Beer Can

Don't look now, but the beer can's making a comeback. Obviously, not with the general public, because it never went away for drinkers of the big mainstream beers like Bud, Miller, Coors, etc. But suddenly, it's becoming cool for craft brewers to offer their beers in cans as well as (or instead of) bottles.

The trend's been around for a few years, but I first noticed it a few summers ago when I was down in New Jersey at my brother-in-law Matt's place and found a few cans of Dale's Pale Ale in his fridge. Now Matt's more of a Michelob Ultra kind of guy, but some buddies had left some Dale's at his house and it looked intriguing, so I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Brewed by Oskar Blues of Colorado, Dale's made its debut in 2002 and was the first of several can-only brews produced by the brewery.

Oskar Blues asserts that using aluminum cans keeps beer fresher than bottles by protecting it from light and oxygen. I've always preferred drinking beer out of bottles than from cans or out of a tap, but I have to admit Dale's is pretty damn tasty. Last year, Harpoon announced it was releasing limited canned versions of its IPA and Summer beers in cans for the summer. And Magic Hat is releasing its popular #9 beer in cans as well. The CraftCans.com database currently features 303 beers from 115 breweriers.

One argument for canned beers is they're allowed in more places than bottles. For example, when we're down in Ringwood, NJ, at Matt's, we go down to the lake to hang out and you're allowed to bring alcoholic beverages, but not in bottles. Which made Dale's super convenient, because you could drink a beer in a can without having it be something super watery.

Does that mean I'm switching to canned beer entirely? Certainly not. But it's nice to have the option. And after all, variety is the spice of life.