There are arguments on both side of the coin for what is better – can fans are all over the not-so-new trend out of the US, saying the beer is fresher. However, bottle fans are anti the potential for a metallic essence to the brew.
There is also that not so great connotation that comes from drinking tinnies. Whatever your thoughts, the Australian Brewery (NSW) has taken the much publicised leap of being the first craft brewery to install a canning line in Australia. And from all accounts it is going great guns.
The slimline cans are popping up all over the city in hipster bars and craft beer venues as drinkers on the look out for something new embrace the tinnie again. Alcohol retailing giant Dan Murphy’s has also picked up the line, stocking the beers as part of their burgeoning craft beer selection.
Neal Cameron says that the decision to separate from the pack and can their new beers, ensured both quality and environmental benefits.
“It seems almost anti-intuitive to can a beer these days – until you look at the facts,” he says. “There are three evils that kill beer flavours easily: light, heat and oxygen. Light breaks down the many delicate aromas and flavours in beer – serving the beer in a can means our customers are getting the exact same flavours as what we taste right here, fresh off the production line. Heat also increases the rate at which your beer will go stale – our cans, with their plastic coating, transmit heat at the same rate as glass bottles. Oxygen can cause dull and stale beer; cans are much easier to fill with beer while keeping oxygen levels extremely low – in fact, as low as 10 parts per billion or 0. 000000001%.”