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The Great Can vs Bottle Debate

Mar 29th, 2009 by

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Posted in Beer

21 Responses to “The Great Can vs Bottle Debate”

  1. David (pampdog) Palmer says:
    April 5, 2009 at 5:31 pm

    Nice expose my friend. Bottles baby…bottles. Best beer I ever tasted was (forgive me) a Bud Light in Alabama on a 100 degree 95 % humidity day. The air felt like a wet blanket and we stopped by some nappy redneck gas station that had one of those old case refrigerators that kept the beer at 31 degrees. I was drenched with sweat and I opened that bottle to the sweetest pffft sound I’d ever heard and I remember the ghost evaporating out of the top into the wet humid air. I put the bottle to my lips and tasted beer nectar as that crisp liquid entered my bod and cooled down my core. It was heaven. Couldn’t have happened with a can. But then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

  2. Daniel says:
    April 14, 2009 at 12:43 pm

    This is an excellent essay. Just goes to show that it rarely pays to make sweeping generalizations, especially when just one innovation in canning or bottling technology can make you look like a traditionalist fool.

    You’ve found a new reader here! Looking forward to keeping up with you.

    Dan
    Casual Kitchen

  3. Bottles vs. Cans? « Austin Brew says:
    November 5, 2009 at 3:49 pm

    […] anti-can opinion was not supported by all. Some brewers say that cans allow less light and air into the beer and thus make the beer better. The cans also […]

  4. Chris says:
    March 5, 2010 at 9:55 pm

    Dales Pale Ale is amazing. I’ve also had that Belgian in a can. It’s kind of a shock when you taste such tasty beer in a can – it’s so unexpected. I hope more micro brewers and craft brewer will sell their beer in cans.

    I think the can could be more environmentally friendly than the bottle, especially if they were made from recycled aluminum, they must have a lower transportation cost. But I think re-using your purchased bottles for your own homebrew might be the best re-use recycle low impact you can do as a beer drinker.

  5. David Flaherty says:
    March 6, 2010 at 10:11 am

    Chris, you’re absolutely right. Oskar Blues also makes Mama’s Lil Yella Pils, which smacks you in the mouth with its freshness and vitality which I think is partly due to it being in a can.

    And in terms of the environmental impact, any weight reduction in the storage vessel makes a huge impact when you factor them being shipped around the country and the world. Those numbers add up quick and so does the fuel to transport them.

  6. 21st Amendment Brewery – Monk’s Blood – Belgian Dark Ale « Basicallyred – To Be Read, Basically says:
    March 11, 2010 at 2:15 pm

    […] the brew more approachable for the novice.  (For more on the great can vs bottle debate, see this post by Grapes and Grains NYC.)  The other great thing about 21st’s cans is the attention to […]

  7. Box Wine Inventor Dies « J Sev's Blog – Thoughts, Music, Humor, and Sports says:
    April 12, 2010 at 1:36 am

    […] microbrews can be stored better in a can and your best varietals now almost exclusively found in screw cap — has box wine’s day […]

  8. LearnDrumsInfo says:
    April 14, 2010 at 11:59 pm

    How are you, I read all your posts, keep them coming.

  9. trattiereb says:
    December 24, 2010 at 4:46 am

    “But I think re-using your purchased bottles for your own homebrew might be the best re-use recycle low impact you can do as a beer drinker.”
    Where else can I read about it?

  10. Robert Kimball says:
    February 3, 2011 at 1:19 pm

    The case for cans makes sense–no light, less air.

    However my favorite beer is Moosehead which for years I have been drinking from bottles. So I bought some in cans–doesn’t taste bad just almost no taste at all.
    The bottled brew is far better. It’s as if the brew they put in bottles is not the same as what they put in cans.

    Can someone explain why?

    Bob-

  11. David Flaherty says:
    February 5, 2011 at 10:41 am

    Bob, good point. I’ve noticed differences in the same beer served in bottles vs cans, as well. Not knowing the answer, I have a guess. Could be a different water source, as often times the canning facilities are in a different brewery than the one that may house the bottling line (as may be the case with a larger brewer like Moosehead).

  12. Brew Pub: yes, we can! | Jackson-Hole news says:
    May 31, 2011 at 11:10 pm

    […] Sky and New Belgium of Fort Collins, Colo., are testing the waters. Although drinkers continue to debate over taste, the canned Dale’s Pale Ale of Oskar Blues Brewery has been voted Colorado’s best […]

  13. Bishop's Lounge says:
    June 24, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    Up here in MA at Bishop’s Lounge we just added a 30 beer can menu including a large number of microbrews in addition to imports, and the usual domestics.Storage is so much easierr than bottles and we love the new six pack carriers.

  14. David Flaherty says:
    June 24, 2011 at 1:00 pm

    Right on, guys

  15. Jamie says:
    June 26, 2011 at 11:08 am

    Very interesting! Thanks for posting!

  16. Chris says:
    June 28, 2011 at 7:50 pm

    What’s the difference between bottled beer with twist off caps and bottled beer needing a bottle opener to get open?

  17. Why Canned Beer is Better than Bottled Beer | Boston Pro Sports says:
    July 8, 2011 at 2:45 pm

    […] beer can revolution won’t happen overnight, there are still plenty of stubborn bottled beer hold-outs like […]

  18. Southbound Brewing says:
    August 24, 2011 at 5:48 pm

    Bottles VS Cans: Whats your vote?

    http://t.co/nvWNNM3 http://t.co/ks9qWTX

  19. tudval says:
    February 2, 2012 at 10:56 am

    It’s not different water source, as EVERY beer that I tasted, that comes in both cans and bottles, tasted better from the bottle in every aspect (carbonation, aroma and taste).

  20. David Flaherty says:
    February 2, 2012 at 11:23 am

    Tudval, thanks for dropping a line. I’m curious to know which beers you were able to try that are available in both can and bottle from the same area?

  21. Alex Strote says:
    June 4, 2012 at 6:38 pm

    interesting article on #Beer #Can VS #Bottle … obviously bottle wins…right??

    Maybe not…

    http://t.co/c2gpJFZ0

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