P ROV I N G T H E I R M E TA L Julia Herz, the publisher of CraftBeer.com and the craft-beer program director for the Brewers Association, on why cans are so canny. WHAT MAKES CANNED BEER SO GREAT? Think of beer cans like small kegs. They’re sealed, and they don’t expose the beer to light. When beer in the glass or bottle is exposed to light, the flavor can be altered. A chemical reaction occurs between the hops and sunlight, causing the beer to smell and taste like sulfur. Some also say that cans chill more quickly than glass bottles do. SHOULD YOU POUR IT INTO A GLASS? If it’s possible, drinking a beer out of a glass allows you to better enjoy all the aromatics, because beer glasses have a wider opening than cans. You also consume less carbonation, since it escapes out of the glass more easily. This keeps you from feeling too full too quickly. WHAT’S THE PROPER WAY TO POUR? Lift a clean glass up and tilt it to a 45-degree angle. Pour the beer so that it runs down the side of the glass, until the can is three-fourths empty. Now turn the glass so that it’s upright, then empty the can into the middle for a perfect one-inch collar of foam.
STORAGE TIP
Herz recommends storing all beer cold. This helps keep it fresher longer. If you don’t have enough room in your refrigerator, keep unopened cans in the pantry or the basement (whichever is cooler). The U.S. Department of Agriculture says beer keeps for up to nine months.
