Just Clap Your Hands

There has been a long-running debate about bottles versus cans and we're going to provide the definitive answer.  By "long-running debate" we use the New York Times standard so somebody probably talked about it somewhere. That somewhere was at the most recent Qualia Coffee beer swap. It was less a debate and more a conversation with the general consensus being that there will likely be a shift away from bottles and towards cans in the coming years. Of course, we agreed with this consensus because we have no real idea what we're talking about. Dumbarton's knowledge begins and ends with knowing you can typically purchase beer in cans or bottles.

Dumbarton's Beer has no dog in this fight. Meaning, we don't own or have a financial interest in an aluminum factory or a glass blowing plant (disclaimer: we have been to the Corning Museum). On occasion we are asked if there's an official DBB Policy Statement on cans or bottles and there is not. Our rationale is that we are focused on the beer and not the container. If it doesn't impact quality and flavor you can sell it to us in plastic baggies. How much would a dime bag of beer run us?

At 4:45pm this afternoon the executives at Dumbarton's Beer determined the time for a policy statement is at hand. The statement is as follows:

We like cans.

It was a warm spring day inside the beltway. The kind of day that makes you want a cool beer and a barbecue. In preparing to set up the grill we gathered the appropriate tools - charcoal, newspaper, grill scraper, one can of Dale's Pale Ale. Step one: remove grill cover. Step two: open beer. That's when the apple landed on our proverbial head. The can cracked open like a beer commercial was being filmed in the backyard. It made that distinct can opening sound that, back in the day, you saw between innings of your televised baseball game. The sound that on television makes even Genessee Cream Ale desirable.

Cans are cool. They're not hipster cool or emo cool but old school cool. In opening that one can of Dale's we were instantly transported to cool. Drinking beer from a can must be the equivalent to cruising the strip with your best girl in the Boss 429. It's Bad Company writing the song Bad Company. It's the Hulk Hogan beating Andre the Giant. It's losing three straight Super Bowls and having the balls to come back for a fourth. In short, it's American.


PS. We were drinking beer from a bottle during this writing.