 Nathan Berrong works at CNN's satellite desk and this is the sixth installment of his beer column. He Tweets at @nathanberrong and logs beers at Untappd. Drink up. Summer is finally here. Skin is showing, windows are down and parks and swimming holes are crowded. It’s the time of year when I make every effort to be outside with friends sharing some beers, food and good times. Up until recently, it was hard to find good beers that were “outside approved," also known as beers in cans. Because of safety reasons, most parks, beaches and pools have a no-bottle policy, which until recently had made enjoying a good quality beer outside next to impossible. That all changed roughly ten years ago when Oskar Blues came onto the scene with their canned beers and changed the perception that only bad beer was available in cans. Seven years later, in 2009, there were 52 craft breweries serving their beer in cans. Today, The Brewer’s Association estimates there are more than 180 craft breweries that are canning, proving good beer is now available in cans and it’s here to stay. The only downside also happened to be the most important thing when drinking a beer, the taste. Because the interior lining of the cans weren’t foolproof, the cans of the '30s and '40s tasted like metallic-flavored beer. Canned beer developed a bad reputation and by the time technology caught up and the interior lining was perfected, it was too late. People had already decided canned beer was inferior to bottled beer. The macro-breweries, which brew with adjuncts like rice and corn (read: cheap ingredients that add off-flavors but produce alcohol) instead of the preferred and more expensive barley malt, continued to put their beer in cans. This only furthered the notion that cheap and awful tasting beer was served in cans. The truth is, cans made today now have a water-based epoxy lining that completely preserves the flavor and taste of the beverage. Oskar Blues, a small microbrewery out of Lyons, Colorado, knew this and decided to take the risk, put their delicious beer in cans and attempt to change the mind of the discerning American beer drinker. It’s been ten years since Oskar Blues took that leap of faith and although the doubters still exist, the general consensus among beer drinkers is that canned beer tastes just as good as the bottled stuff. The 21st Amendment Brewery (21A as it's commonly referred to in the beer world) is another great example of a brewery that’s also taken the leap, and recently even took home the top prize at the first ever Canny Awards. "Some people refuse to drink beer out of cans and I always say to them 'Well, I don’t drink beer out of a bottle, I pour it into a glass," says 21st Amendment co-founder and brewmaster, Shaun O’Sullivan. Canned beer is having a resurgence in the American market, and the reasons why are a no brainer: it’s more portable, it doesn’t break, you can drink it in places bottles are not allowed and it tastes just as good as bottled beer, maybe even "better," because the seal of the can better protects the beer from oxygen and it blocks out 100% of UV light damage. Below, I’ve selected some of my favorite canned beers, and I’d love to know what you think. Cheers and happy drinking! Canned Beer Recommendations: 21st Amendment "Bitter American" Avery "Ellie’s Brown Ale" Sixpoint "The Crisp" Oskar Blues "Ten Fidy" New Belgium "Fat Tire" Anderson Valley "Summer Solstice" Kona "Longboard Lager" Ska Brewing "Modus Hoperandi" Austin Beer Works "Black Thunder" Surly "Surly Abrasive Ale" Do you prefer your beer in a bottle or a can and why? Share your thoughts in the comments below. |
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A great opinion piece. I encourage beer enthusiasts to do a side-by-side comparison as I have. Check out my findings...
http://www.examiner.com/article/traditional-bottles-crush-the-trendy-craft-beer-can-movement
James Page (Minneapolis) had beer in cans in the late 90s. Good beer – bad business model.
Mickeys wide mouth beer is da best and I gotz all dat goooooollllld!
Bisphenol A.
Beer is like religion ~ everyone has their favorite then tries to push it onto others... And beer is BETTER than religion (:
and there's nothing like Delirium Tremens....a personal favorite
Delirium Nocturnum. Love it.
I wish all you IPA people would shut up already. I hate IPA's. So many other great styles of beers. Forget IPAs
What I love most about craft beer is that there are so many styles from an overwhelming amount of breweries to please any palate - otherwise we'd all be drinking American light lagers, and not the good ones!
Amen.
Anybody worried about the BPA used to line the can?
No.
I could be wrong, but I don't think any company is using Bis-A epoxy to line their cans. I mean based on the knowledge we now have.
ALL can manufacturers line their cans with BPA.
Microbrews are crap. I swear, people buy them based on their outlandish names. They all taste the same....like homebrews....YUCK. I'll take a good domestic lager from the big names any day over this garbage.
