can beer is "flatter" than the same in bottle

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by lakestclairgoose, Aug 2, 2013.

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  1. lakestclairgoose

    lakestclairgoose Initiate (0) Feb 10, 2008 Michigan

    sorry, its my opinion of fact.... same beers tried from can and from bottle

    beer from can has a flatter mouth feel, less carbonation, whatever... its different...

    my tests:

    SNPA
    Fat Tire
    Sam Adams....

    yes, both bottle and can poured into the same type glass..... maybe its my head, but the can beer is flatter....

    HATE beer in a can....
     
  2. commis

    commis Initiate (0) Jul 21, 2009 Massachusetts

    Well, think about the shape and design of each vessel. pours from a can are more turbulant...
     
  3. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,441) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I disagree. No empirical evidence or anything, I just know I've had plenty of great beers from cans with nice fluffy heads, good retention and lacing, great carbonation, great aroma, great flavor, great mouthfeel.... In fact, I'm about to go open another one.

    Maybe the problem is with your pour? I pour pretty aggressively myself, never been afraid of a little foam.
     
  4. hoppytobehere

    hoppytobehere Pooh-Bah (1,982) Aug 10, 2012 District of Columbia
    Pooh-Bah Society

    your loss.
     
  5. LaneMeyer

    LaneMeyer Initiate (0) Mar 20, 2011 California

    It's an interesting observation. I think to make it more accurate you'd have to get cans and bottles with similar dates, and get as big of a selection as possible. Then you'd have to do a blind taste test, with as many people as you could find.
     
  6. slowonder1

    slowonder1 Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2013 Florida

    If you're pouring the can 'straight-on' into the glass, try pouring it sideways out of the can so that you get a lot less of the "glug glug" effect that typically flattens a poured can beer. As a bartender i have found this to create a better experience for those that typically hate canned beers.
     
  7. kingofhop

    kingofhop Initiate (0) May 9, 2010 Oklahoma
    In Memoriam

    I respectfully disagree. I find cans to contain freshness, moreso than bottles. But that is only my fukkin opinion, of course.
     
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  8. slowonder1

    slowonder1 Initiate (0) Jun 16, 2013 Florida

    well a lot of scotch ales have a low carbonation rate and typically have a slightly flat taste...IMO.
     
  9. YogiBeer

    YogiBeer Initiate (0) May 10, 2012 Illinois

    Science would probably be better at answering this than insults.
     
  10. LambicPentameter

    LambicPentameter Initiate (0) Aug 29, 2012 Nebraska

    You can feel the way you feel about beer out of a can vs. a bottle, but the evidence suggests that what you're perceiving doesn't make much sense, given that cans provide less opportunity for air seepage than a bottle does.

    I mean, I could say that it looks like the Sun revolves around the Earth, based on my observation, but all the empirical evidence suggests that isn't correct.
     
  11. smitherz22

    smitherz22 Initiate (0) May 8, 2012 California

    Maybe they are all "can conditioned" meaning carbonated in the can - the same way a cask is, and personally I always find cask beer and bottle conditioned beers to be a little less carbonated "feeling" than other forced carbonation beers. Idk...maybe
     
  12. miwestcoaster

    miwestcoaster Grand Pooh-Bah (3,817) Jan 19, 2013 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I will agree with the OP that I prefer SNPA bottle taste to the can taste. But I prefer lugging cans and especially empty cans in my cooler compared to bottles, since each can or bottle in MI is worth 10 cents.
    Have you tried Rochester Mills IPA out of a can? Good taste and mouth feel IMO.
     
  13. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,441) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Society

    OP, here's how it's done :wink: Cheers!

    [​IMG]
     
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  14. litheum94

    litheum94 Initiate (0) Dec 29, 2008 California

    Loved that beer on tap when I visted Bend. Wish we got cans of that in CA.
     
  15. Orca

    Orca Grand Pooh-Bah (4,441) Sep 18, 2010 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I just picked this up today, so maybe you will. I also saw 6-packs of Descender @ Whole Foods.
     
    litheum94 likes this.
  16. VictorWisc

    VictorWisc Maven (1,355) Jan 2, 2013 Massachusetts

    Well, I've previously posted on a number of reasons why ostensibly the same beer may taste different in a can and in a bottle. The major consideration for me is that bottles and cans likely don't come from the same batch and, worse, may be made at different breweries. My stand-by example has been Cisco, which bottles in MA, but cans in NY. And canned Grey Lady IMO is very different from bottled Grey Lady. Yesterday also tried canned SNPA and it tasted nothing like the bottled SNPA I had last week. The can was actually fresher, but it tasted less in nearly all aspects--less malt, less hops, less body. Haven't checked if bottled and canned SNPA distributed in MA is made at the same plant or not, but there may be other reasons for differences. Cans and bottles are filled to different levels (leaving different amount of "air pocket"), but that should normally make cans more carbonated, not less, unless they are overfilled. If additional carbonation is injected into cans, it would change acidity of the beer (slightly, but noticeably). Chatting with a Cisco rep I asked if there was a reason for the cans and bottles to be different and he said, absolutely! The recipe may well be the same, but since they are made at different plants, the controls are different, the source materials--particularly water--are different. So the execution is different. But he actually specifically said that they had some problems keeping the brew consistent because canning requires a much larger batch, which means that brewing conditions and times are very different. So, yeah, even brewers think that bottles and cans can be different. It doesn't mean that they are always different and "different" can mean that sometimes cans are better. But don't dismiss the claim of difference out of hand because it really might be true.

    Having said all that, I suspect the OP generalized declaration to be bogus. There is really no foundation behind this statement and no evidence presented. It's a simple blanket declaration that appears to be counterfactual. Try again...
     
    JimKal likes this.
  17. Dakotah

    Dakotah Initiate (0) May 3, 2013 California


    ^^ That. But, to the OP, you're missing the point of canned craft. It may be a little "canny", it may be slightly flatter (from the glug-glug out of the can... unless it's got those cool vents!), BUT IT'S GOOD, COLD, CRAFT FROM A CAN. you can say "hey Daryl, wing me a can of Torpedo!" at the beach or ballgame, instead of "Daryl, would you grab the bottle opener and please daintily pour me a Torpedo in my Spiegelau, and walk it over to me? thanks."

    Enjoy the can, for being a can.
     
    mactrail and rather like this.
  18. devlishdamsel

    devlishdamsel Initiate (0) Aug 1, 2009 Washington

    Whatever, Heady Topper comes in a can.
     
  19. squirrely2005

    squirrely2005 Initiate (0) Aug 26, 2011 Texas

    Do a blind tasting.
     
    Providence likes this.
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