Here’s a bit of news more focused on brewery operations than beer itself, from Schlafly Beer out of St. Louis: the brewery dropped over a million dollars into a new canning line that quadruples its packaging capacity. Along with this expansion, Schlafly rolled out a new IPA, Just A Bit Hazy, which was the first beer off the new equipment.

Here’s the full press release:

Schlafly Beer, the original independent craft brewery in St. Louis, announces today that it has invested $1.1 million into a new canning line at Schlafly Bottleworks brewpub (7260 Southwest Ave, St. Louis, MO 63143) to upgrade its beer packaging capabilities and facilities for the 2022 portfolio. Schlafly’s Just A Bit Hazy IPA, a refresh of Schlafly IPA, is the brewery’s first beer to come off the new canning line. Available now across the brewery’s distribution, Just A Bit Hazy IPA combines a blend of hops for an IPA that’s approachable yet packed with flavor and just a bit of haze.

Schlafly’s new canning line expands the functionality and performance in canning capabilities. The brewery will now be able to output 80 cans per minute (previously 25 cans per minute) and has the ability to can in a variety of different can and pack sizes. This will allow the team to increase their variety more than the portfolio has ever allowed.

“This year, we celebrate Schlafly’s 30th anniversary, and as we pay homage to the past, we’re also excited to show off what the next 30 years will look like,” says CEO Fran Caradonna. “We’re excited to continue smart innovation and to streamline processes to get more beers in consumers’ hands. Our new canning line allows us to reinvent old favorites and to add more new beer releases to this year’s portfolio than we’ve seen from Schlafly in the last several years.”

The first beer off of Schlafly’s new canning line is Just A Bit Hazy IPA. The beer is a rebrand of Schlafly’s popular IPA with a name and look to represent the beer inside of the can. “We felt that the Schlafly IPA name could be more representative of what you actually see. So, we’re calling it like we see it with Just A Bit Hazy –​ i​​​t tells the consumer exactly what they’re drinking before they even buy it. It’s a modern approach to Schlafly’s IPA while also supporting the prominent ABV of the beer,” continues Caradonna.

Schlafly’s Just a Bit Hazy combines a blend of hops for an IPA that’s packed with flavor but not too over-the-top. It accentuates the juicy flavors of the hops while staying refreshing and approachable with just a bit of haze.

In addition to the Just A Bit Hazy IPA rebrand, Schlafly’s new canning line is leading to upgrades in the brewery’s 2022 portfolio with year-round favorites now in cans, new limited releases and exciting updates in its variety packs in addition to the return of tried-and-true Schlafly favorites. Schlafly Beer produces year-round true-to-style offerings, such as Pale Ale and Kolsch to specialty beers like Oktoberfest and Coffee Stout. Schlafly also hosts several destination-worthy events throughout the year such as the Schlafly Stout & Oyster Festival in March, one of the largest oyster festivals in the Midwest. For more on Schlafly Beer’s distribution and products, visit www.schlafly.com.

It would be interesting to see what Schlafly has lined up for its 2022 calendar, but that’s likely a different press release. In the meantime, drinkers around the St. Louis area should see more canned beer from the brewery hitting the shelves starting this spring.