescothewor 11

The alcopop is Hooper's Hooch, an alcoholic lemon drink. The beer is Bass' Carling Black Label, the UK's largest-selling beer. The 33-cL bottles provide an impressive 12-week shelf life at ambient temperatures.

They're aimed at outdoor and stadium events such as Midland '97, the series of live concerts in England at which the plastic bottles made their commercial debut on December 4. Such venues, and the police officers who patrol them, have little tolerance for the weight and breakability of glass. As a December 9 press release from Bass puts it: "The new bottles have been welcomed by police and magistrates who are impressed by their suitability for nightclubs and outdoor events."

The three-layer construction-ethylene vinyl alcohol sandwiched between two layers of polyethylene terephthalate-is the patented work of American National Can (Chicago, IL), a Pechiney subsidiary. ANC coinjection molds the 29-g preforms in Bellevue, OH, and blows the bottles at its Batavia, IL, facility. Dando says that moving bottle production closer to the UK plant where filling is done is on Bass' list of things to do in the new year.

Applied to the 28-mm neck finish is a metal crown closure. Inside the crown, an oxygen scavenger is attached that helps prolong shelf life by absorbing oxygen trapped in the head space.

According to Dando, the bottles were a big hit at Midland '97. "The response was incredible," he says. "We could hardly keep up with demand." He prefers not to quantify the upcharge Bass pays for its plastic container, saying only that plastic is "significantly more than glass currently, but we're addressing that."

Dando will describe the bottle's development at Nova-Pack Americas '98, Jan. 26-27, in Fort Lauderdale. Sponsored by Schotland Business Research (Skillman, NJ), the conference will also feature a presentation by Anheuser-Busch's Norman Nieder titled "Is Plastic Ready for Beer?"

Pharmaceutical Innovations Report
Discover the latest breakthrough packaging technologies shaping the pharmaceutical sector. This report dives into cutting-edge innovations, from smart containers that enhance patient safety to eco-friendly materials poised to transform the industry’s sustainability practices. All from PACK EXPO. Learn how forward-thinking strategies are driving efficiency and redefining what’s possible in pharma packaging.
Learn More
Pharmaceutical Innovations Report
Conveying Innovations Report
Editors report on distinguishing characteristics that define each new product and collected video demonstrating the equipment or materials as displayed at the show. This topical report, winnowed from nearly 300 PACK EXPO collective booth visits, represents a categorized, organized account of individual items that were selected based on whether they were deemed to be both new, and truly innovative, based on decades of combined editorial experience in experiencing and evaluating PACK EXPO products.
Take me there
Conveying Innovations Report