Here's an interesting article about the anniversary of the beer can - from someone who wishes they hadn't been born. Their basic point is that the beer can has been bad for beer and the environment. One interesting question is why Americans are the only ones in the world drinking from cans. Excerpt:
Seventy five years is a good retirement age. It is time to retire the beer can and the disposable bottle and switch to good local beer in returnable bottles. It is not only the green thing to do, but it tastes better. As Pablo noted in Eat Local, Drink Local Beer:
The best solution for keeping your eco-impact low is to drink local beer. Not only does this support your local economy, and support the art of craft beer making, but it is also a great way to enjoy creative and innovative new recipes and techniques.
Growler drinkers of the world, unite!
ReplyDeleteThis may be taking things a little too far. I think almost everyone will agree that beer tastes better out of a glass bottle than out of a can. But, not everyone would make a CASE (pun intended) that your glass bottle should be the refillable kind, which your local brewer must graciously top off during your weekly visit to his bar.
You know, I understand this mandate for people who live in Oregon, Cali, and prime beer spots like the Midwest. But I am not content to sit with Sweetwater all my life!
ReplyDeleteWhat I learn most from this is that we need better local beer. It's a good thought game: think of something that would be limited to only local sourcing: would you be happy with the product? If not, there's a niche for you.
ReplyDeleteFirst, like Dave said, we need to change the laws to allow growlers in Georgia so that local breweries could actually exist. You have to be pretty big to get by in GA with the current laws - e.g. Sweetwater. In Oregon, there are just amazing local breweries randomly around town who don't make enough to even bottle, but they sell growlers to local residents.
I agree with you Brennan. We need to support some of the local guys like EAB and MNB to make them get better. We went to 5 Seasons recently and they had some good IPAs, but we didn't like much else. Why don't those West coasters just move out here?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree on that point. There's no harm in allowing local breweries to sell growlers of their stuff. In fact, we would all be better off as beer lovers, if there were less barriers to entry for the small, craft breweries and we had more consumer choice.
ReplyDeleteBut, the author's main argument is that if you don't drink local beer, you're killing the planet. That's a different argument all together, and I think it's hyperbolic/alarmist.
We need to become true beer advocates. The best way to encourage growth in the local brew biz is to get the laws changed.
ReplyDelete