Ironbridge Brewery in Shropshire, UK, has teamed up with Petainer, the specialist plastics packaging technology business to supply a new high-quality English lager in lightweight, recyclable Petainer Kegs. The brewery is targeting sales in the keg beer market through mail order deliveries.

Petainer Kegs manufactured in PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) have been chosen because they are more environmentally-friendly, lighter and less expensive than conventional metal kegs. They are ideal for the mail order business because they do not need to be returned to the brewery when empty – they can simply be crushed and put into the normal plastics recycling system.

Ironbridge uses traditional brewing methods to produce beers and lagers in casks, bottles, mini casks, polypins and now plastic kegs. The company offers its new high-quality Ironbridge Craft Gold – a 4.3 per cent alcohol continental-style lager – in 20-litre Petainer PET kegs.

Petainer Kegs are available in four sizes – 15, 20, 30 and 40 litres. They are designed for one-way use and have low-cost Micro Matic-compatible fittings which allow the containers to be connected to existing standard tapping systems.

In comparison with metal containers, Petainer Kegs offer substantial benefits to breweries, fillers and other users. These include lower costs and lower environmental impacts.

Petainer Kegs can be supplied either as complete, ready-to-fill containers or as preforms which are blown to full size on or near the site where they are filled. This further reduces their environmental impact and gives them a clear advantage over metal kegs and other plastic formats.

Andy Carter, Petainer’s regional sales director for the UK and Ireland, said: “Companies like Ironbridge recognise that these lightweight, one-way PET containers open up new channels and market opportunities. Using Petainer Kegs makes it practical and economical to expand into business sectors and markets which would not be feasible with metal kegs.