Brew CAN Do It!
By Kraig Torres at July 7, 2010 | 10:43 pm | Print
Canned beer has a long and not always illustrious history in the annals of drinking. As early as 1909, brewers unsuccessfully attempted to keep beer fresh and carbonated in tin cans. Anticipating the end of Prohibition, the American Can Company in 1931 began a fresh effort to can beer. By 1935, Krueger’s Finest Beer went on sale in Richmond, VA following shortly by 36 other brewers. The era of canned beer had arrived. Originally, the motive behind the canning of beer was primarily transportation. Flats of cans were easily stackable and shorter, allowing additional product on the delivery truck. Aluminum cans are also less expensive to make, theoretically lowering the costs of the product inside.
Fast forward to 2010. Most of us still assume canned beer tastes like the generic macro brands your father brought home for those trips to the beach. While the beer is still in the ideal format for hiking or picnicking, the quality of both the can and the beer inside have improved dramatically. Today’s can typically has a sprayed water-based liner that prevents the contact between beer and aluminum, mostly eliminating the tinny taste of past-year’s canned beer. The aluminum itself, unlike bottles, blocks the UV rays that turn beer sour. There is also, usually, less exposure to oxygen, helping to reduce the potential for cardboard taste in your beers. Sadly, the manufacture of the aluminum cans does require more energy than bottles so bottles are still more environmentally friendly, although recycling rates are higher on cans than bottles, helping to offset the footprint of canned beer.
Oskar Blues is probably the most famous beer maker using cans exclusively. Based in Lyons, CO, Oskar Blues has a terrific lineup of beers. Their flagship is Dale’s Pale Ale, a hoppy pale at 6.5% with a big citrusy note burst of Centennial hops to remind you that bitter is better. It pours golden in the glass with a nice compliment of caramel malt to balance out the hoppy finish. Dale’s Ratebeer rating is 98.
If Dale’s is not bitter enough, Oskar Blues has two other IPA’s that will suck your cheeks in: Gordon and Gub’na. Gordon is a Double IPA with tons of amber malts lending a reddish tint to the pour. At 85 IBU’s (international bitterness unit), it is considerably hoppy, with much of it’s flavor coming from dry-hopping during fermentation. At 8.7%, it is not a session beer by any measure but it is delicious. Ratebeer has this one at 99 out of 100. Gubn’a is the newest beer in the Oskar Blues lineup: an imperial IPA. It is even higher on the IBU chart (100) with a strong nose of onion and grapefruit. This is a huge beer in every respect, with 10% alcohol and an aggressive dose of Summit hops throughout the brewing process. It rates out at 98 on Ratebeer.
Oskar Blues can also brew dark as well. Ted Fidy is their Imperial Stout and is not any more subtle than the hoppy beers. It pours like motor oil, the can only adding to the analogy. In fact the beer’s name is based on a motor oil weight (10-W50). This beer has a rumbling of cocoa and toffee under a sizable hop profile (98 IBU’s). It starts smooth and sweet and ends in a milkshake of bitter chocolate and roast. This beer scored an impressive 100 on Ratebeer. Luckily for lighter beer fans, Oskar Blues also makes a delicous pilsner: Mama’s Little Yellow Pils. This beer is a better fit for hot days, with notes of grass and bread. It finishes crisply with a big burst of Saaz hops. This lager compliments the Dale’s for poolside drinking, with an ABV of 5.3%.
With all this gushing about Oskar Blues, you would think that their weren’t any other choices. Thankfully, we have a new all-can lineup in town: 21st Amendment Brewing out of San Francisco, CA. This 10-year-old brewery named after the end of Prohibition started as a brewpub in the historic South Park neighborhood. Of their three year-round beers, we are now getting two: Brew Free or Die IPA and Hell or High Watermelon Wheat. The IPA is a really nice, piney-citrusy deep golden ale with 6 different hops. It’s reasonably dry and at 7%, it has some substance. The wheat uses watermelon juice in both the cooking and the fermentation to leave a subtle but distinct flavor of the summer favorite. This is another easy-to-please beer that fits well with cookouts and poolside activities, with only 5.5% ABV. Both our available now and will be going quickly.
There are many other great canned beers on the market that you need to check out for your next outdoor event, ranging from Butternuts to Young’s Double Chocolate Stout to Wittekirk Belgian White. Visit your beer professional for a recommendation. Remember, when you are done, recycle that can!
Happy drinking…
Kraig Torres is the Chief Hophead at Hop City Craft Beer and Wine, Atlanta’s only craft beer specialist. Hop City carries over 1,500 different beers, 1,000 wines and home brewing supplies. Hop City is located at 1000 Marietta St in the Brickworks complex – at the corner of Marietta St and Howell Mill Rd, next to 5 Seasons Brewery. 404-350-9998 www.HopCityBeer.com Hop City Craft Beer and Wine is proud to be Citysearch’s Best Wine Store in Atlanta for 2009.
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