Craft brewers “Get Canned”
Last week was “American Craft-Beer Week” and what better way to celebrate than with an American craft-beer dinner at Monk’s Café in the city of brotherly love. It was fortunate that my business schedule put me in Philadelphia, allowing me the chance to attend. Monk’s Café is Philly’s premier spot for the beer connoisseur, hosting themed beer dinners that pair world class beer with world class cuisine. This month’s dinner was no exception.
The guest speaker was Midwest beer and food maven Lucy Saunders who has authored several books on cooking with and pairing beer with food. Lucy has apprenticed in some of the finest beer cuisine kitchens in England and Belgium. All of the evening’s dishes served up were straight out of Lucy’s latest book called “Grilling with Beer.” An interesting twist to the menu was the fact that all of the American craft beer was packaged in aluminum cans! Yes, America’s craft brewers are taking back the can from the big boys.
The often maligned beer can is really a superior package to the glass bottle for many reasons, but somehow this not the common perception. I can only guess that the glorification of bottled beers via marketing is the reason for this. The only beer that would not be suitable in a can would be beers that you may want to cellar, like strong dark Belgian beers or Barleywines which do better in a corked bottle. One of beer’s worst enemies is sunlight, even more so for hoppy beers. The Sun’s UV rays cause a chemical reaction with the hops in beer that creates the famous “skunky” smell. Green bottles are far worse actors than brown bottles. Cans are opaque and therefore “light tight”. Aluminum cans are also lighter weight and have less environmental impact than glass bottles.
There is also a misconception that beer from a can tastes metallic. Today’s aluminum cans are lined to keep the beer away from the aluminum. The only contact would be on the way from the can to your glass, but that is such a short contact time that no metallic flavors can be extracted from the can. I am in full support of the canned beer movement.
Currently there are only a handful of breweries that have invested in the new lower cost canning lines that are available. There are still issues with the cost of the can itself. Well, it’s really the artwork on the can that costs. Canning companies are used to selling bizillions of one printing to a macro brewer, so the price breaks are for very large quantities. Aluminum can companies are just starting to appreciate the largely untapped and growing craft beer market and have adjusted order minimums to suit the smaller breweries. 
The craft beer canning pioneer was Oskar Blues brewery in Colorado, with a canned version of Dale’s Pale Ale beginning in 2002. DPA is a great beer that holds a very fresh hop flavor right out of the can. The brewery also cans two other beers, most notably Old Chubb Scottish Style Ale. The Oskar Blue’s beers were integrated into Lucy Saunders’ dinner menu flawlessly, with the Old Chubb being paired with an adorable and delicious dessert of
Gourmet S’Mores drizzled in Belgian chocolate syrup.
Another notable canned beer was 21st Amendment’s Watermelon Wheat from San Francisco. 21st’s brewer and partner Shaun O’Sullivan was on hand to discuss how canned beer will change the face of craft brewing. His Watermelon wheat is his top selling beer. It is a very drinkable and refreshing summer beer with just the slightest hint of watermelon/cucumber flavor, though one or two will do me just fine thanks.
I am looking forward to more and more canned craft brews becoming widely available. So far, the average beer geek is buying into the fact that there are more advantages to the aluminum can than disadvantages. I just hope the everyday consumer can get over the negative stereotype of canned beer. But, hey! There is really nothing wrong with icing down a six of Dale’s pale ale in your Playmate “Sixpacker” for your next fishing trip…
