Rapak's new Bag-in-Box system includes a specially developed “Carbonator Box”
Working with Bavarian brewer Ankerbräu, Rapak has pioneered a bag-in-box system reportedly suitable for all beers which it says offers a low-cost alternative to traditional kegs and should offer particular advantages for export.
Beer for on-trade sales has traditionally been packed and transported in, and then dispensed from, stainless steel kegs. However Rapak says their size and weight means high transport costs, they must be returned for re-use and, in some regions, such as Eastern Europe, up to 30% are lost in transit.
Claimed advantages of the Rapak Bag-in-Box alternative include lower transport costs (Bag-in-Box beer contains 9hl compared with a 5.4hl keg), no return costs, a longer shelf life and a longer-lasting beer “head”, all “with no compromise in taste”.
Packing the beer in this format has been made possible by removing CO2 from it after brewing and then re-introducing it via a specially developed Carbonator Box, placed in each on-trade outlet between the Bag-in-Box and pump head.