Will you miss the bottle?

[Northern_Brewer]

Hm, interesting. What's the reason they can't get the carb right in the can? Not doubting you, just curious about the logistics.

The bubbles from CO2 force carbonation are too big, whereas you get a finer mousse from either bottle/cask conditioning or [N2+CO2] carbonation (like Guinness). Think of the difference between Coke or cheap sparkling wine (force carbed) versus the fine mousse you get from "proper" méthode champenoise (ie bottle conditioned) wines like Champagne. If you ever get to taste sparkling wine blind, the bubble size is the single most reliable guide to which is the expensive stuff, and it makes a huge difference to mouthfeel and the way that flavours reach your mouth and nose.

Most canning setups aren't set up for nitrogen blends, so this brewery was playing with additives to see if they could stabilise the CO2 into "small" bubbles", but their feeling was that they would probably have to adapt their canning line to work with nitrogen to deliver the stout in the way that they wanted it. I got the impression that was a significant cost (and more importantly a lot of fiddling-around time) for what was just one of their smaller-selling lines, but it seems to be one that they have a particular fondness for and so want to present in the best state possible.

 

[myelo]

When I'm in a seedy bar and the big guy married to the woman I was dancing with is picking me up by my neck and I try to go upside his head with an empty beer can ...

that's when I will miss the bottle.

 

[JohnSand]

Just use an unopened can. Or it could be the best use of a frosty mug.