The Beer Guys

Pete Slosberg, founder of Pete's Wicked Ale and Cocoa Pete's Chocolate Adventures, gives 21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat in a can a big thumbs up!

The purpose of this blog is to disseminate real information about the burgeoning business of canning American microbrewed beers. We want people to know the facts about beer in cans because, frankly, beer in cans has always been looked down upon--as a lowbrow product for the blue collar worker. This is really only because no good beer and no premium beer was ever available in cans until very recently. But now, buying a premium craft beer in a can is possible and, we think, the best possible package.

Recently, on the Brookston Beer Blog, a comment was posted to beer writer Jay Brooks' first story about 21st Amendment canning their beer. The comment was by a reader anonymously hiding behind the handle "Jackie Chan". Here's what Jackie had to say about the 21st Amendment and our canning plans:

Unfortunately, they [21st Amendment] are not canning the beer with a real
canning line; they have an extremely labor-intensive, slow 2-can filler and
separate seamer requiring them to physically handle every can and move them
around before they are seamed. The air-levels will not come close to that of a
real canner (or even a good bottler), there are substantial microbio issues as
the system is slow and not sealed, and there will likely be massive variance in
carbonation (and probably taste as a result of all the factors I have listed).
In a nutshell, these cans will have terrible shelf-stability and it will
probably be a crapshoot every time you crack one open.

A real canner is great for beer… but this ain’t that.

While Jackie Chan is misinformed and ignorant of the facts regarding today's small canning systems, his commentary does give rise to an opportunity to discuss the facts and set the record straight.

Our two-head canning system is indeed manual and it does require labor. However, the terms "labor intensive" and "slow" are thoroughly relative ones -- two people operating our canning line can produce 20 cases per hour of finished beer. That would be 150 cases of beer canned in an eight hour day. No bottling equipment we have used could come close to this volume and no system that could go any faster than this small canning system would fit into our tiny brewery. On the Brookston site, there is a video of the entire process and most viewers would agree it is surprisingly quick.

Regarding air levels, Jackie Chan's comment, "The air-levels will not come close to that of a real canner (or even a good bottler)" is just plain completely wrong. The equipment manufacturer, Cask Brewing of Alberta, Canada, sent beer samples to the independent Siebel Laboratories in Chicago for testing. To quote the report's summary of their findings:

"Four cans and bottles of the same beer were randomly chosen and sent to
Siebel Laboratories in Chicago. Siebel test results revealed that there was no
significant difference in O2 level between the bottled and canned product.
Furthermore, the O2 levels were extremely low, measuring at under 0.125 PPM."

The final comment from Technical Director Dennis Bryant sums it up:

"The result reported less than 1.0% of saturation"..."We do feel that this is an
extremely low level of dissolved oxygen"

For the complete test results, go to
http://www.microcanning.com/cbs/files/02%20analysis.PDF

Our two-head filler uses a long tube fill, done under a CO2 blanket. This means that a CO2 tube reaches to the bottom of the can, filling it with CO2 gas just prior to fill. As CO2 is heavier than air, it forces all the air in the can up and out the opening. This evacuates all the air in the can, the can is filled at 30 degrees Fahrenheit to limit foaming, and then capped on foam so that there is little or no air under the seal. Most commercial can fillers are short tube DUMP fillers. There should be virtually no dissolved air pickup using long tube fillers. Dump fillers need elaborate evacuation methods, nitrogen drips etc to achieve airs as low as long tube versions. The equipment manufacturer has tested big canner beer packaged by one of the largest beer producers. Cans came in at over 3 ml air. They had a very large canning system. Big size and automation does not necessarily mean low airs.

And finally, regarding consistency, microbial contamination and carbonation levels. We brew the same Watermelon Wheat Beer and IPA for canning that we have been brewing for six years. Our process is sanitary from start to finish and we are confident that the beers will have a microbially stable shelf life. Our bright beer tanks are tested using a Zahm & Nagel CO2 tester and internal carbonation levels are adjusted to exactly where we want them prior to canning. The beer runs from the bright tank through a special glycol chiller and directly into the filler to ensure 30 degree Fahrenheit filling which eliminates foaming and guarantees our dissolved CO2 levels remain intact.

Jackie Chan's final comments, "In a nutshell, these cans will have terrible shelf-stability and it will probably be a crapshoot every time you crack one open. A real canner is great for beer? but this ain?t that." again, are simply ignorant of the facts. Twenty five small breweries across America and dozens in Canada have been canning beer with these small canning lines for years. If there were significant quality and consistency issues, these breweries would have long ago abandoned the can. On the contrary, canned beers are wining gold medals in blind taste tests everywhere. I'm not just talking about beer competitions (Caldera, Ashland, OR) but also about taste tests done in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

The time for good beer in cans has arrived and we intend to be a leader in both the canning field and the battle against canning misinformation.

On Sunday, Beer Guy Nico grabbed lunch at the 21A, put a couple of six packs of canned beer on ice, hopped in the car and drove three hours to Fresno with screaming kids and a barking dog in the back, 90 degrees in the valley. Got to my destination and cracked an ice cold can of Watermelon Wheat. Heaven. That's the time for a long slug off a cold can. The beer is sharp and refreshing, the can is cold in your hand-you swipe it across your forehead to cool the burn. This is what we call in the business a "lawnmower" beer. You know, hot summer Saturday, you have to go out and mow the lawn. You push the thing around, hot, sleeve wiping sweaty grit into your eyes. When you're all done, you crack an ice cold can of (insert any light, cold canned beer here-before Watermelon Wheat, mine would have been a Budweiser), and you are restored.

