thoughts on craft beer in cans

yes, and yes.

cans are great. as long as there isn't some bizarre chemical problem happening, they're superior to glass in almost every way.

though, since opening my mind to "oh shit, i can put a wine stopper in a big stout and drink it over 2 days... !!!" which came ridiculously late in my craft beer drinking lifetime, i'm happy for large format, large ABV beers. weird, but there you go.

large format IPAs = big fail any way you slice it.

 

Love the cans! Ten Fidy anyone?

 

For beers that are bottle-conditioned, can it also be done in cans?

 

I love beer in cans and am a supporter but the planet part is debatable, as mining for aluminum and the making of the aluminum cans can arguably be worse for the planet because it's more energy intensive. I think in the end and taking all factors we would find that glass and aluminum are almost neck and neck from an environmental point of view.

 

I second this.
Now on the other hand, if we reused bottles like in Germany the environmental winner might just be glass.

 

Big fan of cans. 90% of my beer is from a glass anyway so the cans make it FAR easier to buy, store, transport, recycle, etc.

Don't love the experience of drinking out if a can in general, but then again, one of the best tasting things I've ever had is Heady Topper from the can, so that kinda deflates that position.

 

"There's no negatives and lots of positives to doing this. We all benefit from it."

That wass directing beyond yourself, IMO. I personally don't feel it would be to my personal benefit if everything switched to cans and, to me, there are a couple negatives to cans...issues that are important to myself (such as drinking straight from sources, presentation of a bottle vs can -- kinda like the argument of vinyl vs cd's in regard to album art.).

Anyways, wasn't trying to offend/attack you or your post. If my post came across as such, my apologies. My intent was simply to respond, because I did not agree with the statement....at least in how I read it.

Cheers.

 

Hell yes. They're easier to carry antwhere from camping to golf, to your brother in law's back yard. Some of the can packaging I've seen is spectacular- Sierra Nevada is a gorgeous canned product. People fussed about screw caps on wine bottles, now they're ubiquitous. Cans are a superior container for beer. BTW, my brother in law is in the glass business and knows cans are growing in the "craft" segment.

 

Cans are the future. I always thought it was kind of a marketing decision for craft brewers to continue to package in non-twist top bottles. Look past the psycho trick, cans are better.

 

I dig the cans.

 

I've said it here many times, I don't like the idea of drinking from a can due to sanitation issues. I look at cans and wonder if they have been sneezed on or if the tops (where I'm going to be drinking from) have been touched with dirty hands. Plus I see the groove around the top of the can, and often times have seen dust/dirt inside. Who knows what else type of bacteria could be trapped in there. Drinking from a capped bottle at least gives me some piece of mind.

 

Some of my favorite beers ever are out of cans so I say go for it.

 

I don't drink the cans, I don't drink the bottles. I drink what's inside. So long as the CONTENTS are good and tasty - I don't care what I buy it in.

 

Yeh but how well will the can age over say the next 3, 5 or 10 years?
-and will it get contaminated by the can?

 

Clean the top of the can with a handy sanitizer. Truth is, everywhere you walk, shop, recreate, etc., is full of the stuff of people, dogs, cats, civets, and a crazy myriad of unknowns. Plus, I'm certain that you'll always have the bottle option available. Not to even mention some of the draft lines I've seen!

 

Says can conditioned right on the Sierra Nevada can. Looking at it right now.

 

I have certainly had beers for which the can seemed to be doing the beer a disservice by imparting a cannish, metallic taste, but there are other beers, especially my local favorites like Santa Fe Brewing Happy Camper, Imp. Java Stout, Marble's Pilsner (which just medaled at GABF) and La Cumbre's Elevated IPA, that I love out of the can as much or more than from a glass. Plus, for picnics, hikes, or when visiting friends and lacking proper glassware, a canned beer is just perfect.

 

at my local recycling location aluminum cans are 1$ ish a pound and glass is 0.1$ a pound. I would like all beer in cans. for many reasons already listed

 

Happy Camper and Elevated mmm
As for "No Negatives"-
Cans will suffer temperature fluctuations much more quickly than bottles, which can be a huge loss of flavor.
Now properly cared-for cans vs. properly cared-for bottles, cans will always win IMO

 

Seems to me in my present memory, most of the canned products seem to be lighter beers- lagers, wheats and ipas (I'll put those Headys away for a few months, no chance), are beers that are destined or intended for quick consumption. I've seen a number of dark beers in cans, but I do recall reading on here at some point that can technology has improved and that old purported can taste is less likely than in the past. If I was buying age-worthy beers, I would buy bottles. No chance for (can) Cantillon, I would think.