Craft beer - Cans Vs. Bottles

Before we start, let's dispel a rumour. Aluminum cans don't impact a beer's flavour. Like many people, you might believe that beer tastes better out of a bottle. However, blind taste tests have shown time and time again that there's no consistent difference between the flavors of bottled and canned beer.

In 2016, researchers had 151 beer lovers taste the same beer in both cans and bottles. Then, they tasted each beer in a blind taste test. While more than 61% of the participants preferred bottled beer to canned beer when they saw its container, those numbers didn’t hold up in the blind testing. Instead, the numbers were split almost evenly between canned and bottled beer. Remember also that you’re not really supposed to drink your beer out of the can anyway; beer always tastes better poured into a glass, whether it came to you in a can or a bottle.  

Still sceptical? It’s time to set the record straight and put to rest any outdated concerns once and for all. Crack one open, pour out your brew into a glass and experience the reality; great flavour and locked-in freshness await.

Bottles have delivered beer to us for literally hundreds of years, but they’re not always the most convenient container for taking your delicious brew from A to B. Picture yourself at a picnic, or on a hike or camping trip, or perhaps you’re stocking up for a music festival. In all these cases you need a lightweight option, and cans are the perfect solution.

We’ve even put together a terrific 10 Beer Can gift box, packed with craft beer cans perfect for all of the above! 

Sealed away from oxygen and light (beer’s biggest foes), super lightweight, unbreakable and easily recyclable, cans are an obvious choice for modern craft beer and breweries looking to cut down on their costs and carbon footprint without sacrificing quality.In Fact,many of the world’s best micro breweries are making the shift from bottles to cans for the vast majority of their beers, reserving bottles for 750ml special releases, since undoubtedly bottles still provide a sense of occasion when it comes to opening and sharing specific beers.

Breweries are investing heavily in canning lines, and they’re certainly not cutting corners. When it comes to getting their beer into the hands of consumers, craft brewers want the best possible representation of their beer and an enjoyable experience for their customers

Tottenham-based brewery, Beavertown, led the way when it came to introducing top-quality canned beer to the UK market – altering perceptions about the quality of beer delivered in shiny metal shells. Beavertown command your attention with their wonderfully illustrated artwork and labelling, before satisfying your taste buds with a bold and very varied distinct array of styles.  

Gamma Ray, Beavertown’s signature American Pale Ale, is a beer dominated by a malt base, zesty citrus notes, and big splashes of tropical fruit flavour. Branded with the instantly recognisable artwork of the brewery’s creative director and designer, Nick Dwyer, Beavertown have produced a beer which  has quickly become perhaps the UK’s most celebrated canned beer – a significant milestone of modern British brewing.

Now, more and more of the UK and Europe’s best and most beloved micro breweries are following in the footsteps of Beavertown and are embracing the many benefits of canned beer and ensuring beer lovers have the best drinking experience possible.

To summarise, here are three reasons that craft beer is best in cans :

1) Cans keep beer Fresher
If beer is exposed to ultraviolet light for an extended period of time, it results in oxidisation and an unpleasant flavor in the beer. Glass bottles do block out some light, but not all. While brown or amber glass blocks a significant amount of light, green and clear bottles are much less effective. However, aluminum cans prevent all light from reaching the beer inside. 
Additionally, cans create a better airtight seal than beer bottles. During the canning process, the aluminum container is completely sealed, which prevents any additional oxygen from reaching the beer until the can is opened. Beer bottles, however,allow air to penetrate in tiny amounts, which can add up over time. While some beers, like traditional Belgian ales, require oxygen to bottle-ferment, most beers do not benefit from prolonged exposure to oxygen.

2) Cans are more Portable
There’s a reason that most people choose canned beer when packing a cooler. Bottled beer is heavier and more fragile. For example, a six-pack of bottles weighs more than seven pounds on average; meanwhile, a six-pack of canned beer weighs about two pounds less. Two pounds might sound like a small difference until you’re halfway through a five-mile hike to your picnic site. 

3) Cans are better for the environment 

There are many reasons why beer cans are better for the environment. First, because beer cans are lighter and more compact, it takes less fuel to ship them. Second, most communities have more recycling and deposit programs for aluminum than they do for glass. While only 26.4% of recycled glass actually gets reused, 54.9% of all aluminum cans get successfully repurposed after recycling.

And remember.......

Aluminum Cans Don’t Impact a Beer’s Flavour! 

  

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