Boneyard is canning more beers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been hard on breweries, particularly those that rely on draft sales and tasting rooms for a substantial portion of revenue. Some breweries have closed for the duration, including Ochoco Brewing Company in Prineville and Porter Brewing Company in Redmond. Others have adapted by offering takeout options and even home delivery of beer. Beer delivery is an unexpected option, even in a beer-friendly state like Oregon, and reflects the fluidity of the situation as breweries scramble to make up lost sales. In some cases, such as with Boneyard Beer Company, that involves not only beer delivery but changing directions in how it’s distributed.

Boneyard has long been primarily a draft-only company, though owner Tony Lawrence always planned to can the beer. “Twelve years ago to can was my plan, way before it was cool,” he wrote via email. The brewery even purchased a canning line that it eventually sold to GoodLife Brewing Company. “This was only because as fast as we could grow Boneyard by capacity, we remained sold out. We were very happy with things and didn’t feel the need to continue to push so hard.”

Occasional special releases made it into bottles and cans, such as the sour Gooze Cruze, and collaborations like Lupulin Advisory and Gumball IPA. The brewery planned to launch fully into cans by January of next year.

With the arrival of coronavirus, that’s all changed. A survey by the Brewers Association conducted in early April revealed that nearly half of all breweries did not think their businesses would be able to survive three months under current conditions. Onsite sales for most declined more than 70 %.

According to Lawrence, there are about 3,000 kegs of Boneyard beer sitting in warehouses around the northwest.

Boneyard announced its move into cans the first week of April, with Hop-A-Wheelie IPA, Incredible Pulp Blood Orange Pale Ale and Diablo Rojo the first to be packaged. Since then, RPM IPA and Hop Venom Imperial IPA have been added, and according to Lawrence, the brewery sold more than 5,000 cases (120,000 cans) during the first few weeks available.

I decided to try the delivery option to see how the process worked, and get some of these new cans. The brewery is selling crowlers of its draft beer and food from its pub. On a Friday night, I called in an order for dinner for the family from the Boneyard Pub along with a six-pack of Diablo Rojo, and a crowler of Hop Venom.

The process was smooth and contactless; after giving my order, I gave a credit card number over the phone and was told everything would be delivered in about an hour. One hour later, the driver left the delivery at the front door and called to let me know. Done!

I chose Diablo Rojo as my first canned Boneyard brew because it’s a classic, old-school red ale, with a light piney hop aroma over a lightly roasty, bready malt body. It tends to be overlooked next to the flagship, RPM IPA, but offers a balanced take on the red ale style, with a moreish graininess and a backing of earthy bitterness that finishes nicely dry.

Diablo Rojo won the gold medal in the “American-Style Amber/Red Ale” category at the Great American Beer Festival last year, and is a terrific sessionable option to stock up on.

Boneyard’s shift into cans follows on the heels of another popular draft-only brewery, Barley Brown’s Beer, in Baker City. Barley Brown’s announced the closure of its brewpub in late March.

“Twenty-two years of draft beer!” said owner Tyler Brown via email. “We made the decision (to start canning beer) quickly. We found out on March 17th that we and every other bar and restaurant in the state were shut down. With zero notice, we were caught with every tank full of beer, so we put our office manager on the mission of getting us lined up to fill cans. She was able to schedule a mobile canner from Boise, and had us filling cans on March 30.”

The brewery filled roughly 30,000 cans (“less beer than we put into kegs on a typical week,” according to Brown) with its popular and award-winning Pallet Jack IPA, and sold out within two weeks. It doesn’t replace the loss of draft beer sales, but Brown plans to get more beer into cans, including possibly Hand Truck Pale Ale and Ratchet Strap IPA. “But no guarantees,” he said.

It is certainly a strange and difficult time for breweries right now, but with home delivery and new packaged options, it’s easier than ever to support your local favorites and stock your pandemic beer fridge. I plan to purchase more, and in the meantime, I’m enjoying a can or three of Diablo Rojo.

1. Bubble Wrap Hazy IPA — Crux Fermentation Project
2. Packin’ the Arena Cream Ale — Immersion Brewing
3. Pallet Jack IPA — Barley Brown’s Beer
4. Brother’s Bier Belgian Single — Monkless Belgian Ales
5. Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout — North Coast Brewing