best beer you ever had from a can

[Germelli1]

So tonight I went to a beer sampling class. It was extremely well organized and executed so I tip my glass to Total Wine!

One of the most valuable thing I learned there was that beer from a can can be unbelievably good.

If you don't believe me go pick up a can of Dale's Ten-Fidy Stout, Dale's Pale Ale, or Dale's Scotch Ale.

I am sure there are more great beers in a can but Total Wine really helped me shed my snobbish preconceptions of canned beer.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I think everyone understand the can is the ideal storage container, unfortunately more micro brews aren't available in can due to packaging costs. Kind of like how the dreaded wine box is a far superior package for the product than the bottle, but you have to get over the stigma of boxed wine.

 

[northernlad]

21st Amendment IPA.

I had some Dales years ago and wouldn't pay to try it again.

 

[Homebrewtastic]

Southern Star Brewing in Conroe Texas does all their brew in a can. Their Bombshell Blonde is one of my favorite (non-homebrew) summer-time brews. And their Buried Hatchet Stout is awesome.

 

[riverfrontbrewer]

Hop on the CO can bandwagon! Ska, Steamworks, Upslope, Avery, Oscar Blues, Breckenridge, etc

 

[slowbie]

Surly. That is all.

 

[SkiSoloII]

Surly. That is all.

Surly is scary good. I only worry about the availability of bottles for homebrewers...

 

[humann_brewing]

yep, there is some good craft in the can but can't get much here.

maui, 21st ammendment, new belgium, oskar blues, big sky etc......

 

[billtzk]

What supposedly makes a can better (a more ideal storage container) than a bottle for beer, and a bag in box better than a bottle for wine?

 

[Hophazard]

What supposedly makes a can better (a more ideal storage container) than a bottle for beer, and a bag in box better than a bottle for wine?

The can completely blocks all UV rays that can skunk the hops, for one (same reason brown bottles are better than green). Sure there are other reasons, but that's one.

 

[Germelli1]

No light, no air and the metal can is coated on the inside so there is no contact to metal either. I assume it is the same with wine: As the bag drains I don't think it replaces the space with air/oxygen...? Not sure

 

[dummkauf]

It's all about the "grass is greener on the other side". If you go down to south america in the poorer regions, canned beer is considered superior to bottled, same with canned soda vs. bottled soda. Canning equipment is much more expensive, so the majority of beer is bottled in poorer nations, so they think cans of beer are way better.

and +1 on the surly, even though I can't reuse them for my brew :/

 

[plaidpaint]

I think the main problem with cans is just that if you don't pour it into a glass, you taste the can, which is often unpleasant. Especially if you see stuff caught in the little groove around the edge.

I know we shouldn't drink directly out of the package, but sometimes it's the only option

 

[wacko]

Caldera in the can will change your view on cans real fast.

 

[billtzk]

No light, no air and the metal can is coated on the inside so there is no contact to metal either. I assume it is the same with wine: As the bag drains I don't think it replaces the space with air/oxygen...? Not sure

I don't really know how cans are filled and sealed, but I would think that bottles have no more air in them than cans, and they need no special coating since beer does not take on a "glass" taste when exposed directly to the glass. I think the exposure to light is the only significant difference in the two forms of packaging.

Oenologists mostly hold that wine benefits from micro-oxidation (or micro oxygenation) through the cork, although too much oxygen is clearly bad for wine. So again, it is only the lack of exposure to light that would seem to be a relevant advantage that a bag in box has over a bottle for wine.

I can definitely taste and smell the can when I drink beer directly from the can, and it detracts from my enjoyment considerably. I'd love to be able to get a good craft or microbrew beer in both can and bottle and do a blind taste test to see if I could tell the difference and pick which one I like better. I suspect I'll be able to tell the difference and that I'll prefer the beer poured from the bottle. If I ever see the same good beer (not a BMC) in dual packaging, I'll try it.

Is a can "the ideal storage container" for beer? For now, I continue to doubt that.

 

[devilishprune]

I usually don't taste the can when I drink beer from one, and I personally prefer to drink beer from cans when I get the chance. I pour bottles into a glass, but beer from cans gets poured straight into my belly.

 

[Ysgard]

It's all about economy of scale. Canning takes more space, more expensive equipment, and thereby, requires all the requisite infrastructure to produce at a scale that support said equipment. I.E. capacity, and distribution. Which bring their own requirements at scale.

Once you get into canning, end product is higher beerackaging weight ratio, so is a good thing all the way to store shelves.

And ++ Caldera. **** I love drinking hoppy beer from a can. I think the 21st A Watermelon wheat is the only one I've had I didn't care for from a can. Though be damned if I'd drink a Ten Fidy out of the can.

 

[kunstler]

Ok cans and bag in a box wine is considered better for the earth. I box of wine (the fancy ones not the crappy ones) costs the same to ship as 1 bottle of wine: HOWEVER the box of wine holds aprox 3 or 4 bottles of wine (volume wise) they are shipping a bladder and a little bit of cardboard and not all that glass.

