BEER AND NOW


Can Cool N


Jeff Hammett


Jeff first noticed craft beer early in college when a friend introduced him to Stone Brewing Co.’s Pale Ale. After graduating from UCSD with a degree in Philoso- phy, he moved to Santa Cruz where he frequented Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing and Seabright Brewery. Jeff would journey up to San Francisco to visit Magnolia and Toronado every chance he got. He started blogging about beer in early 2009 while living in Durango, Colorado. For a town of only 20,000 people Durango boasts an impressive four breweries. Jeff quickly became a part of the brewing scene and in January 2010 was invited to work with Ska Brewing Co.’s Head Brewer Thomas Larsen to formulate a recipe and brew on Ska’s pilot system. In addition to his love of craft beer, Mr. Hammett is an avid cyclist and can be seen riding on the road or trails most weekends.


Making a taste case for canned beer. Who in SD will make the leap? By Jeff Hammett


ow that it’s spring and the weather is warming up – I like to pretend that it wasn’t 80 degrees out just a few weeks ago – many people will take their drinking outside. Whether it’s tailgating at a Padres game, camping, boating, golfing or just a backyard barbeque, canned craft beer may be the way to go.


In a press release reporting craft beer’s growth in 2010, released just before the Craft Brewer’s Conference in late March, Brewers Association Director Paul Gatza stated, “We also found that three percent of craft brewer barrels, by volume, are distrib- uted in cans, confirming a growing trend.” So what’s the big deal about cans you might ask? One benefit is that they’re com- pletely opaque, so there’s no worry about UV light damaging the beer during trans- portation or storage (even slight sun expo- sure creates a skunky taste). Some might be concerned about a metallic flavor, but modern cans have a food-grade lining so the beer isn’t in contact with any metal. While this is good for the beer, this lining does contain Bisphenol A (BPA), more commonly known as “that plastic that Nalgene bottles used to be made from.” The jury is still out on how harmful BPA is, but Sierra Nevada’s Brewing Communications Coordinator says that they have been told BPA-free beer cans are in the works, and will come within the next few years.


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The case for cans is compounding. An- other benefit is their reduced weight, leading to both energy and cost savings during distribution. Dave Thibodeau, Co-Founder and President of Ska Brewing Company, the second craft brewery to start canning (or as they like to say, the “first craft brewery to copy Oskar Blues by canning”) says that they can ship 39% more beer in the same space, for the same amount of money, and with the same amount of fossil fuel. The main drawback to cans is that alumi- num is much more energy-intensive to mine compared to its dark green counterpart. That being said, recycling rates for aluminum are much higher than glass, and recycling used aluminum cans into new cans is much better than recycling used glass bottles into new bottles. It’s a tough call. Small brewers also take a big leap moving to cans because un- like bottles, cans come pre-printed with the labeling. Minimum order sizes are very large and not every brewery can easily fill one order with one brand of beer. Cans probably won’t ever overtake bottles in terms of sales, but having more craft beer available in cans is a benefit to the beer drinker when it comes to those situa- tions where glass just isn’t an option. Below the photo is a list of a few canned craft beers that are available in San Diego; you’ll notice none of them are made by local breweries. I for one can’t wait to see who the first San Diego brewer to start canning their beer will be.


Staff writer Sam Tierney visited Uncommon Brewers in Santa Cruz as they canned their Sia- mese Twin Ale, a Belgian dubbel brewed with kaffir lime leaves, coriander, and lemongrass. Empty cans are loaded onto the filler tray via forklift, filled, seamed, rinsed, and then put into four-pack holders by hand.


Craft Cans - Quick Overview • Oskar Blues is the first craft brewery to can their beer, and has six brands available. Dale’s Pale Ale, a hoppy pale, is especially good and Ten Fidy, an imperial stout, will be like nothing you have ever had out of a can.


• Avery Brewing Co. has four beers available in cans including the ever- refreshing Joe’s Premium American Pilsner, perfect for summertime drinking.


• TailGate Beer, technically a San Diego company, brews its beers in Min- nesota. Their Blacktop Blonde and Hefeweizen are both available locally.


• Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. recently announced they’ll start canning their Pale Ale later this year. While not out yet it’s bound to become the most widely-distributed canned craft beer.


• Maui Brewing Co. was founded by an Encinitas resident, and currently ships cans of craft out of Hawaii. The most oft-seen is their Coconut Por- ter, and it’s available in many places around town.


Jeff writes for San Diego Beer Blog at sandiegobeerblog.com, and you can also follow him on twitter @ SDBeer


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