How do you prefer to enhance your hike?

[joe bartels]

If you remove or add options all previous votes will be reset.

[kevinweitzel75]

If you remove or add options all previous votes will be reset.

In that case, I will have to say just about any type of beer. It has to be somewhat cold. The hard stuff is no longer a part of my life...too mean. I have been drinking Blue Moon latley. Don't think they come in a can.

[autumnstars]

Whiskey is my choice - only need to bring a little, so it doesn't add much weight.

[Darrin]

I have been drinking Blue Moon latley. Don't think they come in a can.

Good news! They DO come in a can. I got a 12-pack from a Bashas' in Scottsdale a couple months ago.

As far as libations, some whiskey and a couple beers'll do me just fine.

[kevinweitzel75]

Good news! They DO come in a can.

[te-wa]

They DO come in a can. I got a 12-pack from a Bashas' in Scottsdale a couple months ago.

guys. blue moon is made by coors - not that its not an ok beer.. but there is a tendency now for amazing brewers to package in cans, and more are following suit.
if you want to check out the best of the best (ahem.. dales pale ale) that comes in cans, read this blurb: http://greatbrewers.com/list/48034
note that Prescott brewing and Four peaks are making canned brews too, so let's keep it local.

[chumley]

There was a recent article about cans in the Four Peaks Brewsletter. Interesting reading:

Bottles vs. cans; which is tastier?
by Andy Ingram

I've always insisted that bottling beer is a major feat of technology and engineering. That is, if it's 1908.

Actually, bottling is a fine way to get beer into the hands of those who want to drink it. And, despite my joke, it has advanced technologically over the last century. It just has so many potential flaws and economic drawbacks it's a wonder that beer bottles haven't gone the way of the dinosaur in favor of some other method of packaging like, oh, say, cans for instance.

Beer has many enemies, and I'm not talking about prohibitionists. Perhaps the greatest foe in terms of keeping beer fresh is oxygen. Oxygen staling in beer is a complicated chemical pathway. So, let's just say that a very little oxygen can ruin a great deal of beer.

If you look at a bottle you'll notice it isn't filled all the way to the top. What's in there? Hopefully it's filled with CO2, but you can't always get all of the air out. And when there is as much headspace as in a bottle then there's that much more oxygen.

Sunlight is also a sworn enemy of beer. When sunlight hits beer it actually alters some of the hop compounds which create a distinct musky aroma. To brewers it's called being light-struck. But to most people it's called skunky beer. For the most part brown bottles have solved the problem, but if your favorite beer comes in a green or clear bottle you've probably noticed it.

Aside from flavor changes and staling, bottles are expensive. They're heavy, which means it costs more to ship them from glass-maker to brewer. They also require a cap, a label (sometimes two), a six pack carton, and a case carton. Not only do these things raise the costs of bottled beer, but in terms of the environment there is a lot of extra packaging that has to be disposed of.

Aluminum cans solve most of these problems: there is very little headspace in a can, they're impervious to sunlight, they're lightweight, made of recyclable material, don't require labels, and, oh yeah, they don't break. This means they're welcome at campgrounds, golf courses and fishing trips.

So, why aren't bottles extinct? One word: stigma.

It reminds me of the screw-top vs. cork controversy that the winemakers are mixed up in. It's proven that screw-tops keep certain wines fresher, longer. But screw-tops are often equated with inexpensive or inferior wine. And it's true on the beer side too; despite all of the positives when it comes to using cans people still think it is somehow a cheap product or that it "tastes like the can."

However, thanks to many pioneering craft brewers around the country, and even several here in Arizona, that stigma is changing. Big, flavorful beer does belong in a can and people are starting to realize that just because it is packaged the same as some mega-brew you'd find at a convenience store it sure doesn't taste that way. And as far as tasting like the can, it's not true. The patented (and secret) process for lining modern cans makes it virtually impossible to extract any flavor from the aluminum.

Look for canned beers from these local breweries:
- Mudshark Brewery, Lake Havasu City.
- San Tan Brewery, Chandler.
- Lumberyard Brewery, Flagstaff.
- Four Peaks Brewing Co., Tempe.
- Prescott Brewing Co., Prescott.

[kingsnake]

Drinking beer from a can. Might as well chew a chunk of aluminum, since that is what the beer will taste like ...

[te-wa]

oh, but it wont taste like that rusted, dirty bottlecap you just popped off?

oh, and yes, San Tan ftw. I had forgotten!

[Rob del Desierto]

I can have Lumberyard on tap here in Page and have it in a can here in Page. Guess which one I get almost weekly. Guess which one I couldn't finish. Same beer...

[kevinweitzel75]

I do like bottled beer better, but I don't feel comfortable bringing bottles on a backpack trip. So cans will work.
I've not tried Dale's Pale Ale, guess what I'm picking up tomarrow after work?

[Jenna Palomino]

i'm glad to see there are other hikers out there that like to wake n bake before an escipade, or just puff on a little godliness while strolling through what god created..

Peace.

[chumley]

Good news today from the world of canned beer ... now available, Four Peaks' Hop Knot.

[te-wa]

who's carrying? i havent seen it hit the locals yet..

[survivalhike]

I've brought 5th of Captain Morgan with me before on a trip. The problem was my friend and I split it on the first night. In all fairness it was a friend I hadn't seen in a while and our trip was as much of a good hang out as it was a hiking trip. We had a hell of a night around the fire, we ate, we drank, and we were merry...a little too merry because when we woke we could hear drums, and they were in our heads. We had to make breakfast, hydrate, eat, and take some ibuprofen, and wait out the hangover before walking on. I can see bringing some booze again, but I will try and limit my enthusiasm next time.

[kingsnake]

"good news" and "canned beer" go together like "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence" ...

[Tough_Boots]

"good news" and "canned beer" go together like "jumbo shrimp" and "military intelligence" ...

That used to be true for sure. More and more craft beers are beginning to can which is perfect for backpacking. Check out what Oskar Blues brewery in Colorado has been sticking in cans. A 10% and delicious IPA like Gubna is perfect for your pack!

[te-wa]

A blanket statement like that can be pretty hard to defend.
http://www.fourpeaks.com/blog/index.php ... s-bottles/

see for yourself, and you may later retract that statement you just made: http://cannedcraftbeerfest.com/event.html (hint, they dont hold events like this one for chimps - there will be many professional as well as self-proclaimed beer snobs on site)

[kingsnake]

Sorry, doubt I will retract that. Same beer in a bottle tastes better than in a can simply because it does not taste like aluminum. If I wanted to taste metal, I would chew tin foil.

[Al_HikesAZ]

. . .If I wanted to taste metal, I would chew tin foil.

Aren't most cans lined with BPA to keep the beer from coming into contact with the metal? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A