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Recently in the store I witnessed a conversation of a company of young people. They chose beer and couldn’t choose which one. No, they had a dispute not because of the brand of the drink, but because of the packaging. Someone suggested taking it in banks, because it’s more convenient and definitely won’t break.
But other guys were against it – aluminum interacts with beer and releases harmful substances. Who won that argument, I never found out. He took red wine and hurried home to his wife. But the topic of a dispute with a group of friends haunted me, and I decided to figure out whether beer is better in cans or bottles.
How beer is prepared for bottling at the factory
The preparation of an intoxicating drink is a complex technological process that takes place in several stages.
To prepare a good drink, brewers follow the technology and carefully select high-quality ingredients.
The traditional recipe includes 4 ingredients:
- Malt. This is essentially germinated barley, which was previously fried. The malt is soaked for a while to start the fermentation process.
- Water. Must be clean, first or highest category. There is a strict regulation on the content of salts in water for the preparation of each type of beer. Modern technologies allow you to adjust both hardness and mineralization.
- Hop. The main component for the taste and color of any beer. Only cones of female plants are used for production.
- Yeast. Saccharomyces specially bred for brewers. They do not occur in nature. There are two types – top and bottom fermentation (for light and dark beer).
So, after all these ingredients have been prepared at the factory, they begin the process of brewing beer, which consists of 5 stages.
- Wort preparation. The malt is crushed into pieces of different sizes. Then the finished mixture is mixed with water and the fermentation process starts. After that, the wort is filtered into a special cauldron for further preparation.
- Cooking. The finished wort is heated and boiled. Add hops. The amount for different types of beer is different. The boiled wort is additionally filtered from the remains of hops and malt.
- Fermentation. Occurs in special fermentation tanks. After cooling, yeast is added.
- Maturation. To obtain the main varieties of beer, the maturation process is carried out in special containers lasting from 1 to 4 weeks. It does not apply only to young unfiltered beer.
- Filtration. The final stage during which solid particles are separated.
Next, the finished beer is poured into containers.
Is the technology for making beer for bottling and cans different?
The technology for making beer does not differ. All hoppy malt drinks, whether canned, bottled or draft, are prepared according to the same technology and are bottled from the same container.
Bottling into different containers occurs in order to avoid the influence of light, oxygen and temperature on the final product. Before bottling, any container is washed, air is removed from it and sterilized.
So what kind of beer is better to choose if it is the same in any container?
Which is better to buy: in cans or in bottles
Beer is poured into three types of packaging for sale to the final buyer.
I will not consider PET, as this is the worst quality packaging for storage, because it transmits both light and air.
The best containers for storing and transporting beer are glass bottles and cans.
The bottle protects well enough from temperature changes. Only opaque glass containers of green or brown color protect the drink from light. Therefore, I do not recommend buying beer in transparent bottles. An important factor is the airtight lid, which allows you to avoid air ingress.
Of the disadvantages of a glass bottle, only one can be distinguished – more weight.
A tin can has all the advantages of a glass container and is devoid of its disadvantages. It is airtight, does not let air through and protects from temperature changes. The weight of the jar is relatively small, and it is also impossible to break it if it is accidentally dropped.
But you can’t do without a fly in the ointment. It is believed that when beer comes into contact with a can, the process of metal oxidation occurs. However, now almost all manufacturers cover the inside of the jar with a special food varnish, which eliminates the effect of oxidation.
Why do manufacturers use different beer containers?
Manufacturers explain the use of cans for pouring beer by the fact that beer is stored longer and better in it, and it is more convenient to transport. At the same time, the bank itself makes it possible to make a unique product – to apply any advertising image.
Often, even those producers who usually use only a bottle bottle their limited edition beer into cans.
The bottle is more of a tribute to tradition. It also does a good job of storing beer, but is not as convenient to transport and dispose of.
More and more companies are releasing beer in glass only as a response to the opinions of some consumers about the dangers of aluminum mixed with alcohol for the body.
Personally, I prefer beer in a can. It is convenient to carry it after purchase, then the container can be handed over for processing, which is important for me personally.
Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health. Take care of yourself!
What container do you usually buy beer in?