Yes, They Can*

Craft beer in cans, once unheard of, is something we're seeing more of these days. Colorado's Oskar Blues Cajun Grill and Brewery began canning their stuff in 2002; today they are generally credited as the first major entrant in the craft-beer-in-a-can movement.

And it's a bandwagon that's had more than a few breweries hop on board. Some new operations dove into canning from the get-go – Heiner Brau of Louisiana and Texas' Southern Star among them. But the trend hasn't been limited to startups and little guys. New Belgium Brewing Company, by at least one account the nation's 3rd-largest crafter brewer and one of the 10 biggest overall, rolled out a canned version of its flagship Fat Tire Amber Ale about a year ago. More recently, the Fort Collins, Colo.-based brewer has started offering Sunshine Wheat in cans as well.

Today, dozens of craft breweries in the U.S. and Canada have gone the aluminum route. The advantages, for consumers, brewers, distributors, recyclers and everyone else, are many. I won't rehash them here; Lew Bryson already did a fine job of that.

Pictured above is a very tasty canned craft brew, this one from Caldera Brewing Company in Ashland, Ore. The Beaver State, of course, is home to more than its share of great breweries, and so it bears noting that Caldera became, in 2005, the first Oregon craft brewer to can its beer. Curious how it's done? Check out this neat little video:

Beer afficionados, generally, have come around to the notion that great beer doesn't have to come from bottles. The Oskar Blues offerings, from Pale Ale to Pils to Imperial Stout, are all well-regarded. Southern Star's Pine Belt Pale is a delightfully hoppy affair, and comes in 16-ounce tallboys to boot! And New Belgium, certainly, is no stranger to critical or commercial validation.

While the popularity of canned craft beer is growing here in the U.S., the concept is still regarded as something of a novelty, and a fairly rare one at that. Contrast that with what you find in Europe, where some very major – and downright world-class – brews have been available in cans for years. The Belgians are particularly fond of this, canning everything from Pilsners to Tripels to Lambics. How about Rodenbach in a can? Hoegaarden? You get the idea.

Meanwhile, in Czech Republic, Pilsner Urquell cans some of their fine lager and even exports some of it to the U.S., I'm told – a major improvement over the skunk-inviting green bottles PU otherwise sends our way.

So is canned American craft brew a mere fad or a revolution in the making? This much we know: the benefits of cans are very real, but for craft brewers, stupendous cost savings are not currently among those benefits. As with all processes, efficiency should improve in time. Will beer consumers' preferences keep pace?

* With apologies to Oskar Blues and everyone else who's already used this pun.

The Warsteiner Maß

Have I mentioned my fondness for German beer? I believe so. It's not just that the Germans make a diverse range of extraordinary beers. It's not just that Germany has given us some of the world's great beer styles. Heck, it's not even just because the Germans, rightly or otherwise, refuse to brew with adjuncts or other flavorings and reliably churn out quality and variety in spite – or, more probably, because – of this.

These are all good things, and any single one would compel our admiration. But on top of all that, you've just got to love German beer because Germans love it so much, too. Need proof? Check out this big honker of a beer mug brought to us by Warsteiner, at one liter in capacity a veritable bucket of joy and an apt physical representation of the Germans' legendary thirst.

In its native land, this voluminous mug and others like it go by the name Maß (pronounced "mass"), which is short for Maßkrug. Stoneware or glass, decorated or otherwise, the Maß can come in any number of configurations (here I am drinking from the commonly seen dimpled version), though the constants tend to be its ample volume – one liter – and its handle.

In and around Munich, where grand beer halls and gardens typify the German taste for high-volume beer service and consumption, the roomy Maß further obliges this penchant in appropriate fashion.

And this is to say nothing of Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer-drinking party, wherein natives and foreigners converge on Munich to hoist Maßkrüge (approximately 7 million liters' worth!) in unapologetic indulgence of world-class beer. Take away the Maß, brimming with beer and joyfully swung side to side by hearty revelers, and our image of Oktoberfest, the zenith of Germany's propensity for beer appreciation on a large scale, would hardly be the same.

The Maß is most often used for your everday-drinking beer. In Munich, this is usually the delightful Helles, a staple of Bavarian beer halls and gardens, flavorful enough to demand all-day consumption yet light enough in alcohol to allow it. The Warsteiner Maß pictured above, meanwhile, is intended for use with that brewery's signature Pilsener. During Oktoberfest, as you might imagine, Oktoberfestbier is the brew of choice, which these days displays less of the amber color and maltiness of its cousin Märzen, instead tending to be light and Helles-like.

The Session #27 – Beer Cocktails

Who says liquor must be involved when you're thirsting for a mixed drink? Not Joe of Beer at Joe's, who asked beer bloggers to consider their favorite beer cocktails – you know, black and tans, half and halfs, or maybe something more esoteric – for this month's Session topic. Since I'm late to the party, others have already weighed in and Joe has posted the roundup. Well, no matter. Here's my (belated) take nonetheless.

