Jamie Reidy ranks his Top 5 beers that come in a can.
This list is slightly subjective, as you will see from the lack of scientific or data-supported explanations.
I will go in reverse order:
5. Old Milwaukee – Yes, I’m serious. We drank this in my dorm Keenan Hall – Go Knights! – at Notre Dame because it was cheaper than just about anything else, but not as God-awful as the deceptively named Milwaukee’s Best (#WontMakeThatMistakeAgain). Reminds me of late nights playing Euchre and arguing about whether the Irish football team would go 48-0 in our four years after starting out 22-0. (They did not.) And since I just returned from my – gulp – 20th reunion and am feeling quite nostalgic, Old Swill made the list. (Plus, the random Super Bowl ad with Will Ferrell is killer.)
4. Carlsberg – I found Carlsberg – or did it find me? – during the fall semester of my junior year, which I spent in London. Just thinking about that green can makes me long for wandering the galleries at the Tate for hours and craning my neck to gaze at the intricate designs in St. Paul’s Cathedral. Oh, wait. I never did either of those things. (DadDidntGetHisMoneysWorth) No, the green can reminds me of living abroad for the first time. It also makes me think I’m late for the tube.
3. Dale’s Pale Ale – I discovered this beer from Colorado’s Oskar Blues & Brewery the old fashioned way: by randomly getting stuck in traffic behind a Dale’s Pale Ale beer truck. At first I was livid; WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT NAME??? This is officially “America’s first hand-crafted canned beer.” Dale is a little bit of a snob, though, and it took some searching online to find a local place that stocked it: Whole Foods. But it’s worth the trip.
2. Guinness – If only I could describe how cool it sounds when you open a can of Guinness and the – as far as I can tell – space age technology releases that vacuum seal. It’s like opening a new can of tennis balls, only girls rarely end up dancing on tables after friendly tennis matches. At least not with me. And then you get to drink Guinness.
1. Budweiser – The King of Beers landed the top spot because it reminds me of my Dad’s Sunday softball league when I was five. My rebel best friend James – two years older and with older brothers, he knew the drill – encouraged me to swipe my first golden adult beverage from a round, metal tub. I can still remember the sound the ice and cans made against the side walls. 35+ years later, the taste of an ice cold can of Bud on a hot day transports me back to the Spring Valley Junior High School softball field, lurking in the woods with my best pal, listening to the shouts of men playing ball.
Great, now I want a beer. There goes my plan for drying out this week…
What’s your favorite beer in a can?
Photo by: puuikibeach
Beer is best out of a can, what is a KEG but a can. Cans prevent UV degradation of the beer, and Dale’s Pale Ale is way better than “beechwood aged” buttwiser.
Maybe I’m just saying this because I’m a Canuck, but Alexander Keith is an awesome beer (I don’t know if you can get it in the US). And maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but once you’ve had Guinness from the tap the can variety just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Gus – the omission of PBR hurt me to do.
8Ball – I drink whatever somebody else is buying! So, are you turning down a can of something free?
Yeaaah… I don’t think beer should ever come in a can.
I was too much of a fan of broken glass to drink from cans. However Miller High Life tastes good in the can or bottle.
We drank a lot of Natty Light out of cans back in Michigan, but I don’t recommend this practice.
PBR doesn’t make your list? They were selected as America’s best back in 1893 and never looked back.