North Country Brewing's Buck Snort Stout was recently voted the U.S. Can of the Year by the Brewery Collectibles Club of America.

SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — The North Country Brewing Company has the best beer can in America. At least that is what the members of the Brewery Collectibles Club of America say.

Club members voted North Country's Buck Snort Stout as their U.S. Can of the Year for 2015.

North Country owner Bob McCafferty said it is the first time the brewery has been recognized with a national award.

McCafferty will receive a trophy Thursday from members of the Pittsburgh chapter of the club, which nominated the Buck Snort Stout can.

“I definitely appreciate them thinking of us and appreciating the artwork on the cans and nominating us,” he said.

The design of the can was done by Brian Pollock of GFX Advertising in Slippery Rock.

The Collectibles Club puts out a magazine every other month which features photographs of new or interesting beer cans and beer collectible items.

Each year the members nominate and vote for four awards: U.S. Can of the Year, International Can of Year, U.S. Aluminum Bottle of the Year and International Aluminum Bottle of the Year.

Buck Snort Stout was announced as the U.S. Can of the Year at the club's annual convention Aug. 29 in Milwaukee.

The club was founded in 1970 and was originally called the Beer Can Collectors of America. It has about 3,400 members worldwide and 106 local chapters, office manager Kevin Kious said.

The nonprofit club is based in Fenton, Mo., near St. Louis.

North Country has been canning its beer at its warehouse on Arrowhead Drive in Slippery Rock Township since 2014, when it spent $1.5 million to renovate the facility.

Though canning has a larger startup cost than bottling, cans are easier to recycle, don't shatter and don't allow light to get to the beer, McCafferty said.

North Country started with four types of beer in cans but now has eight.

The brewery's beers are gradually becoming available in a wide variety of places. It has sent shipments to Cleveland, Ohio, Philadelphia and Florida.

The quality of the beer is important, but so is the appearance of the can, McCafferty said.

“There are a lot of good beers out there right now, and we're all on the same shelf. The eye takes the first sip. So if we can get someone to pick up our beer off the shelf, then hopefully they will like it and become a loyal customer,” he said.