Good Beer in Cans?
Can it be? Lately more and more well respected craft and import beers have been showing up in cans. The beer can has long suffered from a negative stereotype – both of the quality of the brew as well as the person who drinks it – but things may soon change. Virtually every segment of the beer business has become more expensive recently. As brewers and drinkers alike hope that the situation resolves soon they may find some cost relief in the can.
But that won’t happen until one major stereotype is abolished – that canned beer tastes of metal. It is a common complaint that beer from a can seems to carry some of the flavor of the can. But this is a misperception.
Beer easily reacts with some metals and this proved to be one of the biggest hurdles that packagers had to jump when the beer can was being developed at the end of Prohibition. From the very beginning of canned beer there has been a protective layer between the liquid and the metal. With cans completely coated on the inside it is impossible for the beer to pick up the taste of the metal.
So where’s that taste come from? If you’re asking yourself this question then you’ve probably experienced this metally taste in beer yourself and you’ve spent the last three paragraphs calling me a moron under your breath. Before I share my theory with you ask yourself this: Have you ever noticed that metal quality in draft beer? And yet what are kegs made from?
OK, here’s my theory. I heartily agree that beer drank from a can seems to taste like metal. But the important word is “drank.” The top of a beer can, like every other side, is made from metal. So while the beer drinker takes sips he is literally putting metal in his mouth – or at least to his lips – and to his nose. The taste of metal isn’t coming from the beer but from the taste and smell of actual metal. Pour that same beer in a glass and chances are you couldn’t tell that it came from a can.
So - good beer in cans? Why not, I say.
beer canFiled under: beer can on May 20th, 2008 |
This is a good time to emphasize that beer — even lousy beer - tastes better when poured into a glass. Pour it slowly doen the side of a clean clear glass, and you will enjoy it as you never will when sipped from a bottle or a can.
Also, better beers and ales taste even better when they are not super-chilled but just slightly below room temperature in an unchilled glass. Only poor beers need to be chilled so that you can’t taste how bad they are!
“taste how bad they are!” Nice!
Good point, Barry, thanks.
There has been a decent IPA in a can for years now. I believe it is called Dales IPA. Great option when floating downstream in an inner-tube.
DCNative - that’s Dale’s Pale Ale from Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, CO. They’re the industry leader in putting great craft beer in a can. Also, New Belgium Brewery just started putting Fat Tire in a can last month. The expense of glass is pushing some breweries to cans. Less weight = lower shipping costs. Plus you can take a can more places than you can glass bottles.
I’m a fan of Oskar Blues. Their Ten Fidy stout is fantastic. In fact, I bought a 4-pk of their Gordon double IPA for the thankgiving holiday.
I haven’t any issues against beer being stored in cans as long as it continues to taste as good as Oskar Blues brews it..