Jump to Friday night, hanging with some friend at a dive bar in the Mission, shooting pool. You grab a couple of long necks, take a swig, the bottle dangles at your side, hanging between two fingers.

I keep a lot of different types of bottled beers in my home beer fridge. When I want to try one of those, I always pour it into a glass. After all, all good beer drinkers know that microbrew is about the appreciation of a well-made, unique product. You need to see the beer, the foam on the top, the Brussels lace as the head recedes, the color, the aroma, even the sound. Drinking out of a can or a bottle limits your enjoyment of all those elements.

The point here is that there is a time and place for everything. The Beer Guys don't advocate that you have to drink our canned beer out of the can. There will be a lot of times when you'll want to-- after mowing the lawn or on the boat, or after a long, hot drive. But there will be lots of other times when you'll crack that can and pour it directly into a glass. Then you'll be able to truly appreciate the quality, flavor and care that goes into making one of the best beers around.

TAKE BACK THE CAN FROM THE BIG BREWERIES!

This is the first question most people ask when they learn that a microbrewery is putting their beer into cans. The answer is simple:

Cans are the best package for beer. Period.

The big breweries have known this since the 1930s and that is why the majority of the world's packaged beer is put into cans. For some obvious reasons why cans are better, see the posting below. But let's also take a look at some can myths and facts.

MYTHS

Cans impart a metallic flavor to beer

Modern cans are sprayed with a micro-thin coating of a water-based polymer that keeps the beer from ever touching metal. In fact, different grades and thicknesses of spray are applied depending on the contents of the can. For example, our Watermelon Wheat Beer has a slightly heavier coating because of the real fruit in the beer.

All canned beer tastes the same -- light and insipid

Until only a few years ago, the only beer available in cans in America was light, industrial lager. Of course all canned beer tasted the same-it was all slight variations on the same beer! Today, microbrewed ales from places like Oskar Blues Brewing in Colorado are winning blind taste tests in tasting panels done in publications from the New York Times to The Washington Post. A canned microbrew (Caldera, Ashland, OR) just won a medal at the World Beer Cup in Seattle.

Canned beer doesn't taste as good as bottled beer

Numerous blind tasting panels (where beer is poured into identical glasses out of site of the judges so judges don't know what brand or what package the beer came from) have proven that beer from cans is indistinguishable from beer from any other package. Good beer from a can, just like good beer from a bottle, should be poured into your favorite pint glass so you can further appreciate the aroma, color and head.

FACTS

Reduced labor - less labor intensive packaging method versus glass and no six pack cartons

Increased shelf visibility - more selling/advertising space on a can versus a bottle. Cans fetch eye level retail real estate because of their lower breakage risk compared to glass

Increased quality - lower oxygen levels and no light exposure. Canned micro brew wins Gold medals!

Increased sales - higher sales with access to markets that restrict glass packaging (ie. golf courses, marinas, airlines, beaches, hiking, outdoor events, etc.)

More environmentally friendly - lighter and easier to recycle than bottles (51% of aluminum cans are recycled versus 22% of glass bottles) and less energy consumed to recycle cans versus recycling and cleaning glass

Reduced cost - no labels or neck labels to buy and inventory, less freight expense to ship finished product to market

Lightweight - It takes 3 pounds of aluminum cans to deliver 1000 ounces of beer versus 27 pounds of glass to deliver the same amount

Customer convenience - lighter, easier to handle, to transport and to recycle

Product differentiation - provides a means to be an innovator in the craft brew market place

TAKE BACK THE CAN FROM THE BIG BREWERIES!

The 21st Amendment Brewery is proud to announce the release of two hand-crafted, brewery fresh beers in cans.

More Reasons

Cans keep beer fresher longer because the beer never sees sunlight.

Modern cans are lined so the can doesn't impart any flavor to the beer.

Cans go where no glass dares: beaches, parks, boats, poolside, stadiums, golf courses.

Cans weigh less than glass and chill faster.

Cans are easier to recylcle and more often recycled than glass.

Cans take less energy to produce than glass.

Monday morning, May 8th. 11:30 a.m. A line of eager microbrew fans snakes around a lively blue building in San Francisco's SOMA neighborhood. The smell of malt hangs thick in the air, teasing like a cold pool on a hot day. People shuffle their feet, check their watches. Smiling. A lot of them know each other. It's a beautiful day... A black door opens off the alley. The Beer Guys step out into the sunshine. Beer Guy Shaun holds something shiny up in his fist. His fedora just covers his eyes. "Ladies and gentlemen", he shouts at the crowd, "I give you Watermelon Wheat!!" (crowd roars) "I give you 21A IPA" (crowd roars louder). Beer Guy Nico draws on a big puff of cigar smoke, loosens his tie. Smiles. Let the Revolution Begin!!!

21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat and 21A IPA in cans went on sale for the first time today. Why cans? Why Blog? Stay tuned...

IPA ready for sale.