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PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Constar, Inc., the plastic packaging division of ³Ô¹Ï51±¬ÁÏÍø Cork & Seal Company, Inc. (NYSE: CCK; Paris Bourse) and Carolina Beer Company (Mooresville, NC) today announced the launch of "Tall Blonde," a lightweight, shatterproof plastic beer bottle for "Carolina Blonde" beer.

The 16-ounce polyethylene terepthalate (PET) bottle uses multi-layer construction incorporating ³Ô¹Ï51±¬ÁÏÍø's patented Oxbar(TM) oxygen scavenger for unsurpassed product protection from oxygen, while providing the required CO2 protection. The bottle is capped with a plastic closure containing a scavenger/barrier liner supplied by ³Ô¹Ï51±¬ÁÏÍø's Closure Division. The combined container/closure technologies protect the fresh beer taste for the shelf life of the package.

The addition of the Constar PET package will allow sales of Carolina Blonde at concert pavilions and sports stadiums, along with various non- traditional outdoor venues that prohibit glass containers. "The Tall Blonde package permits Carolina Blonde drinkers to sip their beer of choice at more places than ever before," said Mike Smith, CEO of Carolina Beer Company.

Plastic bottles were chosen because they protect product taste, reduce the heat transfer from drinkers' hands, and can be bottled on Carolina Beer Company's existing glass lines with minimal equipment changes. "PET offers many advantages," Smith said, "including being unbreakable, lighter in weight and resealable."

"This enables Carolina Blonde to take another big step in becoming a mainstream regional beer," said Smith. "We believe sales of the Tall Blonde can eventually account for 50% of our total bottle sales of Carolina Blonde."

Carolina Beer Company was founded in 1996 and is the second largest brewery in North Carolina behind Miller Brewing Co. in Eden. Carolina Beer products are available in all metro markets in the Carolinas, as well as Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, Knoxville, Tennessee and the Tidewater area of Virginia.

³Ô¹Ï51±¬ÁÏÍø Cork & Seal is a leading supplier of packaging products to consumer marketing companies around the world. The world headquarters are located in Philadelphia, PA.

SOURCE ³Ô¹Ï51±¬ÁÏÍø Cork & Seal Company, Inc.
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CONTACT: Doug Robinson, Vice President, Marketing of Constar, +1-215-552-3722; or investors: Timothy J. Donahue, Senior Vice President of Finance of ³Ô¹Ï51±¬ÁÏÍø Cork & Seal Company, +1-215-698-5088
CAPTION: PHF026 CROWN CORK & SEAL ANNOUNCE 'TALL BLONDE' SHATTERPROOF BOTTLE Constar, Inc., the plastic packaging division of ³Ô¹Ï51±¬ÁÏÍø Cork & Seal Company, Inc. and Carolina Beer Company today announced the launch of "Tall Blonde," a lightweight, shatterproof plastic beer bottle for "Carolina Blonde" beer. (PRNewsFoto)[TK] PHILADELPHIA, PA USA 12/07/2001