A common worry of beer drinkers, especially the older crowd, is that canned beer does not taste as good as bottled beer because the can adulterates the taste of the beer. I assure the wary customer by telling him or her that beer cans have come a long way with a great lining that seals in the freshness of the beer.  I also mention an experiment I did a while back where I took a can of IPA and the exact same IPA in a bottle with almost identical “born on” dates and compared them side by side, finding that the can kept the hops brighter and fresher tasting. This story usually convinces my guest, and he buys a six-pack of canned IPA with a smile.

Beer cans have gone through a long history with many innovations by breweries in the quest to make something as simple as a receptacle for keeping beer fresh and cold to something totally unique in itself. 

The first beer can was introduced shortly before the repeal of prohibition in 1933. The American Can Company designed a “keglined” can made out of heavy gauged steel and an inner liner that prevented the transfer of metallic tastes to the beer. It was completely sealed with a solid flat top and required a church key to open it. Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company of Newark, New Jersey, took a chance with these new fangled contraptions and made Krueger’s Special Beer--it was the very first canned beer ever produced. A survey found that 91% of participants gave the taste a thumbs up, green lighting the canning of Krueger’s Cream Ale and Krueger’s Finest Beer in 1935. 

Schlitz, one of the big three brewing companies of the time, marveled at the success of Krueger and introduced its own can with a flat bottom and an inverted rib cone top made by Continental Can Company. 

A one-time beer can was produced by Heekin, which was a 1/16^th barrel called “Can-O-Draft,” but the only brewery to adapt it was Burger Brewing Company.

Between 1942 and 1947, domestic beer can production came to a screeching halt when all metal was used for the war and any cans that were produced were strictly for the overseas service men featuring olive drab and black camouflage colors.

In the mid-fifties, flat top beer cans dominated the market due to how easily they could be stacked and filled. Steel was subject to rusting, so Hawaii Brewing Company introduced the very first all-aluminum can in 1958. The steel can still required a church key, but in 1959 Ermal Fraze invented the pop-top aluminum can. It all started when he was at a picnic and forgot a tool to open the canned beverages. Resorting to prying them open with a car bumper, he got to thinking on how to include the opening tool right on the can. Many attempts at this concept failed or malfunctioned. He set to create a can that could be opened with no extra tool required and that could also withstand the pressure of its contents. An early version pierced a hole in the top of the can leaving jagged edges. Then in 1963, he patented the fist pull-tab, consisting of a ring on a rivet that could be pulled completely off and discarded. Pittsburg Brewing Company, brewer of Iron City Beer, decided to go with this design and found sales soaring. Environmentalists did not like the piles of pull-tabs littering beaches and other areas leading to the development of non-removable tab tops in the mid-70s.

Throughout the years, few things have changed in beer cans since the invention of non-removable tabs. In 1979, the first barcode was used. There have been various label tweaks, such as the ability to write short messages on the labels of Bud Light with a key or finger nail, or the introduction of Coors Light’s color-changing Rocky Mountains letting eager consumers know the precise “cold as the Rockies” temperature to drink the brew. There have also been variations on the shape of the can--Heineken toyed with mini keg-shaped cans for pure novelty, as well as Budweiser’s bow tie-shaped can. Sly Fox of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, developed the “360 lid” where beer enthusiasts could remove the entire lid and experience the best possible taste and aroma without having to pour it into a glass, but more opposition from environmentalists put a halt to that. In 2013, Jim Koch, owner of Sam Adams developed the “Sam Can” with a wider lip for a better taste and aroma experience. This new can was offered to smaller breweries free of charge. 

Now just remember:  Today’s aluminum cans, no matter how big or what kind of lip, label or tab opening, are all lined with a water-based polymer lining, which eliminates any contact between your beer and the metal. This metallic beer taste myth started many years ago when tin cans were actually soldered together with lead (yikes).   

So be confident! Grab a four-pack of Bell’s Oberon pints or a sixer of Avery’s White Rascal and drink proudly knowing you have a quality microbrew in quality packaging.  

Adam Shugan, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits beer consultant

Follow me on Twitter @abcbeeradams