Top 5 canned microbrews
Lose the bottle opener: These microbrews are easy to drink and and open.
Canned beers have come a long way in the last half-decade or so, with many award-winning microbreweries now proudly packaging their brew in aluminum. And while the jury is still out on whether or not cans are truly more environmentally friendly than bottles, there's no denying that the two containers play on equal ground in terms of flavor.
Fuller's London Pride
(England; $7.99 per four-pack of 16.9 oz. cans)
You might not expect to find one of the most awarded and acclaimed ales in the U.K. in a can, but voila! This is a classic "best bitter," a brew style completely unlike pale ale, porter, or stout. It is dry rather than aggressively bitter, lightly fruity, and, to borrow a British phrase, immensely quaffable. With more than a century and a half of experience behind it, the Fuller's brewery is the last remaining family brewery in London.
Sly Fox Pikeland Pils
(Pennsylvania; $8.49 per six-pack)
While boring, weak, mainstream American lagers are often deemed "lawnmower beers," I've always thought the quenching, refreshing character of a good German-style pilsner like this was more deserving of the term. Aromatic, crisply flavorful, pleasingly bitter, and dry enough to slake the greatest thirst, this is simply an outstanding hot weather brew from a well-respected and family-owned brewery located not far from Philadelphia.
Young's Double Chocolate Stout
(England; $8.99 per four-pack of 16.9 oz. cans)
For those who swear they taste chocolaty notes in black beers, here's a stout that ups the ante by introducing actual chocolate into the mix. It is, not surprisingly, quite chocolaty in taste, but also mellow in character, with roasty, coffee, and faint spice notes and none of the cloying sweetness found in some chocolate ales. A lovely after-dinner treat.
Oskar Blues Gordon
(Colorado; $9.99 per four-pack)
From the pioneering brewery that helped rehabilitate the sorry image of canned beer in 2002, when it became the first craft brewer to can its ales, comes this heavyweight brew of the style sometimes referred to as "double" or "Imperial" IPA, thanks to its high 8.7-percent alcohol content and robust hoppiness. Expect chocolate, hazelnut, and raisin notes on the nose and a big body of toffee and berry flavors mixed with citrusy bitterness. Not for the faint of heart.
New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale
(Colorado; $16 per 12-pack)
What started as a cult canned ale among mountain bikers in Colorado in the early 1990s is now available for the rest of us. This isn't an intimidating beer in any way; just a slightly biscuity, somewhat toasty, and well-balanced amber ale with an abundance of the quality some critics refer to as "more-ish," meaning that one sip has you wanting more.