A common question that I get asked as a beer snob is "Do you prefer cans or bottles of beer?" Of course being a smartass my answer is "both". To me the question needs context because both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Canned beer has a stigma of being a poor man's drink, and I find that a little disappointing. When cans were first introduced to store beer, they would explode if the beer stayed in contact with the metal. Today, there have been many advances in lining technology that keep the beer from coming in contact with the metal. There are several micro and craft brewers (like New Belgium) that are starting to opt to can their beer instead of bottling it. The question is why? Well, aluminum cans are easily portable. When drinking on the go- obviously not drinking and driving- at the beach or at a BBQ cans are lighter to carry, and they also stack nicer than bottles. Another advantage for cans is that since they are sealed and opaque they prevent air and light from reaching the beer inside, helping to prevent spoilage. Aluminum is an excellent thermal conductor. This means cans may be able cool down to drinking temperature faster, but at the same time your hand will heat up the can quicker than a bottle.

If cans appear to have all of these advantages over bottles then why do so many of the craft and micro brewers still opt for bottles? The answer, is in my best estimate, is tradition. While a brown pry top is the best scenario, bottles can vary in color and cap type; however, in general bottles cannot protect beer as well as cans. There is one small thing about drinking out of a can compared to a bottle. Since the senses of taste and smell are connected to one another, when drinking out of a can a whiff of the metallic can may alter the perceived taste of a beer.

To a real connoisseur of beer the question may be moot all together. A beer snob like me would opt for their beer to be from the tap. On the rare occasion when separated from the precious tap, a beer snob would pour their beer into a proper vessel - being a glass or cup. As mentioned previously, part of what makes the taste of a beer is its bouquet (smell), and last I checked it’s pretty hard to stick your nose into either a can or bottle. Back to the point of the question, "cans vs. bottles?", many of the beers that I enjoy more are found in bottles, but there shouldn’t be the stigma around cans that exists today as long as the beer inside is worth drinking.