Simple question: bottles or cans?

Neither. Cask ale knocks both into a cocked hat.

 

I love IPA in a can! It seems to keep the hops compact. The one exception I can think of is Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (ok it’s not ipa but it can be loosely categorized into the hoppy American Ale category) which IMO is inferior in a can.

 

Agreed. Definitely depends on the filling line, indeed. So many factors.

 

Sorry, but it is bottles for me. I get the size thing w cans but I just think they all taste better when bottled etc.

 

I think it's been accepted that cans keep beer fresher than bottles. One thing I'm still wondering is how aging a beer in a can would work. Don't you want some of that oxidation from the permeable bottle cap seal to help age a beer, sort of like a wine cork?

 

Working for a company that cans beer and cider for those too small or too impecunious (at least for the time being) to get their own canning line, you can guess my answer, but I was already a big fan of cans before I began my current job, for all the reasons already stated.

 

With the question being what do you prefer, I'm guessing that you wouldn't always prefer cans though. Would you prefer a bottled beer from a top of the line bottler or a canned beer from a mobile canner? I don't think it pays to make generalizations with all things being equal because if all things were equal then the answer would be that it's a tie. Contrary to the thread title, this will never really be a simple question.

 

I much prefer cans.

 

Cans

But if i can only get it in bottles and really want it ill buy it.

 

Cans are objectively superior in every way.

http://slyfoxbeer.com/craft-beer-in-cans

Some of the points in here are opinion, but most of their points are factual. The one that they neglected to mention that I find important is that you never need a bottle opener with cans. There have been several times in my life when me and my friends bought beer and none of us had a bottle opener.

 

If drinking directly out of the container -- cans every single time. I don't know what it is, but I haven't had a single bottled beer that tasted anywhere near as good straight from the bottle... but I have had canned beers that didn't seem to be affected much by drinking them right out of the can.

Cans are great for saving fridge space (two canned six-packs take up... about the same space as one bottled six-pack, if you stack them) and there's no worry about light exposure since the metal doesn't let in any light at all.

I do find it easier to pour from a bottle than a can, though, especially when it comes to larger sizes. Jumbo cans are a pain in the ass to pour from without spilling or dribbling, while bombers and 750s aren't really any trickier than a standard 12-ounce.

So I guess for beer that comes in amounts greater than 16 ounces, bottles. Otherwise, cans.

 

But you're better off not getting your "facts" about can superiority from a brewer who cans most of their volume. Gotta wonder why they don't can all of their product if they're such believers.

 

I think cans are superior in every way except one: tabs are nowhere near as collectible as bottle crowns (and the logos/artwork on them).

 

I really wish those pop top lid cans would catch on. Get yer nose right in there.

 

They both get purged with CO2 before filling. Non-issue.

 

Never had a tab break then? There manifold reasons I carry a Leatherman everytime I walk out the door.

 

With certain exceptions for aesthetic reasons, and conditions, it's cans. But, if I cook a nice dinner, and we're about to start snuggling on the couch, I damn well want to pop open a bottle, and pour into nice glassware. Cracking a couple cans, well, it just ain't that romantic.

 

You only get BPA leaching at extreme temps for extended periods of time. It was a problem with water cooled PCs until the hoses started to be made without BPA.

 

It was a thing back in the day. I agree it's an excellent idea.

 

But the standard bottle and standard can used in the US both contain 12 ounces.

When was that? Beer cans, first steel then aluminum, have always been lined. The first US beer can manufacturer, American Can Co., called theirs by the trademark term, "Keglined". Indeed, the creation of a suitable lining first was necessary for the invention of the beer can in the 1930s.

In the US, many states still ban them, based on 1970s era anti-littering laws when the actual "pop tops" were often just throw on the ground in outdoor settings.

Never sure when "back in the day" refers to, but can manufacturer, Crown Holdings, makes them now - 360 End® beverage can. They claim to be the first.



PA's Sly Fox (above) was the first brewer to use them, but only for a couple of their beers (it probably doesn't help that neighboring states NY and NJ outlaw the lid). A few other brewers have picked them up since then.

ABInBev uses them in China and Africa (on SAB's Castle brand).