Proud kegerator owners (there's the tease) may know where I'm about to go with this Session entry. If not, they are wise to pay attention. There are advantages to having beer on tap at home. (Well, that should go without saying, shouldn't it?) From a versatility standpoint – not to mention a personal-pride one – even better when that beer is homebrew.

Of course, keg-owning homebrewers are perfectly familiar with these advantages – less hassle than bottling, ready availability, more control over carbonation, and all that. But what you don't hear cited very often is how easy – and gratifying – it is to blend beers straight from the tap, in virtually any proportion you like. And I probably don't have to mention, this works out best the more beers you have on tap.

For starters, it's a way to inject some life into a beer you're not too thrilled about. Got a beer that's just a bit on the fruity side, for example? A dash of high-octane IPA can balance things out nicely. (Or not so nicely, if you prefer to go over the top.) Heck, keeping some hop juice on hand, always good policy anyway, is handy for discovering what a given beer would taste like with a little more hoppy kick to it.

You can go the other direction, too – blend in some Stout or Porter to see if you can turn that Pale Ale into an Amber or Brown. And so on. Blending together two (or more) beers that are perfectly good in their own right can yield some delicious results.

Some mighty fine beer (Gueuze, anyone?) is produced via blending. No reason to think there aren't some exciting and tasty possibilities just a few pulls of the tap handles away.

Time Looks at Homebrewing

A nice video from Time that looks at our little hobby and its rising popularity.

Enjoy.

New Breweries Report

Good to see some entrepreneurism – and beer-related, at that – in this "economic climate" we keep hearing so much about. New Orleans' NOLA Brewing Co. is up and running on Tchoupitoulas St. in the Big Easy and plans are afoot for a new outfit called Three Rivers Brewing Co. here in Columbia, S.C.

NOLA earns the distinction of being the only packaging microbrewery operating within the city of New Orleans. (Abita and Heiner Brau are north of Lake Ponchartrain, out of town, and Big Easy, which was originally brewed in Marrero anyway, is brewed under contract by Heiner Brau.) It was founded by Kirk Coco and right now features two products: a Blonde Ale and a Brown Ale, brewed by the inimitable Peter Cadoo, longtime member of the Crescent City Homebrewers and former brewer at the venerable Dixie, still shuttered since Katrina and currently being brewed by the Minhas Craft Brewery in Wisconsin.

Here's a fine read on NOLA Brewing Co., its clever twist on the familiar "Nola" name, and the greater Crescent City brewing scene in general, courtesy of The New York Times.

Meanwhile, some 675 miles to the northeast, entrepreneur Doug Aylard hopes to open Columbia's only microbrewery in August, in a mixed-use zone off North Main St. Planned brews include Turkey Hunter Ale, Half-Wit Hefe Weisse, Spiderbite, Broken Down and something about a "lizard man" (I'm not making this stuff up), according to this report from The State. Here's more from the Free Times.

The Wisdom of Jean-Pierre Van Roy

If you love Cantillon, or lambic, or Beligum, or beer in general (You do love all those things, don't you??) then you must check out this great read from Evan Rail's Beer Culture blog.

Take special note of Van Roy's little nugget about industrial vs. artisan beers. Amen, monsieur.

The Spatenbräu Bock Mug

We know the Germans tend to take their beer seriously. Well, if this ornately decorated mug from Munich's Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu is any indication, they take their glassware art pretty seriously, too.

Talk about an intricate design – well more than your average Joe starting at (or into) a mug of beer would probably care to occupy himself with.

But he should – there's lots of interesting stuff going on here (click the image for a closer look). Beer folk won't puzzle over the billy goat featured so prominently here; rather, they'll likely take it as a strong clue as to what beer the Spaten bräumeisters have in mind for this glass. "Bock," it so happens, is the German word for the horned creature we see here, and although it's been suggested that Bockbier derives its name from the city of Einbeck, where the style is said to have originated, the billy goat has become firmly established as official spokesanimal for these rich, malty brews.

And indeed, close inspection of the design reveals this glass belongs to "Spatenbräu Bock," a fairly rare Maibock that makes most of its appearances (or its recent ones, the evidence suggests) on draft only. I've not had this beer in a few years, but I recall it being good – typical of Spaten offerings.

Above the familiar spade logo, the billy rears magnificently in front of what are either rays of light or stalks of barley (Both nourish and sustain life, don't they?) while what looks like a hop bine curls overhead.

Drink enough powerful Bock from this ample (half-liter) mug, and you might end up feeling as mighty as its strapping, confident mascot. Best to stay away from the tin cans, however. Your teeth will thank you.