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September 24, 2007
Dale's Pale Ale, cans, and a Budweiser nod
Back in the early days of my beer snobbery, I looked at canned beer with disdain. You just can't appreciate the inner beauty of a beer when it's served in such a common container. A bottle or pint glass was the only acceptable delivery mechanism. Perhaps I've sold out, perhaps I've matured; regardless, all that now .
A while ago I discovered Dale's Pale Ale (DPA), brewed by the Oskar Blues Cajun Grill and Brewery in Lyons, CO, and as you intelligent (or sober) readers have guessed, it comes in a can. The can takes absolutely nothing away from the experience. I'm going to go so far as to say that the can actually enhances the experience. DPA is awesome, and very drinkable.
If I've lost any credibility, I'm about to lose more. My father in law drinks Budweiser, mostly in a bottle but often in a can. I've come to appreciate not only the beer, but especially the can. Perhaps because he's an ex-Marine (if there is such a thing as ex), and he owns a rifle (you're not allowed to say gun to a Marine trust me), but mostly because of it's drinkability. Perhaps I should defend myself. Budweiser does in fact taste like Budweiser. It's not as tasteless as some of my peeps would argue. It is a mass produced beer intended to appeal to, well, the whole world, so it's certainly pretty simple. However, I could pick Budweiser out of a hidden taste test every time, and have actually come to like it; It's really not that bad, and on certain occasions is perfect. Just don't get me started on 'light beers.' Moving on to the can -- I think it's easier to take a pull from a can. There, I've said it. It's easier to drink from a can. There's something satisfactorily innate in drinking beer out of a can, especially when it's good beer like DPA.
It used to be that the can imparted a metallic taste to it's inhabiter, but I think that chemistry and manufacturing have caught up with this one. Whatever it is that they are lining their cans with, just works. DPA tastes as good as if it came from a bottle. About the only danger is that it's so good and drinkable, they tend to go down fast. Actually, here's what the Oskar Blues folks say on their website with regard to the can's coating:
"But then we discovered that the belief that cans impart flavor to beer is a myth. The modern-day aluminum can and its lid are lined with a water-based coating, so the beer and the can never touch. Cans, we discovered, are actually good for beer. Cans keep beer especially fresh by fully protecting it from light and oxygen. Our cans also hold extremely low amounts of dissolved oxygen, so our beer stays especially fresh for longer. Cans are also easier to recycle and less fuel-consuming to ship."
I'm not really sure about the 'myth' part, since I cseem to recall metallic tasting beer, but it seems to work for them. Ummm, I guess that's it. Please forgive the glut of superlatives, they are complements of DPA ... hic!?
Posted by mark at September 24, 2007 5:31 PM Subscribe (FeedBurner)
Comments
The can is the next big thing in craft brew... Although I think the biggest problem is the startup cost for the breweries. Glass bottles are easy to fill, easy to cap and easy to label. With a can, you have to have it printed and have the machine to fill and seal it.
Surly is a great brewery from Minnesota that has started using cans, big 16 ounce cans. There is something manly about a can... when you combine the manly can with a strong brew then something just feels right. (Especially when you crush the can after you finish it.)
If only we could can our home brew....
Posted by: Nathan at September 25, 2007 9:42 AM
Nathan, do you know Surly bicycles? A friend of mine rides a Surly fixy. If I got to ride a Surly bike and finish the ride off with a Surly brew, surely I wouldn't be surly, no?
Posted by: Mark D Veerman at September 26, 2007 11:15 AM