Cans for me. Two reasons: 1. Transport. Easier to transport. I drop one now and then again. Most of the time a dent in a can and it is okay rather than shards of glass and a giant puddle of beer. 2. Storage. No light-struck or off-flavors. Makes a big difference especially drinking exports or beer from across the seas. They simply hold up better over time in cans. They also store easier and more compact in the refrigerator. They make another shelf for food when enough are stacked in a group to make food storage easier when beer overtakes the fridge. I can probably store twice as many 16oz cans as bottles in the same amount of fridge space.
Both have their good and bad points as many have mentioned. I do like the cans can be crushed down and take up less space in the built-in cabinet roll-out bin. Not to mention the weight and dangers of the glass. I always make it a point to take cans if I go to a pool party for obvious reasons, and they fit in the standard beer cozy much better. The cans are also stackable, and make it a little easier to organize the waste high beer fridge I have down the basement. I used to migrate to bottles back when I was brewing, and “recycled” them differently.
The question was simple “Cans or Bottles?” I voted bottles. Cans are the “cheap” way to go, but with really thin profit margins these days I can understand the why. Still prefer bottles though.
I prefer bottles but they are not around as much and if it’s a case of cans or bottles cans are $1-2 cheaper. I have a case of Two Hearted bottles right now but before that I bought 60 minute in bottles. Not much else around in bottles besides SNPA, I like this in bottles a lot more and High Life is much better in bottles too. I am drinking from the can/bottle around 90% of the time now too, not sure why but I prefer this most times unless it’s a High ABV Stout, BW, a wheat or a sour-wild or saison. Those beers I will pour into a glass. Enjoy
I think it depends on the canning system. Small breweries can only afford small systems that are more labor intensive, but they likely didn't have a bottling system to make a comparison. The larger breweries that have moved to canning systems that are more automated than their bottling system must feel that it is cheaper in the long run or they likely wouldn't do it, but I don't know how the cost of the system itself compares to a bottling line.
I like cans for their durability and extra protection from light and oxygen but there's just something about the look of a beer in a bottle. Maybe it's nostalgia; when I was getting into craft just about everything was bottled.
Pools & beaches frown upon bottles, although, I can more quietly open that one last bottle when my girlfriend is not paying attention .
Since I pour almost all my beer into a glass, I go with cutting the light effect offered by cans. The exception would be bottle conditioned brews. I wanna see the bottom as I pour.
Although I voted 'can' I don't have a strong preference either way. If there is a beer that I want, I will buy it regardless of can or bottle. But what I do find interesting is how industry trends have affected my bottle vs can purchases over the years. I've been tracking my beers since 2008, at which point 98% of the beers I purchased for home consumption was in bottles. For 2025, it has flipped, with 89% of my purchases being in cans. Looks like 2017 was the year in which my can purchases (53%) first outnumbered my bottle purchases (47%).
It depends on the beer style. Good example is Trumer Pilsner. Depending on how the bottles are shipped and stored that green glass will always be susceptible to some funk. I do not like green or clear glass bottles generally at all. Only brown bottles should be used for everyone. Nobody else in my home likes beer so there's no sharing of larger or high ABV brews, so I do like the option to cork a bottle so it doesn't go flat.
In general, cans, because of their opacity, stackability, tendency to bounce rather than break, and easy recyclability. Whatever gets opened gets consumed in one sitting, so recapability means nothing to me. But I gotta admit, I do like glass for impy stouts , barleywines, and RISs.
Hot take (and a bit snarky or cringey): Brewing companies currently like cans for the bottom line more than anything else. Consumers on BA typically like cans for the convenience. I like bottles because IMO they are the optimal choice for the possibilities of beer. For me, cans are more of a compromise to beer than a benefit. On BA, convenience and bottom line concerns used to be associated with macro beer... and "the possibilities of beer" with craft. I hated that pretension. Now people are much less romantic about craft beer, and I find myself actually wanting a little of that passion back in this specific case. Instead we are talking about pools. The other grass always looks greener to me.
I hear ya on the compromise. But if cans keep breweries open, and fresh beer headed our way, I am pressed to find fault.
