Cans or Bottles when it comes to beer? by Christi Rideout
recycled ones plus aluminumcan be recycled indefinitely into many products in and out of the industry unlike glass bottles. Cans are more convenience for shipping and or transporting beer for both the brewer and the consumer. Most beer drinkers (consum- ers) tend to choose canned beer because they’re just more convenient to travel with and take up less space in a fridge or cooler. They’re lightweight and great for those on the go, whether hiking, hitting the beach and especially for those spending time by the pool where you wouldn’t want a glass bottle. For the brewery, the can and its lower density make it cheaper to ship than its glass bottle counterpart allowing breweries to ship more product in the same allotted space which helps reduce costs and helps get more beer out to consumers making it a win win. So, in closing there are a few compelling reasons to go with cans over bottles from long term taste to the environment. However, the way that we look at it is simple, as long they contain amazing beer they are both a perfect way to enjoy and share your favorite beverage with friends and family. So pop a top, and enjoy and remember to recycle!
This question has been around almost as long as “What came first the chicken or the egg?” What is better, beer from a bottle or can? Some beer drinkers continue to believe that bottles give you a better tasting beer and are better for packaging beer than cans. After doing some research it seems that this is just an old industry myth as cans actually have a number of advantages over bottles for both the brewer and the consumer and they are not all related to taste. This the first thing that we need to look at is how canning technology has improved greatly over the past couple of decades in regard to how much oxygen it leaves in the beer can during the packaging process versus the original days of canning. Back in the day, I now sound like my father, can lids were soldered or welded onto the can body after the can was filled, not sure if I would have wanted to drink that beer, thankfully it was a little before my time. The new canning process lead to less TPO or Total packaged oxygen, which is a measure of how much oxygen is left in the liquid itself as dissolved oxygen and how much is left in the headspace of the can or bottle during the packaging process. The higher the dissolved oxygen and/or TPO, the faster that beer’s aromas and flavors will break down. So when it comes to packaging beer oxygen is the enemy. With canning line technology now, being equal, if not better than bottling lines, in terms of total packaged oxygen this is not a factor when canning anymore.
drink their beer right away and do not store it for three or four months, which is the recom- mended shelf life for most beer. However, if you are a restaurant or pub owner and are planning on stocking up the beer fridge to offer more variety using cans will make a dif- ference in freshness over a long period of time. I know what you are saying, if the canning process locks in the true flavor of the beer, why do we sometimes get that metallic taste when drinking beer from a can. Well that unwanted flavour can be caused by a few different things not associated with the canning at all. First of all, it might just be that you are smelling the can that is right beneath your nose if you are drinking from a can, so pour your beer in a glass and taste again. Now once in a glass if your beer still has a metallic taste, then it is likely a bi-product from the brewing process caused by equipment wear, or the beer has comes into contact with something else other than stainless steel in the brewing process. If this happen the metallic flavors and add themselves to the beer before they are packaged. Ingredients play a major role in the flavors found in beer so if some- thing has thrown off the profile, like yeast or brewing grains not being stored properly can also produce flavors describe as metallic and these would affect the taste of the beer whether packaged in cans or bottles. Now let’s focus on the environment, aluminum is the most recyclable material on the planet. In fact, the energy consumed to make one fresh can equals the energy used to make 20
Light out, beer in, that being said no light can’t penetrate aluminum, giving cans a big advantage in terms of freshness over bottles which do allow light to pass through to the beer regardless of the glass color; brown, green or clear. If you have ever left a six pack in the sun you know that light exposure is also the enemy of any beer, craft or otherwise. When beer is exposed to light, it causes oxi- dation and that “skunk” beer smell and taste that all most all of us have experienced at least one time in our life. Sealing in the freshness, cans are more or less mini kegs and unlike a regular beer bottle that has a single seal cap to seal the packaging, cans offer a double seal. This double seal is created by the process of mechanically inter- locking the can body once filled with beer and the can lid. This process helps keep in the freshness and true taste of the beer. Now in most cases, the benefit of the can’s double seal wouldn’t matter as most beer enthusiasts
41
40
DECEMBER 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2019
Made with FlippingBook Online document