Have you ever wondered why big brands like Budweiser can their beers? It’s actually more economical, but its also gotten a bad rap since canned beers are now perceived as cheap. The upfront costs also made the dream to can homebrew completely impossible. Until recently.
The upfront costs of canning are significant compared to bottling homebrew. But, over time canning becomes the cheaper option. This is only if distribution is taking place since the recovery of glass bottles makes bottling a lot cheaper.
The costs and benefits of canning vs bottling are very nuanced. There are a lot of factors at play and its not so black and white anymore. Now that the perception of quality for canned beer is being challenged and the costs are falling, its becoming much more popular.
Cost of Canning vs Bottling in Craft Brewing
The debate of canning vs bottling is a long one, but all of the major brands have moved to canning. Its not hard to see why, since it keeps the beer in a pristine condition, reduces oxidation and eliminates beer skunking from light penetration.
Even the craft breweries have gotten in on it. Many now have canning systems in their taprooms. Of course, to stay away from the cheapness of mass produced canned beer they have branded it differently.
Enter the crowler, Its essentially a play on words when it comes to a growler, but instead its a can, hence the C. This branding has made it super popular and trendy. Its also cheaper to purchase upfront compared to a growler. Let’s face it most people forget their growlers and don’t want the hassle.
Because of this new found popularity of cans many homebrewers wanted to get in on the fun, but the costs for such a system that microbreweries used was a bit much. Until.
Canning Equipment for Homebrewers
Very recently a new canning machine has hit the market and is making waves as its price point is low enough to make canning a real option.
The product in question is called Cannular and while its still much more expensive than a basic bottling setup, the low price point is low enough to take advantage of the coolness factor.
Here’s what you will need in order to can your very own beer.
- Cannular can seamer
- Power Supply- its an add on to the above link.
- Beer can and bottle filler.
- Aluminum beer cans.
As you can see the upfront costs are still a bit high. However, now that its less than $1,000 its actually worth it to many homebrewers and nano breweries.
You will also likely need a keg setup, so if you have not invested in kegging already the cost hurdle might be even higher. So before beginning your canning journey you might want to learn more about kegging your beer first.
Can’s will typically last a very long time when it comes to saving your beer for later, however the same time limits apply as with bottles. The one difference is that cans cannot be aged, as it will fall flat over time.
You are looking at about six to nine months lifespan in a can. This is similar to the life expectancy of an IPA in a bottle. The one exception that you would want to bottle over can is for aging. You cannot age a beer in a can, like you would in a bottle.
Bottling Equipment for Homebrewers
When it comes to bottling beer the prices are way more reasonable and if you don’t plan on kegging your just yet, this is the obvious choice for any brewer.
All you will need are a few cheap supplies.
- The Red Rocket Bottle Capper.
- Bottling wand for filling bottles.
- Glass bottles and bottle caps.
You will also need a bottling bucket like the one in the picture above and some tubing. These often come with homebrew kits.
Technically you don’t even need the bottle caps and you can either get plastic PET bottles or swing top bottles as well. You can check out the vast array of bottles at Adventures in Homebrewing.
Its way less of an upfront cost to bottle vs can, but if you are constantly giving out homebrew to friends and never getting your glass bottles back it may be worth it to can. Plus your friend might think its pretty cool too.
Sourcing Cans and Bottles
The cost of buying cans vs buying bottles is also a lot cheaper, and in the long run will save you money if your constantly buying glass bottles. The problem is I don’t buy glass bottles, I recycle old brew bottles. This makes my cost essentially zero.
So to me at least its not worth it, but If I were a nano-brewery that never saw his bottles ever again, I would realize massive cost savings. That’s where the difference lies, how easy is it for you to get glass bottles to reuse, especially with more breweries moving to cans it may become increasingly rare to see bottles and force homebrewers to move to canning.
Flavor Perception
Some people have a perception of beer in aluminum cans to have a metallic taste to it. Its sort of true to, I’ve sensed it before as well and its got me a bit torn. However, as soon as I pour it in a glass I tend to not notice it.
There are some benefits to canning instead of bottling when it comes to overall experience too.
- Cans won’t have sediment at the bottom causing poor flavor, from bottle conditioning.
- Skunking won’t occur if left out in the sun.
- The beer will get colder faster and you can enjoy it quicker.
Not to mention you won’t have to worry about over carbonating your beer in the bottle. Plus, the costs and safety issues of shipping the beer to friends in other states are reduced.
Environmental Impact of Cans over Bottles
The environmental impact of beer is something that has me worried. So of course I wondered which was better environmentally. Sadly there is no true answer, but rather it depends. Take a look below at why.
Shipping costs
Shipping costs are a major reason why the big beer brands can their beer. It costs a lot less and aluminum is way lighter than glass bottles. It really is environmentally and economically better to can beer for traveling over long distances.
However, I would rather have someone reuse a growler than get a crowler locally. The reason being its, not being shipped long distances and the cost of production is nothing compared to constantly using brand new manufactured cans.
Recycled Material
The sad truth is that Aluminum is recycled way more than glass bottles are. Some studies put aluminum cans at about a 70% recycle rate which is great! But, that’s still nothing in comparison to one homebrewer reusing one bottle.
But, as more beer gets mass produced the quantity of bottles will decrease and it will become harder for homebrewers to recycle.
Cans in a Homebrew Competition
There are some considerations when it comes to canning your homebrew, one is if you are entering into competitions. Many don’t accept cans yet, but this may be changing.
Make sure you check to see whether competitions are accepting cans instead of bottles. Then if your sending a lot of cans in the mail, you might save a lot of money compared to shipping glass bottles.
Nitrogen Beers in a Can
Sadly, at this time nitrogen beer canning is left to the professionals. You can’t simply can a nitrogen beer and have it be the same as when it opens. This is because there are specialized widgets required to make the nitrogen process happen in cans.
So if you love nitro beer, your dreams may be limited to kegs only, at least for now.