FOOD NEWS
Why Your Craft Beer Sometimes Comes In Tall Aluminum Cans
BY Nancy Parode
Thanks to single 19.2-ounce aluminum cans of craft beer seeing surging sales at convenience stores, these tall "stovepipe" cans are becoming important to brewers.
Many are familiar with stovepipe cans, as they're accustomed to buying larger beer cans at sports and entertainment venues where you can usually buy only one beer at a time.
Convenience store patrons often buy one beer at a time, so they prefer tall cans over small glass bottles. Stovepipe cans also hold more beer than 16-ounce cans at a good price.
Aluminum cans are lighter and easier to carry than glass bottles. Moreover, they're lined with plastic, so there's virtually no chance that the beer will take on a metallic taste.
The opaque metal protects the beer from sunlight or artificial light, which can ruin its flavor. They're also ideal for outdoor events, as they won't break and are easy to chill.
From brewers' stance, adding stovepipe cans to their product line is easy, as the cans fit on adjustable 16-ounce canning lines. The cans also have more room for arresting artwork.
Not all brewers can afford 19.2-ounce cans alongside the other can sizes they already use, so tall cans from regional or national brands are more common than those from local ones.