Thoughts on canned vs. bottled beer?

I wonder if in a blind tasting I/you could identify (if any) flavor differences. I mean, it could just be a mental thing..But I'm pretty sure theres a few beers I can think of that taste different bottle vs can. Yuengling jumps out in my head. The differences aren't always a bad thing, just.. Noticeable.

 

I have always, and will always, prefer the can. Easier to store, travels better, doesn't shatter all over your kitchen floor when your drunk dipshit friends commit multiple party fouls in a row, and personally I've always found them much more aesthetically pleasing. Look at SN's Summerfest can and tell me that ain't a work of art. And of course, it doesn't skunk the beer. Which, when you're a Yuengling drinker, is a very big issue at times.

Do I avoid bottles? Nope. But if a beer is offered in a can, I'm gonna grab the cans first.

 

Afterall, the can is pretty much a mini keg. Or as sixpoint calls it a "nano keg".

 

Just thinking about the return trip from the backpack trip
Only six crushed cans (6 oz?) vs six bottles 3 lbs

 

So what you are saying is its a tie. Unless, of course, its a macro in which case the can (and everything else) must totally suck.

 

I wouldn't age a beer in a can, but a hoppy beer that should be drunk soon after canning then yes, its probably superior.

 

Certain styles are great in the can. A pils, APA, wheat and most other moderate to light ABV styles make sense because they are to be consumed within a few months of packaging and are most susceptible to being ruined by poor handling. But anything that one would age I feel better about obtaining in bottle form. Although bottles don't protect from light and O2 as well as cans (supposedly) the long term contact with inert glass sounds more comforting than the thin lacquer lining those cans. For all the everyday beer styles I can drink in a can or bottle, I don't taste any difference.

 

Cellaring beers need to stay in bottles IMO (barelywines, stouts, belgians, old ales...). Can the rest all day, every day. No light, no broken glass, less weight, easy recycling.

 

Both cans and bottles are great, but at the end of the day, 99.9% of the time I'm pouring the contents of the can/bottle into the appropriate type of glassware.

 

The BA community prefers cans, per this poll... sway the vote, if you feel misrepresented...

 

Personally, I think it depends on the style. I prefer an IPA or IIPA in a can or poured into a glass. Lagers, Hefes, and Wheats I prefer in a bottle.

 

Love cans, Secure cap , light proof, good at pools and beach, IMO they get colder quicker because the thin aluminum transfers faster than thicker glass, lighter. I usually drink the big Dipas right out of the can even at home no glass needed.

 

This, and more of this.

 

I know cans are better but I prefer bottles

 

I have 5 year old ten fidy that says your bottles can piss off...

 

Exactly!!!

 

I love Finch's Beer and they pretty much put it exclusively in cans I believe.

 

One is lined with stainless steel, the other is lined with BPA-containing plastic. Something of a difference.

 

I'm leaning towards cans more and more. I mean I probably can't tell the difference from a taste test (yet), but cans have more practicality. Better for traveling and for the boat.

 

I'll always love bottles but cans are better for the beer. So, I really don't mind the growing can trend

 

If I am inside and have access to a glass, I prefer bottles. If I am outside wandering around, I prefer a can.

 

I haven't had beer in a can in a very long time,...maybe the 90's? But in anycase I never could tell the difference in taste. But I am thinking about getting some cans for my next beer purchase. Though I will say some beers can be difficult to find in a certain format. Where I am, I can only find Moosehead Lager in bottles. I have never seen them in cans but I know they do exist. As for the bottles I like to save the caps. Like others have said, cans are easier to store in the fridge. Here in Michigan we have a .10 deposit on carbonated beverages to it's easier to return cans than lugging around a bunch of empy glass bottles.

 

All things being equal, I'll grab the can every time.

 

I prefer cans because of superior light and O2 ingress protection and the smaller form factor for storage in the fridge (I can fit ~18 bottles in my beer minifridge as long as some of aren't long necks but I can easily fit double that if they're all cans). It's not all in favor of cans though, I prefer bottles for the tactile experience, and if I were to buy something with the intention of cellaring it I'd go bottle as my admittedly none scientifically rigorous experience is that bottles age better than cans. I'm not sure if that superior aging aspect is because of the thermal mass of glass mellowing temperature swings, or if it's a case of the lining on the cans giving out eventually.

 

There's something pleasurable, mentally, that I derive from cracking open an APA/IPA in a can. It feels like it will be fresher. I also like the pour.

 

For the longest time I would gravitate towards bottles and for some reason had a mental hangup about dishing out the same amount of money for cans as I would bottles -- I think I liked the aesthetics, tradition and the fact that I could reuse bottles for homebrew.

Nowadays when I'm perusing the aisles, particularly if I'm looking for a hoppy or lower gravity beer, I find myself drawn to cans. This is mostly due to the well-noted shelf life benefits, but also because I'm often looking for new beers/breweries I've heard good things about, which here in the Northeast often translates to cans

 

What exactly are the shelf life comparisons between can and bottled beer?

 

I wish all breweries were able to use cans.

 

I notice a metallic taste, but only if I am drinking straight from the can. Pour into a glass and all is good. The only reason I would avoid a can is sitting on the beach/boat drinking straight from the container...which is often when I choose a can anyway.

 

I prefer a can the beer always taste fresher to me.

 

I can't tell the difference. At all.

 

I like both, but I prefer cans when trading. I don't have to worry about a glass bottle breaking.

 

Either one, I don't really mind. Bottles are nicer to display, and I used to do that in an old apartment which had space on top of the kitchen cabinets. Cans are easier to transport, though.

 

I prefer cans. Too many times have happened where the foam bursts out after a bottle sip.

 

If I want a PBR, Coors, Schlitz, or Stroh's, I'm having these iced down, right out of a can or bottle (don't make a hill of shit which, to me) out at the lake by a roaring bonfire. SN Pale Ale, Two Hearted, Dirty Bastard, Kalamazoo, etc....I'm pouring it into a glass, no matter where I'm drinking it, and no matter what the original vessel was. That being said....Kan'em all!!

 

I prefer highly hopped beers in cans.

If I plan on aging the beer, then I want it in a bottle.