One word – FLAVOR
Proof positive that you don't need to know what you're talking about or have good taste to have an opinion. What David S. meant to say was, "Me no like it. What me no like are no good. RAAAAARH."
Another ignorant redneck sounds off. I'll bet you haven't ever tried an IPA or Pale Ale. This is what multi-million dollar advertizing budgets do, brainwash the ignorant into thinking they are drinking the best beer. What the macro-breweries are putting out isn't even beer, at best it's a malt beverage and should be stated as so. You want an American lager? You won't get that from a Macro-brewery. Try a craft brewed lager next to a macro "lager" you'll be surprised at the difference.
I guess everyone's welcome to their opinion. I'm not going to knock him for his love of Budweiser or whatever else he enjoys. I think we are living in a fantastic time. We have access to beers from all over the world let alone some of the best brewers in our own country. If you are lucky enough to be able to experience and enjoy the variety that's available then you are truly blessed. Don't ya' think?
Hey the less he drinks of micro's the more for us right? :D
Haha.
Grab your shotgun, your bud-light lime, the cousin you married, and go camp in your back yard.
At least when you drink piss-water, it leaves more good beer for the rest of us :)
Bottles are way better than any can. After a while cans damage the taste of a good beer, bottles always keep the beer fresher. Don't get me wrong, I love some brand of beers out of a can, but most are just better out of a glass bottle. What about kegs? Im not saying all kegs are good (bud products, miller products, ewww) but what about a pint of Stella out of a keg, or my person favorite Guiness. Guiness out of a can doesn't give you the full flavor of the brew, but out of a keg, it is amazing.
And dude, come on, broaden your horizon. Domestic beers are ok but lets be serious, domestics cannot compare with full flavor craft brews. You obviously dont drink beer for QUALITY your more into drinking to get DRUNK like a highschool student.
You suck
I really like the Kona Brewing Company's Longboard Lager. It tastes the same, bottle or can, but the cans can go with me out to the pool, AND they have the new wildlife-safe 6pack tie that won't choke the seabirds! Its a WIN-WIN!!!
I love the Austin Beerworks Fire Eagle. It's become a staple at the pool during the hot Texas summer.
Fire Eagle is definitely my favorite of the ABW line-up, but the Pearl-Snap Pils as well as Real Ale's Hans Pils are my "go-to" summer beers this year. Also enjoy the Maui Brewing La Perouse White.
Elevated IPA is the best IPA, ever. Lucky to have the brewer right here in town (Albuquerque). The judges at GABF 2011 agreed (http://www.lacumbrebrewing.com/ourbrews.html). I routinely get Ska's Modus Hoperandi; one of my favorites, and it's in a can.
Dude, just FYI, but IPAs are SOOOO last year.... You can cover up a real crappy beer with a lot of Hops. LAGERS are the next big thing!!
A beer drinker from Seattle
Looking for some good lagers. Give me some ideas.
mmmmmmm, hops. Ahhh, so you're a "trendy" beer drinker. The Paris Hilton of beer drinkers...
Who cares any container is fine, it still gets you drunk! Go Packers!
You got that right. Plastic, glass or paper cup, can, bottle, canteen, tupperware container, he ll we used "bowls" in college at one point. So long as the beer is freezing cold. Go Patriots!
Peter Griffin is that you!
Interesting how people swear that bottles are best for beer but most prefer a draft to a bottle. PSSST...Do you know what kegs are made of? The same thing that cans are made of and you never hear someone complain about the metallic taste that a keg gives off. And what kind of containers are most craft beers made in...metal vats. Hmmm...maybe metal is good for beer since beer is made inmetal containers, stored in metal kegs and are portable in metal cans. And pouring a beer into a glass whether from can or keg is the only cicilized way to go.
Why does there seem to be an assumption in the comments that if you drink canned beer you are drinking it directly from the can yet with bottles you naturally put it in a glass? I always pour mine in a glass and apparently so does Mr. O'Sullivan. I wonder if a canned beer was poured in a glass out of sight if those that say they taste the metal still will. I know when anyone mentions banana as I taste a Hefe it ruins it for me. The power of suggestion is mighty.
Y'all will miss many great beers by rejecting cans outright and that's a shame.
Austin Beerworks is one of the best breweries to come into the market in the last few years. In the hot Texas summer, nothing beats a Peacemaker Extra Pale Ale in a cold can. No wonder it won a GABF award. Dang, now I am thirsty...
I always thought Fat Tire tasted better in a can than in the bottle. But I'd rather go down to the brewery, have some draft, then bring home a growler than anything else.
