Dale's Pale Ale - canned beer that actually tastes GOOD?

Good canned beer? This creature exists?

The idea of beer in a can has a bit of a bad rap amongst people who consider themselves true beer cacahuates. But can you blame them? What do YOU think of when you picture canned beer?

I think of dirt and body odor. I think of people giving lots of high fives. I think of that one guy who’s at the Tav everytime you go there, having a grand old time by himself and slurring a pass at a young girl who doesn’t even hear it. I think of gross beer.
One of the all-time worst tasting brews in beer connoisseur circles – simply, amusingly, called “Beer” – was sold exclusively in cans.

But due to today’s more advanced canning technologies, some microbrewers are seeing some benefits in canning their brews.

Ellensburg's WinterHop BrewFest - Some exceptional picks...

I've never been to a brew festival before. Nobody believes me.

When Observer advisor Cynthia Mitchell offered me a ticket to last Saturday's WinterHop BrewFest in Ellensburg in exchange for a shiny new beer column dedicated to it, I wasn't sure whether to expect a legion of drunken frat boys or stuffy self-proclaimed "aficionados" (both of which I feel positively yucky around). Thankfully, I witnessed a great variety of people of all shapes, sizes, colors and hues...bonded by the adventurous spirit that craft beer evokes.

In Ellensburg, the WinterHop BrewFest is hosted in not one big location, but in retail establishments and places of business all over Ellensburg. Everywhere from furniture outlets to an eye clinic to an art gallery with very expensive breakable artwork, beer was featured all over Ellensburg. The primary focus: Winter beers. Big, malty, hoppy, unruly beer - beer that stays with you for a while. My favorite. Mama mia. Let'se go.