Gizmodo has an interesting article on Friday speculating that Canned Beer Is The Future of Good Beer. Like most Gizmodo articles, it’s in-your-face opinionated (especially in the comments, where it turns decidedly loopy) but makes most of the points we all know about that are advantages for canned beer.
I don’t believe cans will ever replace bottles entirely, but cans should command a greater market share as the craft segment of the industry continues to grow. Cans will continue to be place-driven and occasion-driven, at least in large part. But we don’t always spend our time camping, swimming or on the golf course so the real trick in marketing cans is to convince everyone that they’re ideal for the home, too, which is in fact often the case. But I continue to believe that as we also try to raise the perception of beer as a sophisticated beverage worthy of white-table fine dining, that bottles will continue to be seen as the superior package at least from that perspective. In the same way we all know that screw-top wine can be every bit as good as wine sealed with a cork, the perception remains tilted toward corks as an indicator of quality. I should hasten to add that I love craft beer in cans and support the idea whenever I can, I just don’t think it will ever be an all one package world, nor do I think it ever should be. Both packages are good from different points of view, and so I think most likely both will also remain viable for years to come.
See BBD from 8.30 on Jim Koch’s take on cans. If you believe Jim, there is still work to be done on can liners.
Nice to see that cans are getting more widespread acceptance…I always thought it to be the ideal container. It’s especially heartwarming (maybe even a little ironic) that it’s the artisanal brewers that are playing a major role in that acceptance.
Reminds me of the wine industry’s stubborn devotion to the cork (despite it’s sometimes ill effect on the wine they put so much care into making). The new plastic corks are a step forward, and some quality winemakers are now even embracing what is really the ideal wine closure: the lowly screw-top cap.
Oskar Blues Gubna in the can convinced me.
My Dad worked for Continental Can Company for over 25 years. He does not drink beer in cans. Why? The coatings on the inside. If they’re not applied or cured properly — you wind up drinking them.
Kills me to say that as I collected beer cans as a kid — amassing over 1300 of the buggers in the process. I still walk the aisles looking for new can designs every time I’m in a packy.
I like the look, and experience, of bottles more. Overall, I think I like the beer from a bottle better as well. However, I had my first Red Racer IPA last night, and I was pretty much instantly convinced that such a future wouldn’t be so bad.