Canned beer. Am I missing something?

Yes because many excellent beer are sold only on tap and in cans.

 

<mic drop>

 

Not true at all. Nothing by St Bernardus, Rochefort, Cantillon, Westvleteren, Westmalle, Russian River, Orval, Struise, The Bruery and countless other great breweries come in cans. Nearly all of the best beers from Lagunitas, Firestone Walker, Sierra Nevada, Stone and many many more other breweries do not come in cans.

Hell, just look at your very own ratings to see you contradict yourself. The vast majority of your highest rated beers don't come in cans.

 

Yes. You're missing enjoying beer in cans. But, if it really matters so much to you, why even worry about it?

 

Beer at the beach and pool is too important to me to go without, besides I really prefer beer in cans anyway. Way too many advantages. But if the guy as a severe aversion why fight it just drink bottled beer. I hate asparagus , so I avoid it and refuse to eat it. There's other vegetables I like, so I'm ok with that.

 

Glass is literally not allowed anywhere in public. So no beach, pool, or parks where alcohol is permitted. Which is a big deal if you go to those places, like me. A big reason cans are superior imo.

 

Having spent some time working in the food processing industry I can fully undertand and sympathize with this. But notice that those cans you prepped for putting out on the shelf were still unpunctured and still sealed for the protection of your customers and so the contents were unaffected.

Maybe if you buy a container of hand sanitizer wipes and wipe a can clean for yourself you'd be able to pop it open and pour the clean, untouched beer into a glass before dumping the can and the wipe into the trash?

 

And @Sixpoint .

 

I worked at a redemption center for a summer back when I was younger so I feel your pain. Who knew so many mice liked to crawl inside empty bottles and die? And don't get me started on people who put out their cigarette butts in beer cans....

 

O'Doyle RULES!

 

This goes to South Dakota but not Wyoming..geesh lol

 

Empirically, cans are generally better container for beer and that is why craft beer brewers and drinkers are switching to cans. The main improvements over bottles for the end consumer are cans block all UV light that could skunk beer; and the can seals are typically have a lower rate of oxygen ingress over time (i.e. less oxidation) than bottle cap or cork seals. Pour the beer into a glass and there's no difference to the consumer between cans and bottles, other than can is typically a slightly fresher product (There are some caveats, but generally-speaking this is true).

Cans also have some commercial advantages for distribution and fewer restrictions for public places where broken glass is a concern (beaches, pools, campgrounds, etc.), which others mentioned above.

However...

That's a pretty strong feeling to get over. If that's going to influence your opinions no matter what then it's probably not worth fighting. There are still plenty of good bottle options. However, it might be worth your while to try to get one or two of best best beers in a can just to see if a really positive experience drinking a canned beer can help push you through that initial revulsion. There's more items than just beer that comes in cans, which this phobia could be impacting in your life.

And if that's any small consolation [or morbid interest], maybe knowing ******s can be helpful will make you ever so slightly less revolted by them... as disgusting as they look, ******s themselves are surprisingly clean and sanitary. Live ******s were used to treat necrotic wounds for centuries and doctors today still use them occasionally for wounds that resist standard drugs and surgical treatment methods with pretty high success rates. There are numerous published medical studies about this.... HERE is a link to a summary of one study (don't worry, no pictures).

 

Since you didn't explain why you don't like cans, it's difficult to determine if you'll be able to change your mind and be able to enjoy a beer out of a can.
The materials on the inside are extremely sanitary (food grade) and actually protect the beer more than bottles. If you are worried about the outside being dirty, you can soak them in the sink for a while to clean them. My wife uses a water and distilled white vinegar mixture to clear fruit, which leaves no taste and would probably work as well with cans.
Cracking a can of All Day IPA (or another fine beer) at the beach is one of life's pleasures I'd be unable to live without. Also, the more I drink non-dark beers out of cans, the more I love it.
Cheers.

Edit: Sorry, missed your explanation. Completely understandable.

 

Are you drinking from the can, or pouring into a glass? If you're drinking from the can, I can certainly see why you wouldn't like it. IMO, pouring from a can to a glass is the tastiest way to drink most beers. I've found that several beers I get on tap, are actually better from the can poured into a glass.

 

i prefer glass, hands down. i sometimes buy canned items because that's what's available. it's not my favorite option though.

notice, some will say they taste a definite difference attributable directly to a can itself (as some have suggested about BMC/less flavorful beer). i've heard of & experienced off tasting beers /batches in glass but never in my recollection have i heard a single complainant blame glass, itself, for different, off or unintended flavors.

my take is probably biased from a summer position i held as a youth for a major distributor. then there's also the BPA can lining issue. i'm sure the : shut up with your conspiracy theory folks are all revved up & ready to cite their favorite proofs & reasons to not be concerned. personally, i'd rather just drink what i believe is clean. for me, it's peace of mind more so than a piece of mind. to each their own.

 

Yes, cans suck and I will tell you why. In the old days (last year) all the best beer came in 750ml bottles. I would go to the brewery to buy it and, while I was there, I would also buy the 12/13oz branded tulip which every brewery sells. Here's the thing: a 16oz can does not fit into a 12/13oz tulip! And once you have opened a 16oz can, you are obligated to drink it immediately. A 750ml bottle is exactly 2 12/13oz tulip glass servings so you can either share it (fuck that) or press the cap back on and drink the rest in half an hour. So, what am I supposed to do with my 300-odd tulip glasses now? I'm way to lazy to homebrew. How many breweries even sell imperial pint glasses, let alone with nice, wide bases that don't tip over easily? Death to cans, bring back the 750ml bottle.

 

I respectfully think that every point above is a bit of an exageration. The "every great beer" part was already conmented on by someone else. The OP's discrimination isn't pointless to him. "Revolution?" And lastly, he's not doing himself an incalculable disservice by not drinking canned beer. There's so much out there and only so much one can drink.

 

Us: Lists out 100 reasons why to give cans a chance
You: Brings up ******s
Me: Throws up a little in my mouth and gives up

That's a pretty good reason to have a revulsion to cans, probably the best reason anyone's ever given, lol. Do you avoid canned soda too? Seriously though there's too much good beer being delivered in cans these days to not wipe the top and drink from a glass. I personally never drink from the can unless I have to too for the types of reasons you quote. There's so many things to be grossed out about in the food and drink industry, if you focus on it all you'll go hungry avoiding everything.

 

@HorseheadsHopHead @Urk1127 @drtth @zid

in about six weeks we'll be releasing a whole new wave of innovation in formulation, design, and other elements of our canned beers....maybe that will help change your opinion @kitekid on cans....

 

Cans are incredibly convenient, easily packable, lighter overall. That's about their only advantage but I buy a bunch because well...some beers only come in cans (I know, shocker).
On the other hand, bottles are far less damaging (raw resources, recycling ad nauseum, no plastic topper rings to deal with) and are still classier to some degree.
What's a beer lover to do? Embrace your preferences. Good day.