Also, thanks for the Oskar Blues shout out! Not the biggest fan of their beers, but I love to see a local business doing so well.
I find that Fat Tire smels like a wet band-aid.
This article hit the nail on the head. Anderson Valley Summer Solstice is one of the best beers I have had in my life, several years of which I lived in England – so that is saying something.
LOL no wonder you like American beer, you lived in England! English beer is TERRIBLE! The best beers come from Bavaria, such as Hofbrau and Augustiner. After that, Canadian beer is 2nd! American beer is terrible
Even Canadian beer has turned to garbage, unless its a micro. Check 'em out.
German beers are LAGERS & Pilsners...... not over hoppy crap beer...
Germany knows how to brew REAL beer....
Pardon the interruption, but as a Canadian beer drinker, I can confidently say that our beer is NOT garbage. Give me a break. WE, yes WE brew some of the best beer in the world, bar none. Keep in mind there are lots of German immigrants here who brought their beer crafting savvy with them.. http://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com/
I can't stand beer in a can. I will say that one of the best beers I've had (aside from all I drank in Germany) is Fat Squirrel from New Glarus Brewing Company in Wisconsin. Too bad they only sell it in Wisconsin.
Interesting that you won't consider cans...have you ever thought what a key is made of? Same metal that a can is made of. Maybe cans are the best way to store beer...whether a keg or a can.
And you don't driink a draft beer from the tap...you pour it into a glass. Same for a craft beer can...you pour it into a glass.
For anyone who will only drink beer in bottles hasn't had Surly yet!
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The price of canning machinery has dropped over the years. It use to be only the macro breweries that could afford it. This is why you are seeing more and more micros using it now.
They don't actually make the cans themselves. They purchase cans from the same companies that make cans for Coors, Coke, Pepsi etc.
Oregon residents should try Caldera beer – comes in cans, and has an amazing IPA and a pretty good amber as well.
Most Oregonians dont like IPAs.
They like Ales, Porters, Stouts and LAgers....
Just wondering... Did you do some sort of statewide research study? Did the entire state of Oregon elect you spokesperson for any beer-drinking questions that might arise from the non-Oregon world? Or, are you just making one heck of a hugely, uneducated, general statement?
That's news to this Oregonian.
The problem isn't the storage of beer in a can but for most high quality micro-brews, especially the Belgian Style, you need to drink it from a glass to get the full taste. It has a different taste if you drink it straight from either the bottle or can. I guess you could use plastic cups but you still need to pour it out of the can or bottle to get the full & best taste.
"HMMMM, BEERS IN CANS!? I ALREADY KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY, PROCEED TO POST WITHOPUT READING ARTICLE". Apparently ALL beer drinkers are idiots...
Canned beer is synonymous with crap beer. That will never change.
The can is just the delivery container. It is your choice of beer and the serving temperature that makes the difference. Don't ice down micro beers. They need to be served at 55 to 60 degrees for the best flavor.
Uh, Guiness in a CAN, tastes BETTER then in the bottle.
A LOT you know...
That mentality is the same attitude that people have about Screw Top wine. Its a proven fact that screw tops for wine keep the wine fresher. That is also the reason more and more winery's are moving to screw top as opposed to cork. As soon as someone follows an "Absolute Attitude" you close your mind down to other possibilities. It also a reason why people will miss out on some amazing Wine with screw tops and some amazing Beer in cans. Your loss.
I really don't like canned beer. Except Guinness, strange as that seems it's better in the can. I'm sure it's all psychological but as a dark beer drinker I could not see myself drinking New Castle, Guinness extra stout, murphys or beamish out of a can.
I graduated from bottles to cans when I met my wife, who, as a bartender, knows best. Bottles now seem like a pain.
3 more hours and I'll be behind an Anchor Steam.
My beer usually winds up in a solo cup and on my shirt anyway.
hard to shotgun a bottled beer!
There is no difference in taste between a can and a bottle, funny how those who say they can taste it will say they only drink beer from bottles or on tap, um kegs are giant cans. Also the fact is NOTHING colder than a can of beer in a cooler full of ice. Gubna IPA is by far one of the best beers on the market.
The beer keeps better in cans too. They do not let any light in. Micros were using bottles because they machinery was cheaper.
If you are drinking micro-beers ice cold, you are not getting the real flavor. Let 'em warm up to about 60 degrees and you'll love the taste. If you want ice cold beer, stay with Bud, Coors, or Miller. Anything above about 40 degrees and they taste like crap.
