Wine in a Can?

I have seen wine in a paper box. Good for when you want to carry it up mountains. That is actually where I saw it. Now there is a wine in a can which got kudos for design. It won Best Environmental Adaptation at the Swedish Design Awards. How about taste? I do not think of the Swedes as a major wine country. How about vodka in a bottle? It may be art but will it win a wine tasting? What would Robert Parker say?

Comments

[Dave Rudder]

I live in Denver where we're seeing a new trend in the upscale microbrews. Yep, in a can. Dale's Ale and all the beers of the New Belgium Brewing Company (Fat Tire, Sunshine Wheat, etc). The idea is to reduce the cost of materials and shipping on the environment. Some of the big beer critics in the area have commented that the flavor is identical to the beer in bottles.

We have a lot of outdoorsmen here. Our Mayor Hickenlooper was an archaeologist and then a brew-pub owner. Good beer in cans is becoming big business for those people who really don't want broken glass on our trails.

It's been an interesting thing to watch then educate the market. Beer in cans has been known as lower-quality for a long time. Just compare Modelo Negro in bottle and can, and you can really see the difference. But, these guys have perfected the process, using a thin glass liner. They've done studies of the environmental impact, impact on flavor, etc. And, they've been out with the marketing. It's been a wonderful combination of digital, print and in-person marketing.

-Dave

[Bill Ives]

Dave

Thanks so much for this comment. The Brits do a good job of beer in cans also. It is its is nice to learn that some US breweries are doing this also. I am on my way to Jackson WY so maybe I will see some of these western brews and give them a try. Belgium beers are some of best in the world, along with their Quebec cousins. It will be interesting to see what they are doing in Denver. Bill