The full range of beers from Moo Brew will soon be available in both cans and bottles, with retailer Dan Murphy’s switching entirely to the new format.

Since launching in 2007, Moo Brew has been as well known for its unique sculptural bottles as it has been for its solid renditions of classic, approachable beer styles.

Its first venture into cans came in 2015 with the launch of the 440ml Single Hop, now followed in 375ml cans by all others except Dark Ale, which isan upcoming addition.

“The move to cans is just a diversification of the offering that we have, in light of the more outdoorsy market,” head brewer Dave Macgill told Brews News.

“We recognise that the bottles are heavy, they contain a lot of glass… it’s all super expensive at the end of the day. I think there’s nearly 30 per cent more glass in the Moo Brew bottle than there is in a standard bottle.

The Moo Brew range in cans

“The move to cans has definitely freed up things like freight from Tassie, so we get more on the pallet.

“They’ll help us pass some of those savings on to the consumer, that will land them at a more competitive price point. They’ll come in six packs as well, instead of four packs, of 375ml cans,” he said.

Macgill estimates that Moo Brew now sells 60 per cent of its volume on the mainland. Its Single Hop, Pils, Pale and Hefeweizen are all well established in Dan Murphy’s stores, and all will make the switch to cans.

New Mid-Strength
Moo has also released a new 3.4 per cent ABV mid-strength, which Macgill said was driven by the brewing team’s desire for “a mid-strength option that still tastes like a full-strength”.

He said generous late hopping with Galaxy and Mosaic contributes pungent, floral aroma, while restraining the bitterness.

According to Macgill, Moo Brew will not be straying too far from its existing path of making approachable beers with broad appeal.

“When we first started Moo, we set out to develop a core suite of beers that became recognisable and were consistent… I think we’ll just continue on that path,” he said.

“There’s a lot of other breweries out there at the moment that do a really great job at making double, upside down, sideways, quadruple IPAs, but that won’t ever be us.”

All cans feature adapted versions of John Kelly’s original artworks, as seen on the bottles.

“After 12 years of our beers being poured from the iconic bottles it’s been exciting for the brewery team to work with some new packaging,” said Macgill.

“We’ve had fun putting our original artwork on a bigger scale with extra surface area on the cans.”