I'm a big fan of the Maui Brewing Company beer that they sell in cans. They actually only sell it in cans. My favorite is the Mana Wheat, but they are all good. If you are lucky enough to make it to Maui, I'd suggest stopping at their brewery and their brew pub. The brew pub has awesome food and lots of different beers that don't make it here to the mainland.
and the best IPA I've ever head is only in cans – The Alchemist's Heady Topper, Waterbury, VT
http://www.alchemistbeer.com/
Vermont beer is the best beer. Except long trail. $%^& long trail.
BS!!! The ONLY IPAs worth a crap are Pliney the Elder/Younger and Wisdom Seeker....
Clearly you have not had Hill Farmstead's Ephraim, Double Citra, Double Galaxy, or Abner; Lawson's Finest Liquids Double Sunshine; and clearly you have never had Heady Topper (the only one in a can). Vermont rules in the way of IPA/IIPA. In your defense, east and west coast IIPAs are, to me, totally different. I prefer VT IPA/IIPAs
Can recommendation – Stowaway IPA – Baxter Brewery Lewiston, ME
http://www.baxterbrewing.com/beers/4/
What I'm not seeing in the article is the most important test ... comparing the SAME beer from bottle, can, and draft. You simply cannot say "canned is as good as bottled" unless you've compared the exact same beer from each container.
The last canned beer I tasted was Coors Light. Don't grief me, I like CL. I like other more flavorful beers as well, but CL is my favorite refreshment. And as of, say, 6 months ago, I could taste the can in canned CL, and the beer did not taste as clean or crisp tasting as CL in a bottle - I could not separate the 'canned' taste from the beer.
One of the things also NOT addressed in the article ... do you drink direclty from the retail container or pour it out into a cup/glass? The only time I put beer in a glass is if it's draft or I'm in a restaurant that doesn't serve my choice of beer on draft. If you drink directly from the bottle, you taste beer. If you drink directly from a can, you're gonna taste the can. While the >interior< of the can may be lined, the lid / top ain't in most cases.
Coors Light is absolute CRAP, and tastes like it too. It baffles me whenever I see someone walk out of the beer store with a case. They've succumbed to marketing, that's all.. I don't know if they think bikini-clad models are going to jump out of the case when they get home or what, but the beer is the most awful tasting wretched poo ever.
I have been drinking beer for about 40 years and I guess the "cans give beer a bad taste" thing is an old paradigm that just won't die. I prefer decent beer in bottles, but usually, when bottles are not allowed, the only beer available are the "Mega Brewery" brews, so I suck it up and try to enjoy. (I cannot dring Bud whether it is in a bottle or a crystal goblet) I will have to try some of the craft brewed canned beers, never too late to try a new thing.
'Cans are actually better now than years ago. Try one and you'll see.' No.
I tried each an evry one of them beer an I gotta sa y opening them cans is too much dang work but they all good
.products of american inganuity inginuity ingenuity
Best beer in a can: Guinness. It's also the best beer out of a bottle or the tap.
I always liked Sterling's wide-mouth bottles. Decent beer, too. And yeah, you can still taste the can no matter what they line it with. Glass bottles, please.
Nope, you can't, period.
Wash the top of your cans.....
why. you wash them.
I loved Sterling's big mouth bottle with the pull-tab cap.
Santa Fe Brewing Co. – Happy Camper IPA, Imperial Java Stout adn Irish Red Ale
Marble Brewing Company – IPA
La Cumbre Brewing – Elevated IPA
Not true anymore Sharon. Cans are actually better now than years ago. Try one and you'll see.
You're all missing the real problem. I don't want to put my mouth on metal when I'm drinking. Or cut my lip on the metal edge. It's just not the same feel, let alone the fact that the cans are lined with BPA. See this is why we still have toxins in our world, consumers (US) don't make a big enough deal about getting them out, so we continue to pretend they won't hurt us and we'll be fine when in fact cancer rates are still sky-rocketing and people are clueless about why.
I never associated cheap/bad beer with cans. I always avoided canned beer because the can affects the taste. I want to taste the beer or the soda, not the can. Bottles are the way to go when possible.
Monkey Naut IPA – Straight to Ale Brewery, Huntsville, AL
Good People Brown Ale – Good People Brewing Company, Birmingham, AL
Westbrook White Thai – Mt. Pleasant, SC
also liking that Abita is starting to use cans. I like cans more because they don't pick up glass at the curb where I live.
Magic Hat #9 – now available in can form. Need I say more...
