Staffordshire-based lager brewer Freedom Brewery has invested more than £1m in a new canning line and packaging machine to boost its capacity five-fold.

The new kit will package its canned range of beers, which include Freedom Craft Lager, Freedom Helles, Freedom Pils, and Freedom NZ Pale

The line enables the the brewery to fill up to 250 cans a minute and will also see a number of changes to the brewery facility, which includes a new warehouse and production area layout.

Matthew Willson, managing director of Freedom Brewery, said: “After a period of strong growth for Freedom and the increased demand for properly-brewed craft lager, it feels like the right time to be investing in our production capabilities.

“We’re now in prime position to meet the demand, and we are ready to pursue new customers and listings with both the on and off-trade.”

Founded in 1995, Freedom Brewery is renowned as the first purveyor of craft lager in the UK. The brewery utilises long, cold fermentation over 14 days, and long, slow maturation over a minimum of four weeks, to produce craft beer that is full bodied and flavoured, while also refreshingly crisp and drinkable.

Earlier this month, it announced the release of a new contemporary and vibrant design, breathing new life into their core range of quality craft beers.