Are Cans Now Really Better Than Bottles?

When the canning line is good and running properly, yes.

No oxygen exchange through the seal on the cap during shipping. (scalping)
No skunking from light exposure.
Easier to store in fridge.
Cost less to ship.
Some argue there is less oxygen captured beneath the lid when filling, so the beer remains fresher longer.

So lots of advantages.

(At least one long-term BA is on a CANquest {tm} and can speak to even more:

@woodychandler)

 

If a brewery has a canning line which has low TPO (Total Packaged Oxygen) levels then those cans are indeed much better than bottled beer. Bottle beer has caps with cap liners that permit air (oxygen) ingress. From a beer stability (shelf life) perspective oxygen is the 'enemy' of beer.

The fact that cans permit zero light ingress is a secondary benefit.

Cheers!

 

For camping I won't even entertain the prospect of hauling bottles anymore. So, from a convenience perspective cans blow bottles out of the water. There's no dropoff in taste quality in my opinion. As the OP noted, the quantity and quality of breweries canning their offerings is ever-increasing.

With camping season upon us (truth be told in SoCal camping season never ends) I'll be purchasing cans almost exclusively.

 

Both @drtth and @JackHorzempa are spot on about cans, generally. It's not really the cans that have gotten better, but rather the canning technology available to a small brewers has improved significantly in the last 5 years. That does not mean that all canned beer is created equal. I would avoid sitting on anything sensitive to oxygen (like an IPA) from a brewery that uses leased mobile canning technology. From what I've seen, those companies aren't using anything close to state-of-the-art and the testing I've seen shows it. If you consume them quickly after filling, you're probably good, though.

 

Yes cans have gotten better....but it's still what's inside that counts. Keystone in a can or a bottle is still Keystone. Frankly speaking, if it's good enough for The Alchemist it's good enough for you.

 

The only beers i prefer in bottles are American adjunct lagers and euro lagers. I love cans.

 

They just might be.

 

Provided that the fill levels are appropriate and the seamer is aligned and operating within the specified measurements and the equipment being used is designed for what it is being used for. Yes. For beer that is meant to be consumed now. Cans are the superior vessel and for a great many reasons.

 

This has been asked soooo many time's on this site and yes they are better than bottles for every reason already mentioned. You just can't argue with science.

 

The only reason I like bottles is that I can display the empties around the house and they look pretty. Doing that with cans would just look trashy. But for reasons such as convenience, recylability, and theoretical benefits for storing beer I generally prefer cans.

 

When you own a mini fridge, you will truly appreciate the stacking capabilities of cans.

 

Beer cans are easier to mistaken as soda cans while drinking in public

 

I feel it depends what you want in your vessel. As most people know clear and green bottles skunk beer. Brown bottles are better at protecting beer from uv rays but they still spoil quicker than beer in cans. So as far as protection for your beer cans are superior.

Cans weigh less making transporting cases easier too.

If you display vessels after, I feel bottles are better in this purpose. Bottles just look nicer than cans, I personally have bottles lining my cupboards in my ktichen and it looks fantastic, Cans just wouldnt be the same.

With all this said I enjoy my beer just as much regardless of the vessel but cans offer a superior way to do what the vessel is meant to do, transport. Cheers!

 

Bottles are only superior in the department of repackaging-homebrew-in-them.

 

Cans can be flattened to take up less room in my recycling bin. Other than that, I've never managed to hold onto a beer long enough to notice whether they keep better.

 

The only point I know of not yet covered, is that cans also have a water based polymer coating that prevents beer and aluminum contact.

 

Even though the bomber is my favorite way to try new beer, I wish everyone would switch to cans. For all the reasons mentioned.

 

My cellar, like everyone's I'm sure, is full of bottles. But in my fridge where I keep my "everyday" beer, I have a shelf for bottles and a shelf for cans. The can one is generally more full than the bottle one. And when I have the option of bottles or cans(like this year's Nugget Nectar or something like two hearted) I always choose cans.

 

The fact that some of my favorite Midwest breweries (Rev Brewing, Founders, Bells, Half Acre, Pipeworks) can some of their best flagship beers means that I am in the yes camp here. Portability, ease of storage....top notch.