46 always more online @ eatdrinkmag.net issue twelve ? september 2008 Craft Beer in Cans Expands Demand for Better Beer The only real problem with cans is their stigmatization by beer geeks. When cans are mentioned, beer geeks get a visual of Homer Simpson slamming a Duff or Animal House's Bluto Blutarski shot-gunning a Blue Ribbon and crushing the empty can against his forehead. To the committed beer geek, cans are for baked beans, not fine ales. Well, even the beer snobs have been outpaced by new container technology which offers a lightweight can that is absolutely inert to the beer, fully sealed from gas leak and 100% effective at preventing light-struck (spoiled) beer. Microbrewers are taking to this new can and the result is promising because their beer can have wider distribution and remain in good condition. With wider market exposure, the craft brewing industry will flourish. Corona-Clone Burn-Out The big corporate brewers are working new marketing niches that they create with advertising. Light beer, dry beer, ice beer, beer slush, beer with Red Bull's guarana rush ... What will be the next mass-market fad? Expect to see a lot of pale adjunct, mass-produced lagers with vaguely Spanish-sounding names in clear, silk-screened bottles that contain lime, citrus or other tropical fruit essence. The bottom line: these marketing fads never endure and the big guys cannot stave off the inevitable swing to local crafted real beer. If you want these gimmicks, the soft drink industry has them covered. The new beer culture wants flavourful real beer, not marketing hooks. The Beer Bar/Brew Pub Becomes a Cultural Institution Back in the late 1970s and early '80s, if you wanted a fresh draft brew it meant going to a smokey tavern where a single national brand ale and lager were sold by the tray full of 10-ounce glasses. The mid-'80s and '90s saw the emergence of the brew-on-premises pub and restaurant and the craft beer bar where you see a variety of tap handles with every kind of import and local micro beer. Franchise restaurants and pubs that offer customers limited choices of only commercial national brand beer will soon become passé. The emerging "beer bistro? trend offers a variety of craft and import natural beers, matched to compliment meals and even ending up in the innovative cooking. Proprietors will compete for the upscale craft beer clientele. Great beer cafés and pubs such as the King Eddie in Ilderton or M.E. and Suzie's in Port Stanley will become a lot more commonplace. Lower Alcohol, Full- Bodied "Session? Beers Craft beer veterans will attest that when Micro brews exploded on the scene, there was a trend to big bold style with big maltiness and alcohol to boot (in the 7-10% ABV range). Imperial porters, stouts, IPAs and strong ales ruled the roost for some time but as the first wave of micro beer fanciers mature, they're finding they don't like the after effects of a session of "big beers.? Big sugar and big alcohol can lead to big headaches. So there is a trend towards lighter alcohol beers but with full micro crafted taste. Even with temporary setbacks such as tax increases on beer and speciality malt and hop shortages, the craft brewing industry continues to expand. This is in direct response to sustained and growing demand for good taste and quality. The future for local craft brewing, from here, looks bright. ? THE MALT MONK is the alter ego of D.R. Hammond, an industrial consultant by day and a passionate supporter of craft beer culture. A home brewer and an active reviewer and consumer of craft beers for as long as he cares to remember, D.R. can be found anywhere there is a celebration of the traditional craft brewing art and good food.
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