I'm glad that my favorite Texas brewery distributing in cans was on this list - love the Fire Eagle IPA and Pearl-Snap Pills from Austin Beerworks.
However, I find it slightly odd that the author who resides in Georgia listed an ABW beer that not only hasn't been out in cans for very long, also is not available for distribution outside of Central Texas.
And he's not logged in the ABW in Untappd....
Aye. Walgreen six pack $2.99. Get a buzz.
I second Caldera, great beers!
http://www.calderabrewing.com/
The main reason is cans are cheaper, both in terms of the container (vs glass), and lighter, so freight costs are less.
These days it seems like everybody and their dog, is becoming a "craft brewer"...The variety is fun but all these wantabe Sam Adams will no doubt lead to a lot of failures, especially when taxes on beer rise. In some states taxes on beer haven't increased in nearly 50 years. With all the debt we have and cuts to school budgets, that's bound to increase, plus the drunk driver / obesity arguments. It is good for canning companies though and aluminum makers..: )
sorry but sam adams is not that great
for MMB sure
but really going with XYZ brews from local refiners kicks SA to the curb
again – thats if you have decent taste buds and an affinity towards birth control and not increasing the stock price of NASCAR/WWF/McDonalds/Microsoft/MTV/Comcast and of course lets not forget the almightness of Walmart
:P just having fun at your expense while I chug some awesome Reserva from Spain
enjoy
Wannbe Sam Adams? Wow, you must not have many micro breweries near where you live. Sam Adams isn't bad for the size of business they are, but the local guys are almost always much better.
decriminalize pot people..its 2012.. its pathetic that people loose simple jobs or cant get them because of drug testing for pot..every other drug is understandable to test for.. and like anything , it can be used as a reason not to hire, but not a mandatory denial ... pot is no worse than alcohol .tobacco,or many of the pills out there. it doesn't mess up your balance or make you throw up hangovers or hit your wife-domestic violence ..ect.. all the other reasons to making things right as well...like bringing in needed revenue , putting drug dealers out of business , deficit ...
spread the word because there are too many people that dont care to think about issues that have nothing to do with them.. wine never needed a 50+% of the vote to be legalized ..
I'm pretty sure this is an article about canned beer, not pot. Yup, nothing to do with pot.
MaryJ is not going to be legal anytime soon, not since the face eater incident.
Just shut the hell up, pothead. Go find some twinkies and crash on the couch.
Everyone knows that cans are perfect as an impromptu bowl – much more difficult to do that with a bottle!
I like how people will scoff at a can of beer and then saddle up with a draft pint...that came out of a giant ass can of beer, commonly known as a keg.
It's about taste! Draft beer is much better by far than (most) canned beer.
Agreed, but you've got to really know the place that's pulling the draft unless you're talking about a keg in your own back yard. I've experienced places that aren't really fastidious about cleaning their lines. That just ruins the beer.
Amen to the due diligence towards sanitation. I've often seen what would have been the fulfillment of connoisseur imbibers dreams ruined by shortcuts around proper cleaning.
Hamm's beer has a cheddar-like aftertaste, with undertones aluminum. Serve room temperature on tailgate. Or washed down with Night Train.
I love a nice, hoppy IPA but not by the pool when it's 100 degrees outside. I'll stick with my wheats and lagers for that, thank you.
I pour mine down my wifes body and slurp it from her vulva
Funny because I like to drink it off your wife's body too.
To the left!
You gotta remember to get there before I've adjusted my ballast on her.
Cans these day are superior to bottles in every possible except to fill the needs of the home brewer. Beer in cans gets no light or air. Beer form a can is always better than it's bottled counterpart.
I wish Stone Brewery would add cans as an option but when I emailed them about they made it clear they have no intention of doing so. Too bad they are missing out and I no longer purchase my favorite beer as so many of their competitors that make great beer do so I now choose them.
Voting with your dollar is awesome!
Catawba Valley Brewing! They're based in Morganton, NC and you can only find their beer in NC (Charlotte and Asheville mainly) but their canned beer is fantastic! I recommend Firewater and Farmer Ted.
Definitely agree on the Bitter American. We also recommend the two DC Braus on the picture, though you have be around DC to get them!
Breweries in Alaska are now canning, including Midnight Sun's Sockeye Red IPA, and some Kassik's brews. I've had friends come up here only for the Sockeye Red, so now I can send some down to them as presents.
Caldera IPA is a solid bang for the buck, and quite tasty indeed...