Same with cans aluminum weighs alot less than glass so again the same amount of beer costs far less to ship.

Yes both block uv rays and as far as wine, the micro oxidation is minimal like only a couple days and then your supposed to out the bottle on it's side ti a oid any further oxidation...and oxygen has to pass through a cork so really I don't buy the argument that much!

 

[fifelee]

Don't care about wine. For beer most evidence points to the can being better.

-No UV
-No oxidation slipping under the cap during temp/pressure fluctuations that even refrigerators are know for.
-Lighter and smaller so shipping is easier.
-Typically aluminum is cheaper then glass.
-Cans don't break (no one likes glass on the beach)
-Cans are easier to recycle.

All beer should be drank from a cup so you can experience the nose, therefore the smell of the can isn't a factor.

my .02

 

[mikeysab]

Pork Slap, tastes great and who wouldn't like drinking from a container with 2 pigs belly slappin. Gotta try the rest of the Butternuts lineup in cans, as well as Oscar Blues.Dales pale ale is awesome. And I've been seeing 21st amendment too, I'll give that a try.

 

[knotquiteawake]

Southern Star Brewing in Conroe Texas does all their brew in a can. Their Bombshell Blonde is one of my favorite (non-homebrew) summer-time brews.

+1 for the blond bombshell, although SWMBO is not a fan of the can (or at least gives me hard time about it).

 

[Yooper]

I think everyone understand the can is the ideal storage container, unfortunately more micro brews aren't available in can due to packaging costs. Kind of like how the dreaded wine box is a far superior package for the product than the bottle, but you have to get over the stigma of boxed wine.

Surly. That is all.

Yep. Best beer ever. Surly comes in 16 ounce cans. I don't taste any hint of metallic flavor in it, and it's fresh and non-skunked.

Surly's tag line on the can says, "Beer for a glass, from a can".

 

[cruckin78]

21st Amendment IPA.

I love that name....Im gonna be on the look out for it now!

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Cans stack better.

 

[BrewNow]

Cans stack better.

And are a lot of fun to plink with a .22

 

[TheWeeb]

Not only is the investment in canning equipment greater, but the risk is higher since cans are purchased in bulk pre-printed. If the beer is mediocre and does not sell then it is more difficult to back out/change contents vs. bottling which uses simple, printed labels.

Though I like the modern, lined cans for craft beer, I agree that it sill needs to be poured into a glass - even a plastic one - to be fully enjoyed.

Colorado and Oskar Blues has lead the craft beer in a can charge in large part because of the active lifestyle of those who live here. Cans, being lightweight and of course unbreakable, are better for backpacking and camping; the outdoors demographic is what supported the OB effort in the first place. There's nothing like getting a buzz on from a couple of Old Chubs at 14,000 feet!

EDIT: "There is nothing like CELEBRATING the summit at 14,000 feet than with a can of Old Chub." Don't want anyone to get the wrong impression here.

 

[JetSmooth]

+1 on the Pork Slap!

I bought a sixer because I'd just had the "no, cans really are a better container. There just aren't many good smaller brewers using them" discussion with my wife who accused me of being a beer snob (guilty as charged). My dad only drinks Miller Lite (and now MGD 64), so that's what she associated with cans.

 

[Yooper]

Colorado and Oskar Blues has lead the craft beer in a can charge in large part because of the active lifestyle of those who live here. Cans, being lightweight and of course unbreakable, are better for backpacking and camping; the outdoors demographic is what supported the OB effort in the first place. There's nothing like getting a buzz on from a couple of Old Chubs at 14,000 feet!

EDIT: "There is nothing like CELEBRATING the summit at 14,000 feet than with a can of Old Chub." Don't want anyone to get the wrong impression here.

Oh, I almost forgot about Old Chub! I love Old Chub in the can.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Oh, I almost forgot about Old Chub! I love Old Chub in the can.

Would you settle for middle aged chub in the kitchen?

 

[jmkratt]

Not only is the investment in canning equipment greater, but the risk is higher since cans are purchased in bulk pre-printed. If the beer is mediocre and does not sell then it is more difficult to back out/change contents vs. bottling which uses simple, printed labels.

Though I like the modern, lined cans for craft beer, I agree that it sill needs to be poured into a glass - even a plastic one - to be fully enjoyed.

Colorado and Oskar Blues has lead the craft beer in a can charge in large part because of the active lifestyle of those who live here. Cans, being lightweight and of course unbreakable, are better for backpacking and camping; the outdoors demographic is what supported the OB effort in the first place. There's nothing like getting a buzz on from a couple of Old Chubs at 14,000 feet!

EDIT: "There is nothing like CELEBRATING the summit at 14,000 feet than with a can of Old Chub." Don't want anyone to get the wrong impression here.

That's a great photo!

I love to take a few old Chubs up to the hill when skiing. Hide a few under packed snow and you've got you and your buddies a great beer for lunch without the Apres prices!