If you’ve ever stood in the beer aisle wondering whether to choose bottled or canned beer, you’re not alone. Although there’s research supporting consumer preferences for bottled beer, scientists aren’t exactly sure why, and there's no one factor that can determine the best choice between canned and bottled beer.

Some drinkers say they prefer bottled beer because it tastes better, but multiple studies have revealed that when participants blindly tasted beers, the canned beer ranked higher than the bottled in terms of taste. One study even showed that people chose bottled beer when they could see the drink's packaging, but chose canned beer when it was poured for them.

Cans are also lighter, don’t require a bottle opener, keep fresher for longer, and nearly 55% recycled aluminum actually gets repurposed, versus just 26.4% for recycled glass. However, bottles do not have a metallic taste, even though that flavor is just from the smell of the can; beer is actually canned so that the liquid doesn't touch the metal.