Waterbury, VTs Alchemist Brewery Heady Topper is the best beer ever, as well as the best available in a can. Our little favorite brewpub was wiped out by the the Flood of Irene last August. At the same time, they were poised to open their offsite brewery/cannery. So while the Alchemist Pub is no longer (a like minded new establishment sits in it's place), the brilliant brew lives on!!! You must try this hop festival in a can...if you can find it...very hard to get outside VT....cheers!@
If Heady Topper is the best beer ever then why did La Cumbre Brewery's Elevated IPA win gold medal at GABF 2011. Just sayin'. Elevated is also available now in a 16oz can.
Heady Topper received a score of 100 from Beer Advocate. If you're lucky enough to get your hands one some, I can vouch for the fact that it is truly an incredible beer. Many say it is as good as if not better than Pliny the Elder, which I have not yet been able to try (hard to get in the east).
Snake River in Jackson WY cans all their beer- Pako's IPA is great.
Vermonter here, living in Atlanta. Would love to try it. The only VT beer we get down here is Magic Hat. I like to have a #9 every now and again, but would like a Long Trail IPA and others. My wife is leaving for VT with the kids in a couple of days. She's driving so I'll have to have her bring some of these back with her.
MY top canned beers:
1) Oskar Blues Ten Fidy (also currently tied as my favorite overall beer with Stone IRS)
2) Oskar Blues Gubna (see a pattern?)
3) Ska Hoparandi
4) Avery IPA (average ABV, but hits heavier than most similar IPA's)
If in the area and checking out Oskar or New Belgium, make sure to stop in a O'dells Brewery. They don't distribute everywhere, and hence are less know than New Belgium, BUT they do produce some world class beers (no cans, yet)!
Odells >> NB. Anytime. Hands down.
If you're up there check out Equinox. They're relatively new and AMAZING.
Here's a beer that changes the whole equation:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27039/16814
It's called "Heady Topper" (a Vermont Beer) and apparently is only available in select locations on the East Coast.
One of the highest tasting-ratings ever acheived by any beer, the can actually says "drink straight from can".
Have you heard of La Cumbre's Elevated IPA? Gold Medal winner at GABF. Beat Heady Topper and Deviant Dales.
Monkeynaut, enough said. But, If you can ever find Unobtainium your search will have ended.
Monkeynaut FTW.
Beer snobs are a constant source of amusement. Beers can be evaluated thusly: damn good, not bad, or tastes like crap. If you are looking for a hint of chocolate or tobacco in your beer, here's my advice – buy a Hershey bar or a pack of Camels. An ice-cold Miller High Life or Rolling Rock on a hot day satisfies like your Droogelfooger's IPA never will.
I'm with you bro. I'll take those ice cold Miller Lites and Rolling Rocks anytime. In fact gonna crack a few today! :)
You can appreciate a cheap, watery beer. Congrats!
Not for those who appreciate the finer things in life...And the dogfish head will get you "there" like those light beers won't be able to do. And the same you mentioned about beer could be said about anything in life, "______ snobs are a constant source of amusement." Tell me what you favor, and I'll find some humor in it.
if having good taste make one a snob then flame away
perhaps you simply lack the taste buds to enjoy the many layers of a good beer/wine/food
enjoy your ammonia 99c burgers and $6 12 packs of water
:D
I am joking of course
it takes many weights of variety to keep the balance
to each his own
Don't get mad just because your crappy job won't let you afford a decent brew.
yeah – it's another fine example of the pussification of America. I'm more likely to see a guy drinking a glass of wine than a Budweiser now-a-days. all of this craft beer is another step towards being more feminine. another step closer to being a wine drinking metro-sexual. keep your beer with an apricot aftertaste, after I've been chopping wood or mowing the lawn for a couple hours – I'll take a Bud (man beer).
1) Wine has a higher alcohol content. I don't see anything womanly about that.
2) If having ample access to and being willing to spend more on a beer that doesn't taste like lager-flavored water is feminine, then I'm very glad I am a woman.
I've always been a fan of cans. Two very large cans. From a redhead, preferably.
man when I was a kid watching adults I cannot recall any craft brews being handed around
sure am glad to enjoy beer in these times can or bottle or draft
michigan has some great craft brewery's – too bad I have to google my bar run to find a decent draft – nothing worse than hitting a decent "looking" bar and all they sell is budswiner and flat guinness
Try Good People Brewing Co.
I have tried their draft and can. The draft is better, as the flavor opens up more and it taste fresh. But, the IPA in the can makes my mouth water when I see it in the store, so I end up buying it every time. Damn you good tasting beer, my mouth loves you and my stomach... loves you, but keeps getting larger.
