Beer in Cans.

[Brew_DD2]

I haven't bought beer in a can for myself in a few years at least. I have to put the beer in a glass as it's harder to taste from the bottle and you miss out on the visual.
Home brewing-wise, glass makes so much more sense since they last, in my case, going on 20 years or more. I haven't even had to change the flip-top mechanism.

Yeah I never really drink from the can or bottle. Needs to be poured into a glass to appreciate it properly.

 

[simon12]

Having a micro pub I rarely drink bottles or cans and the few times I have recently they have always been disappointing. Out of interest why do some of you think that cans keep beer fresher than bottles?

 

[DavidDetroit]

@Brew_DD2
Yeah, it's something that developed with me once I stopped drinking Budweiser, Miller, Coors--BMC--and started making my own. Nothing against the three lagers now but they're too mild for me. If I were to have one, I'd want it in a glass as well.

 

[Brew_DD2]

Having a micro pub I rarely drink bottles or cans and the few times I have recently they have always been disappointing. Out of interest why do some of you think that cans keep beer fresher than bottles?

They are completely impenetrable to light.

 

[Brew_DD2]

@Brew_DD2
Yeah, it's something that developed with me once I stopped drinking Budweiser, Miller, Coors--BMC--and started making my own. Nothing against the three lagers now but they're too mild for me. If I were to have one, I'd want it in a glass as well.

I was going to say in my post that one style of beer I'll happily drink form cans is cold, crushable light lagers. The ones above, I rarely go near. But, a Firestone Walker Lager or a Victory Prima Pils I'll happily drink out of the can.

 

[An Ankoù]

Ah yes, Carlsberg. I think I've seen that at fun fairs, in halfpint plastic sandwich bags with a goldfish swimming around in it!

 

[Leon103]

Can't beat a nice can of Carling. Served just above room temp

 

[foxy]

Having a micro pub I rarely drink bottles or cans and the few times I have recently they have always been disappointing. Out of interest why do some of you think that cans keep beer fresher than bottles?

I would say because of the oxygen intake through the cap, I have tried the oxygen absorption caps and didn't notice any difference. I know Sierra Nevada used them for a while and abandoned them, an article by Ken Grossman suggested they were still searching for the Holy Grail of bottle caps. I much prefer bottles and always pour into a glass.

 

[An Ankoù]

I would say because of the oxygen intake through the cap, I have tried the oxygen absorption caps and didn't notice any difference. I know Sierra Nevada used them for a while and abandoned them, an article by Ken Grossman suggested they were still searching for the Holy Grail of bottle caps. I much prefer bottles and always pour into a glass.

Oxygen intake through steel caps?
I agree pretty much with the rest of what you say, but if oxygen comes through the caps then it would be even worse through a can wouldn't it?

 

[Ajhutch]

Oxygen intake through steel caps?
I agree pretty much with the rest of what you say, but if oxygen comes through the caps then it would be even worse through a can wouldn't it?

Nope, the seal on a can is much better than the pinch on a bottle cap

 

[foxy]

Oxygen intake through steel caps?
I agree pretty much with the rest of what you say, but if oxygen comes through the caps then it would be even worse through a can wouldn't it?

I know it doesn't sound logical, the pressure in the bottle is higher than 1 atmosphere but apparently over time it does get in and stale the beer.

 

[Sadfield]

From a brewery perspective cans are cheaper and more environmentally friendly than glass. Academic when paper bottles become the norm, though.

 

[strange-steve]

Oxygen intake through steel caps?
I agree pretty much with the rest of what you say, but if oxygen comes through the caps then it would be even worse through a can wouldn't it?

Not through the steel but through the plastic liner which makes the seal. Oxygen will diffuse into the bottle even though the total internal pressure is higher because the partial pressure with respect to O2 is lower.

 

[user 23602]

Cans. Pint cans. From Arbor specifically.

 

[Ghillie]

Always been a "can man" - mainly from my slabs of lager days, but also because it's more portable, robust and makes less of a racket when taking 20 tins to an after party at 5am...

I wouldn't buy a canning machine though, certainly not yet. But once the media pushes it enough and there are competitors out there - the price might come down enough to interest me.

But for now, I'll reuse the empty 500ml bottles I get from the bar at work in order to force my kegged beer on to friends.

All for the environment though, maybe just not enough as these millennial snowflake idiots. But certainly enough to make a difference where it counts so I'm all for the cans.

 

[Ghillie]

I should add I am adverting packageing in cans rather than drinking from them. Personally, there’s something I don’t like about drinking quality beer from a can.

Agreed.

You taste with your nose too. *Onion analogy*

The above rings true for the quirky brewery who do them tins which open almost the entire top of the can so it's like a glass. Had them out of Tesco before. Not bad beer either and you get a better waft of hops vs ringpull.

 

[foxy]

Always been a "can man" - mainly from my slabs of lager days, but also because it's more portable, robust and makes less of a racket when taking 20 tins to an after party at 5am...

I wouldn't buy a canning machine though, certainly not yet. But once the media pushes it enough and there are competitors out there - the price might come down enough to interest me.

But for now, I'll reuse the empty 500ml bottles I get from the bar at work in order to force my kegged beer on to friends.

All for the environment though, maybe just not enough as these millennial snowflake idiots. But certainly enough to make a difference where it counts so I'm all for the cans.

I have had two canning machines, one which the Cannular was copied from, sold that to a guy canning coffee, and a semi automatic one which I sold to another home brewer. They are not a simple fill and seal, constant checking and adjustment, believe me bottling is a lot less stressful.

 

[An Ankoù]

That's all very interesting, above. I hadn't realised that the compressed plastic liner would provide enough surface area to make a difference.
Slightly off thread, but I use quite a lot of Belgian type bottles with beer corks (the composite cork type that look a bit like champagne corks). While I haven't noticed any problems yet, does anybody have any thoughts on this type of seal.
There's no other way of sealing this type of bottle, by the way.

 

[foxy]

That's all very interesting, above. I hadn't realised that the compressed plastic liner would provide enough surface area to make a difference.
Slightly off thread, but I use quite a lot of Belgian type bottles with beer corks (the composite cork type that look a bit like champagne corks). While I haven't noticed any problems yet, does anybody have any thoughts on this type of seal.
There's no other way of sealing this type of bottle, by the way.

Remember back in the mists of time, beer bottles had a cork insert inside the caps, plastic wasn't invented then. I do wonder if this made a better seal?

 

[An Ankoù]

Remember back in the mists of time, beer bottles had a cork insert inside the caps, plastic wasn't invented then. I do wonder if this made a better seal?

How big a problem is this, anyway? I have bottles which are many years old (some of the Fuller's Vintage Ales for example) and, while I don't visit them often, I've never thought that what I was drinking might have gone off. Similarly, I try to keep my bottled lager for a year, when it seems to be at its best.
Now here's a thought: my last two lagers (brewed October and November of last year) were beginning to form a white, powdery pellicule just before I bottled them after 4 weeks lagering in secondary together with just the slightest whiff of acetic acid. Ten months later, no surface film in the bottle, no vinegar at all and grunts of apprecuation from our German and Austrian guests. While I'm not going to do this deliberately, I wonder whether acetobacter could be an effective oxygen scavenger in a well-sealed bottle!
Had a similar experience with cider, by the way, which always forms a pellicule since I don't sterilise the apple juice.