For an industry like craft beer that dates back hundreds of years, it can be hard to find a lot of recent innovation. However Workhorse Brewing (King of Prussia) has just changed the game. You’re familiar with growlers, crowlers and cans. There is now a new to go option…. flights!
Workhorse recently announced their Flights To Go® program, which is exactly what you would imagine; a portable Flight featuring six different beers in 8oz cans. Each pre-packaged flight contains six beers; three of their ales (West Coast IPA, New England IPA, Pale Ale) and three lagers (Vienna, Helles, Pilsner) so there’s a little something for everyone! FTG officially launches this April.
We recently sat down with Workhorse’s owner and co-founder Dan Hershberg to discuss this new innovation in more detail.
BIPA: How did this idea come about?
Dan: When we first began self-distributing our beer, we were looking for a way to sample more styles without wasting massive amounts of liquid. We had purchased a Crowler seamer from a company called Oktober and their machine had an attachment to fill 8oz stubby cans. We liked the idea of bringing smaller cans to prospective bar/restaurant accounts as a way to introduce our beer to the market. The initial response on the cans was universally positive, so we became determined to incorporate them in our initial foray into packaging. Given their smaller size, the idea of a portable, “To Go” flight came to mind. It was in this moment that Flights To Go was born.
BIPA: What’s the advantage for the customer?
Dan: Flights To Go is exciting as a concept because it offers so many unique opportunities. Whether you’re seeking variety, a smaller portion size per beer or the right pairing with different portions of a meal, Flights To Go is a great option. These smaller cans are also great on the golf course–less beer gets warm in the sun, they fit easily in your bag–and will be a hit at parties. Perhaps most importantly, as a new brewery always looking to grow our audience, this packaging allows for sampling before making a decision to buy a pint, a case or a keg. Each 6-pack will retail for $10 in our Taproom.
BIPA: What’s the shelf life of the beer once it is brought home?
Dan: The shelf-life is the same of any other product put into cans of “normal” size. We recommend that our ales are consumed within 90 days of packaging, 120 days on the lagers. Cold storage is recommended and packaging dates are listed on the bottom of each can.
Flights To Go® will be available in numerous locations besides the taproom once they launch in April 2019. To learn more about Flights To Go at the official Workhorse site here.