The true "craft" in Craft Beer, begins in home brewing. Since not many, if any, home brewers can afford to can their "crafts", true Craft Beers will always be bottled, then slowly poured into an ice, cold glass...cheers.
Ice cold glass? Not the beers (make that "ales") that I drink...
Nonsense. There are many true craft brews in cans. There will be more and more in the future as well. Cans are here to stay.
Oh please. Home brewing is totally hit or miss. I'd rather trust someone who has made a career of brewing than some guy dabbling in his kitchen.
Homebrewers "dabbling" in his kitchen? Don't you know that many if not most of the pro-brewers started out as homebrewers including Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing and Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewing? I'll put my faith in an award-winning homebrewer before some guys that decide since craft beer is an expanding industry to open their own brewery - but haven't the first clue how to brew beer!
Most pro=brewers also appreciate their roots, and support pro-am competitions. Check out Sam Adams Longshot series beers, recipes created by homebrewers.
I guess I am a beer slut. I'll drink almost anything. I have my favorites sure. The time I hiked 7 miles up to a glacier and shared my JD with another guy who packed in warm beer – warm beer never tasted soo good. My only requirement is that it be 5% or higher. None of that Yanky piss . . .
I collect 6 pack labels so canned beer doesn't factor in. Regardless of packaging, craft beer should be enjoyed from a glass.
Some brands, particularly imports, I will only buy in cans or kegs because it seems by the time they get to me, they have lost their freshness and have gotten skunky. Plus cans can be flattened and make your trash bag less heavy.
@zy,
A can weighs the same whether crushed or not. Perhaps you meant it takes up less space.
I believe that he/she is comparing a crushed can to a bottle. For the same reason I prefer a can. An additional benefit is that it is far more economical to recycle a can vs. a bottle.
Recycle that can and you can reinvest the deposit on more beer!
I prefer mine out of the keg where it's not been pasteurized already.
Try Moo Thunder Stout from Butternuts Brewing. Brewed in the Southern Tier of NY State.
Butternuts makes an IPA, Hefeweizen, and Saison as well; the saison is called "Pork Slap" and is quite tasty.
Nothing beats a fresh draught in a frosted mug!
warm beer on a mountain top after a 7 mile hike up to a glacier tastes pretty good . . .
I'd be afraid to open that can after all that shaking
You can feel beer through the cans.
Bottles hold the temperature better than thin cans.
You shouldn't be drinking craft beer out of a bottle or a can – you should pour it into a glass to get the full experience. So it really doesn't matter which is used, although cans are presumably better, environmentally speaking. Lower shipping weight, recyclable, etc.
Cans get cold faster and stay that way longer. At least that is what I experience 100% of the time.
The difference is trivial
Oh, yay, I can drink beer that's been soaking in epoxy instead of sitting in non-reactive glass that won't leach anything into my beer. Can't wait. As long as it doesn’t taste like metal, what more could I ask for?
Dearest Steve, the same lining is in every keg out there, and there's no real link between that lining and any harmful effects. Also, let's all not forget that your beloved bottles and glasses are consumed after your beer has been brewed in a metallic vessel, then packaged In a metal keg. But only then when it reaches a can it begins to err in taste and quality? If you think about it, most any beer from a glass is either a bottle that has been sitting in storage or on shelves for dubious periods of time or straight from a metal keg to your pint glass. So please, let's all stop hating on the can, gulp a few craft beers down and smash those damn can on our heads!
As a PhD chemist that specializes in coatings, I can fully garuantee you that the beer soaking in "epoxy" will have no deleterious effects on either taste or health. The epoxy is utterly insoluble in everything, and will leave no trace of residue in your beer.
"The macro-breweries, which brew with adjuncts like rice and corn (read: cheap ingredients that add off-flavors but produce alcohol)"
Burbon is made with corn, sake is made with rice, both taste fantastic. Why does either grain make beer taste bad?
The point of that statement is that corn and rice are less expensive but do not produce as high a quality of beer as does barley. The article is not making any statement about whether or not other high quality alcohols can be made using corn or rice.
Beer and bourbon – apples and oranges.
Rice and corn do not give a beer "off" flavor; they merely give it less flavor, less "maltiness." Some - not I - actually prefer less flavor. I almost never drink the stuff, but I admire brewers like Anheuser Busch, who can produce a uniformly tasteless beer at multiple breweries throughout the world. That takes incredible quality control.
CHIN-CHIN!
