Cans or Bottles? What's The Best Way To Drink A Beer?

Does Your Beer Taste Better From A Bottle Or A Can?

My family is full of beer drinkers. There's not a lot of vodka, gin, bourbon and whiskey consumed at family get togethers. Not saying it never happens, it just doesn't happen much. One of the biggest discussions around the beer drinking was did it taste better coming from a can or a bottle. I heard those discussions a lot growing up. Then, as an adult I tried my hand at bartending and found out the discussion persists today, and not just in my family.

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I'm a Bottle Baby

I prefer beer out of a bottle, so did my dad. (Truthfully, I don't even like soda from a can.) But he'd buy cans a lot because the beer he drank the most before he died was Busch Light. Not that you can't get it in a bottle, but the co-op mostly had deals on 30 racks of cans. So, Dad bought the cans. He wasn't too persnickety about it, like I am. I really really really don't want a beer from a can unless I'm camping or something like that.

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I noticed that my clients at the bar were VERY particular about how they drank their beer, whether it was a bottle or a can, or a glass, I had better get it right because, oh my God, the drama if I messed up! It was worth it just to buy them the right container out of my tips.

So, I took the question on line and here's what I found out in my half hour of research. I don't think either side is going to like it. I got this info from Winning Home Brew, and Family Fare, but every other site weighing in on this topic said the same thing.

Blind taste tests

In blind taste tests, beer was poured from a can or bottle into a glass and sampled. The difference was negligible. No matter what camp you're in, the blind taste testers couldn't tell which container the beer was poured from.

Packaging Of The Beer

Here's where us bottle babies lose. Canned beer stays fresher longer. If you get a skunky can of beer, something went horribly wrong in storage or it was SUPER OLD. The lack of light reaching the beer and the complete seal of the can win the game

The glass bottles are generally tinted to help keep your beer from going skunky, but the sad truth is a bottle of beer will die in 6-9 months in your refrigerator and the cans can last up to two years in the refrigerator.

Storage Of The Beer

This one I learned from my boss, Terry, at the Branding Iron. He said that a big mistake people make resulting in skunky beer is HOW they store it. Don't make it cold, then store it warm, then chill it, etc. He said it messes with the beer and makes it go skunky faster. Since his job was beer and booze and bowling alleys, I believe him.

"I can taste the metal from the can"

I feel ya, but we don't. We SMELL the metal and fool our taste buds.

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And finally, Chill Your Glass

Most of the beeriest beer people say no matter how you buy your beer, you should pour it into a chilled glass for the best flavor experience. Remember the nose thing above? If your beer is in a glass you get more of the aroma, and a better beer experience.

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