The rise of canned beer
Anyone fancy a tinnie?
Craft brewers are choosing cans over bottles because they are cheaper, easier to recycle, look good and make the beer taste great. Here are five of the best craft cans – have you made the switch yet?

Five of the best canned beers. Photograph: PR
For many, the words “canned beer” conjure images of fizzy, tasteless lager enjoyed on park benches and at overcrowded music festivals – a far cry from the quality ales that pass the lips of any self-respecting beer fan. But all this could be about to change as a new breed of British brewer begins to opt for metal in favour of glass.
As with many of the trends currently steering the British beer scene, this one started in the US. In 2002, Oskar Blues in Colorado became one of the first independent breweries to can their beer. The tipple, called Dale’s Pale Ale, went on to win numerous industry awards, triggering a wave of canning that continues today. According to Peter Love, the owner of one of the US’s most successful canning companies, Cask, sales of craft beer cans in the US are up 89% year on year; bottles, meanwhile, are only up a pithy 9%. In the UK, it is even more dramatic – specialist beer distributor James Clay, for instance, has seen sales of canned beer rocket by more than 250% this year.
Three breweries in London have recently installed “micro-canning machines”, while breweries in Ireland, Wales and Yorkshire have them on order. Indeed, decent canned beer is now so accepted by the UK beer fraternity, it even has its own competition: the Indie Beer Can festival. The winner, Adnams Ghost Ship, was announced on Thursday night at a lavish ceremony in the capital.
So why all the fanfare now? From a brewer’s point of view, cans are lighter and take up less space than bottles, which makes them cheaper to store and transport. They’re also considered environmentally friendly because the metal used to make them is 100% and infinitely recyclable, with no loss of quality. And as anyone who has seen a can of Beavertown or Fourpure will know, they look good too.
Source: TheGuardian Read more
Opinion:
You’ll rarely catch me drinking from a can.
There are two occasions that I will, Murphy’s and Guinness stout, because here in Brazil you can only get cans.
I refuse all other beers in a can because you can guarantee that they are lined with noxious BPA.
BPA is a poison, many countries, including Brazil, have banned the product in plastics for babies and young children. They don’t do this without reason.
I find it disturbing that the use of cans as drink containers is on the rise. Once again, an example of profits over health.
Some companies are touting that they have done away with BPA…
Oh, that’s just great!
They’ve replaced it with BPS, which is even more dangerous. Governments haven’t caught up with that yet.
As for their claims that the beer tastes better. That’s bullshit! I have never had a canned beer that tastes better than the same product in a bottle.
Corporate bullshit, makes a good selling line.
They’d tell you that elephant shit tasted good if it sold a product.
What beer be this?
Rabbie’s Porter
Ayr Brewing Company Ltd
Ayrshire, Scotland
.
“Rabbie’s porter is brewed using Challenger & Pioneer Hops from the U.K. With Crystal and Chocolate Malts to produce this robust, full bodied Ale.” – Home page
SIBA Silver Medal 2011 Bottled Beers – Rabbie’s Porter
The Ayr Brewing Company is a 5 Barrel Micro Brewery situated in the heart of Rabbie Burns’ country.
What beer be this?
Stone Brewing Co, Escondido, CA
WØØtStout
“COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION
From the most unlikely yet intensely imaginative trio that is actor and uber-geek champion Wil Wheaton, alternative news website Fark.com creator Drew Curtis and Stone CEO/Co-founder Greg Koch, comes an imperial stout unlike any ever made. Brewed with rye, wheat malt and pecans and partially aged in Bourbon whiskey barrels, this viscous yet silken brew erupts with an oaky, nutty bouquet and rich flavors of vanilla, toast and bitter chocolate. Enjoy now or cellar this celebration of nth degree passion and geekery applied most gracefully to the craft of brewing.” – RateBeer
What beer be this?
I had a major PC problem this week. It meant that I was ‘off the air’ since Tuesday. Hopefully things are back to normalish. However all my reserve pix are locked in a dead drive.
Taedonggang Beer
From North Korea.
Not much I can tell you about it, but merely to note it as interesting.
What beer be this?
The FIFA World Cup is almost upon us, just a month to go
Despite delays, accidents and unfortunately, deaths It looks like all the venues will be ready for this event. The infrastructure like airports and transport are still a worry, but things should generally go well.
One thing that FIFA didn’t take into account is that Latin American “amanha” tomorrow attitude, so it was a guarantee that Brazil would be running late.
But what else is Brazil doing?
Brahma, one of the major sponsors of the event has produced a special beer.
Brahma Seleção Especial (translates as The National Team’s Special).
But, nobody knows where to get it. Despite advertising on TV, it remains elusive just a month before the games.
The barley used in this brew is from the Granja Comary in Teresópolis in the mountains of Rio de Janerio state, the training centre of the team that won the fifth World Cup and the home of this years team; here the ground is considered sacred.
You can visit the Brahma site, but it is in Portuguese.
This is the TV advert.
Brahma have also produced bottles that resemble cans…
…and the Cup itself. But at R$45 ($20 +/-) for five bottles, not this bunny.
What goes between Wine and Beer?
That was what I asked myself while making the parsley sauce for my poached fish lunch.
Wednesday is wine day, Friday is beer day, what goes in between?
Why, cheese…
What beer be this?
A day late this week…
Utah Sage Sasison
“Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme…” So sang Simon and Garfunkel. The only thing this beer doesn’t have is parsley.
A Belgian-style farmhouse ale.
More beers from Epic Brewery
What beer be this?
Evil Twin Brewing – Denmark
Imperial Doughnut Break Porter
Exclusively hand picked to please you with delicate, funky, extreme and by all means rare flavors. – from their page
You can find more of these strange beers here
And a report on Beer Advocate
What beer be this?
Gouden Carolus Easter Beer
Brewed in Belgium.
There, did you know there was a beer brewed especially at Easter?
You can read about it on Gouden Carolus homepage.
What beer be this?
From the Harviestoun Brewery…
Old Engine Oil – Engineer’s Reserve
and the more refined Porter
You can find more of their unique beers here.
Here’s a suggestion from their page:
What beer be this?
Germania 55
A recent addition to the lines of Brazilian beers.
Brewed by the Germania 55 brewery in upstate São Paulo.
Tried one can, bought three more the same week.
The cans are 710ml, 110ml more than the normal Brazilian bottles, so there is value for the R$4.99 price (on special), that’s about $2.oo.
Great beer, more flavour than the usual Brazilian offerings which tend to be bland. Styled on draught beer from the barrel. One review said it had ‘an odour of soap and sulphur, but tasted okay’. I don’t agree, but then I’m a drinker, not a sniffer. Classed as a Standard American Lager…
More info: etílicos.com In Portuguese
What beer be this?
Zlato Praszke
I found these on special at my local store.
Very good lager from the Czech Republic
What beer be this?
New Planet Gluten Free Beer
“We named our beer company New Planet Beer Company as a way to express our desire for a new and invigorated planet. It’s our core mission to make great tasting gluten-free beers that everyone can enjoy, while donating a portion of our proceeds to environmental efforts,” ~ CEO and Founder Pedro Gonzalez.
Check the site, New Planet
What beer be this?
Sierra Nevada IPA
Visit their IPA page for more info. The Blog is also worth a look.