CAN-CAN!
TIN-TIN!
You have to try Point Special out of Stevens Point WI. Available in cans for years. Here in WI we've had micro breweries forever.
Absolutely!
I grew up in WI and there are so many wonderful microbreweries. My latest fav is Logjam Brewery in Tomahawk. And you can't forget New Glarus or Capitol Brewery.
Love those Spotted Cows! And most any other beer made in Wisconsin! ;)
Agree with CS Deckard, FatTire is pretty overrated. It's OK, but in the New Belgium panoply, I think Ranger IPA is best. Better yet, Odell's IPA. I don't think Odell's brews are available over a very large area, but, damn, they're good. Modus Hoperandi is good, too. Just for the sake of disclosure, I love IPAs, I love Colorado, and I live about 3 miles from both Odell's and New Belgium. Drink fresh, drink local, and don't drive.
NB in general is overrated.
CANS SUCK!
Beer tastes much better from bottles.
You're imagining things.
The point of the article is...drink beer whenever you CAN!
Maui Brewing Company is another small company that makes awesome canned beers. a Bikini Blonde or Coconut Porter on a hot day is a joy.
I've never had their beer. I loved Kona when I lived on Oahu, but I never saw their beer in cans.
Big Swell IPA is fantastic. Too expensive though so it's just a treat once in a while.
And the BPA in the can liners gives everyone tits. Big tits. Which go great with beer.
It's win-win.
First, there's no conclusive proof that BPA has any deleterious heath effects... there are some corrollations, but from my research, they're often not adequately controlled.
Secondly, the rate of BPA release from an Epoxy in mildly-acidic solutions (for example, beer) is slow to the point of being essentially zero.
Modus Hoperandi is the best beer on the list. A great IPA. If you are partial to IPAs, check out Oscar Blues finest, Gubna (Imperial IPA) and Deviant Dale's (IPA version of Dale's Pale Ale. All in cans, of course. Perfect for the top of a 14er or in the backcountry.
I've had them all and none of them come close to Stone Ruination, (the absolute best IPA in the world,) Pliny The Elder, and Stone IPA.
I only wish I could get those in cans.
Alchemist/Ninkasi/Stone Collaboration More Brown Than Black IPA. I wish they offered this all year. An awesome IPA.
I enjoy micro brews & craft beers, my favorite being "Arrogant Bastard", but on a hot day, I"ll take anything cold that says "beer" on the label. After you drink 6 or 7 & catch a good buzz, taste is an afterthought. Thirst quenching is primary. I do brew my own blueberry wheat ale I call "Purple Avenger", at about 12% alcohol, with locally grown blueberries from my mother's place in Tiger, GA.
Timely article. I just bought a six pack of Asheville Brewing Company's Shiva IPA. Asheville: Beer City USA three years running. More great breweries than any city in America.
Sierra Nevada Brewery recent started selling their Pale Ale and Torpedo in cans.... but I think they're only currently available in Chico CA, should be available everywhere eventually though.
I've seen them in Oregon too, starting sometime in the last few weeks.
Sierra Nevada cans are available nationwide.
I love the SN Torpedo in cans vs the bottles but will drink either. Good choice!!
I was able to get the cans in Connecticut as well as FLorida.
We've got'm in Oregon.
We have the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale cans in 12-packs in NC and the torpedos in 4-packs. A fabulous advancement, and great to take to the pool. A couple torpedos in the sun and it's a beautiful day.
I get them in Eastern Washington. They only the warm shelf but it's worth it to me. I have a fridge just for beer. It will get cold.
Cans are by far a superior package for beer, however Cellaring a can just doesn't seem right so I think bottles still have their place.
I don't understand why people love Fat Tire so much. It has such a strange, off-putting nutty aftertaste, and nearly everyone I have discussed it with agrees with me (the only exceptions being Colorado natives, so maybe it's better locally?). If you're going the New Belgium route, I suggest Ranger IPA.
Also good in cans, in spite of it's absence in this article, are the beers from Fort George Brewery in Astoria, Oregon. The brewery was started at an old cannery, and as a result, I don't believe they even offer bottles.
Agreed – Fat Tire is overrated indeed. Appropriate for the micro noob, but that's about it.
I agree about Fat Tire. The first and last time I had it I found it had a strong mildew flavor.
I feel like the longer one lives in Colorado, the less one enjoys anything from New Belgium. There are so many better breweries around here.
Wish they made fat tire in a can...
bottom left in the photo
FAIL!!
oh look! you got to say "fail"!