Is bottled beer superior to canned?

Question

Or any drinks for that matter. Does the canning process affect the taste? Or is it just the difference of drinking from glass or aluminium?

Answer 1

Irrespective of any possible metallic taste, canned beer has to be pasteurised. This adversely affects the taste. Many bottled beers are also pasteurised - but they don't have to be. When you can find one that isn't there is no question that it is infinitely superior. In continental Europe bottled beers are much more popular than canned, probably for this reason.

Answer 2

Couple issues come to mind here. Bottled beer has a date on the label saying when it's no good. Cans do not. Bottled beer lasts 90 days from when bottled. Canned beer...? Lastly, Alluminim is toxic when ingested. Do you trust the breweries that much? Some guy you don't know making 10 bucks an hour to wash out those cans all day (with acid mind you) just before the beer goes into them.

Answer 3

I wonder if canning is not so good as bottling - after all, all the more expensive beers seem to be bottled - implying that the suppliers consider this to be a superior method of storage. Certainly, glass adds nothing to the taste - maybe canning does. I tend to only drink Guinness from cans - where the beer's taste is strong enough to hide any "tinniness"

Answer 4

really just a matter of preference. people claim to be able to taste the difference. i suspect they are getting a slighlty "tinny" smell from the can because the difference disapears if you decant the beer into another container (i.e. pour "canned" beer into one glass and bottled beer into another). canning is very sophisticated these days and the plasticised layer ensures that the beer is never in contact with the metal. glass is pretty innert though and will ensure that the beer really is just that - pure beer.

in the end i really think it's all the same.

Answer 5

Yes. Glass is a superior packaging for all beverages, not just beer. Aluminum does affect the taste slightly. Same goes for sodas.

Answer 6

It is psychological. The preference is all pychological and the taste is identical. Take 3 canned beers and three bottled and throw in one draft for fun. Then put them all in chilled beer mugs and IF the taste is so obvious that they HATE canned beer and love bottled or Vs/Vs then they should def. know the difference in ALL of the beers. And they won't...case closed.

Answer 7

to me bottled beer taste very good from the bottle as the can has a slight aluminium taste.

Answer 8

Not anymore now that there are very few that use secondary fermentation in the bottle.
If you are buying something in a bottle that comes in can and is pasteurised and filtered, then you may as well buy the can as it is going to be cheaper.
This is particularly true if you are drinking lager or most bitters.
Unless anyone out there can tell me where to get goode old fashioned Nigerian Guinness Extra from?

Answer 9

Bottled is better than can, but the beer is more important for taste, so bottle before can. Can when the rest is gone.

Answer 10

I believe it does. It may be all in my mind though. I can't say that I've done a blind taste test of the same beer from the two containers. Sounds like something I might do this weekend!