From Green Right Now Reports
Photo: cask.com
Still think of aluminum cans as the red-headed stepchild of the beer container industry? Bon Appetit magazine suggests that it may be time to take a second look.
According to the publication, nearly 75 breweries in the United States and Canada have switched their premium beers from glass to aluminum cans. Among reasons cited for the move: Delivering a fresher and better-tasting beer, the versatility of the can, and – yes! – a lower environmental impact.
The article (“The Beer Can Revolution”) includes the results of an in-house taste test with Matthew Lenning, Bon Appetit’s design director and avowed beer aficionado.
“I was completely preconditioned to think that canned beer equaled bad beer,” Lenning said. “Tasting is believing, however.”
As for the can’s advantages in terms of sustainability, the article had this to say:
“Cans are easier on the environment. They are nearly 50 percent lighter to ship than bottles, which greatly reduces their carbon footprint. Jamie Gordon at Cask Brewing Systems, the Canadian company that invented the craft canning system in 1999 and sold its first U.S. model to Oskar Blues several years later, says the number one reason brewers call him is environmental concerns.
“Creating a more eco-friendly product is what led (Garrett) Marrero (Maui Brewing Co.) to put his craft brews exclusively in cans, a decision that helped earn him a ‘Who’s Keeping Hawaii Green’ award in 2008.”
Marrero also talked about the relative ease with which aluminum can be re-used.
“Aluminum is infinitely recyclable, and recycled cans can be back on the shelf with new product within eight weeks,” he said. “To use bottles, we’d have to ship from thousands of miles away only to ship it back. The cans are locally produced and have a one-way journey. It’s better for the beer, better for the environment.”