New Belgium has added Bell’s Brewing to the its MicroStar’s shared-keg platform model, a move the supplier said will benefit the brewery with a more “cost-efficient, sustainable and flexible keg supply chain solution”.

All of Bell’s highly-acclaimed brands will be available in MicroStar-branded kegs with beers including Bell’s Two Hearted IPA (frequently voted the best beer in America) and Oberon Ale joining New Belgium Brands such as the rapidly growing Voodoo Ranger portfolio, and Fat Tire – America’s first certified carbon neutral beer. Combined, Kirin-owned New Belgium and Bell’s are recognized as the #1 craft brand family by volume in the United States.

“We are committed to adopting human-powered business practices in everything we do, and this extends to how we choose our supplier partners,” said Joe Davis, New Belgium’s Chief Operating Officer.

“MicroStar’s teams share our values and operate like an extension of our breweries which is incredibly important as we continue to grow. Additionally, MicroStar’s dense global network of shareable kegs shortens the distance empty kegs travel, lowering our greenhouse gas emissions supporting our sustainability mission.”

“Having worked closely with New Belgium for years, and now coming to know the Bell’s teams, it’s clear how deeply committed they are to their people, the quality of their beer, and to minimizing their impact on the environment,” added Casey Dodson, MicroStar’s Senior Vice President, Global Commercial.

“Expanding this partnership was natural as we share these values and our teams are energized to play a larger role supporting their continued success.”

The company said Bell’s will nowbenefit from MicroStar’s dense network of kegs and achieve dramatic cost and sustainability benefits compared to the traditional owned-keg model.

By sharing a pool of kegs rather than owning their own, over 1,200 leading brewers reduce their collective carbon footprint by over 10 million kg of CO2e annually based on an ISO-14040 framework LCA conducted by Deloitte.