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.

Oskar Blues Brewery of Lyons, Colorado is leading the revolution. This microbrewer brews all of its big, bangin’ beers in CANS ONLY.

This week I heeded the strains of Oskar Blues and an increasing number of small breweries, like Minnesota’s Surly, and Pennsylvania’s Sly Fox brewery, who are singing the praises of the can.

That brings us to this week’s exceptional brew – Dale’s Pale Ale, from Oskar Blues Brewery in Lyons, CO.

It’s pretty easy to see that this can doesn’t encase your typical cheap domestic lager. Emblazoned around the lip of the can is a modest description of Dale’s Pale Ale: “A Huge, Voluminously Hopped Mutha of a Pale Ale.”

As this description suggests, Dale’s may not become a new favorite of the Busch–swilling beer novice. But for those who like all sorts of bite in their beer, you’ve found your favorite new canned beverage.

Big, beautiful, flowery hops are the overwhelming taste here, with a pronounced alcoholic pang at the end. The slight essence of pale malt taste keeps this from being one of those wild IPA-type beers – but I still wouldn’t recommend having it with a meal. It destroyed my palette. And with a 6.5 percent ABV, Dale doesn’t mess around. Enjoy this brew by itself, when it can be best enjoyed.

This beer will not go flat. It’s flat out exuberant-looking, with the bubbles continuing to create a beautiful tan head, even while you’re drinking it. It’s a fun-loving brew.

“But WAIT,” you might say. “Are you sure it’s the beer you are tasting, and not the yummy taste of the can?”

Most people think that the can itself gives beer a nice, metallic, aluminum flavor. If you read around a bit, you’ll discover that today’s beer cans are lined with a water-based lining that doesn’t let the beer interact with the can, and vice versa. If you’re convinced that the beer you drink in a can tastes like something from the Tin Man’s urinary tract, then that means the beer you’re drinking tastes like metallic pee, can or no can.

The can actually has a lot of benefits over the bottle. Beer is kept fresher a lot longer, since light never touches the beer inside the can, and the canning process keeps oxygen from reaching the beer. Cans are also less discriminated against than bottles, in places like parks, the beach and the golf course.

Oh, and Earth Muffins, you’re in luck. Not only are aluminum cans easily recyclable, recycled cans generate 95 percent less pollution than newly made ones. Oh, and the lighter weight of canned beer allows companies like Oskar Blues to use less fuel and reduce their carbon footprint. Now, the next time someone questions your beer drinking tendencies, announce that you drink to save the world.

Oskar Blues and other up-and-coming breweries are now allowing me to smash a beer can upon my head with pride, and without feeling like a drunken frat boy. Give Dale’s a go.