Jim Koch is the anti-Steve Jobs. First of all, he’s alive. Second, Sam Adams spent $1-million to improve the beer can, and they are offering use of the patent-pending design for free to all craft brewers. So what’s special about the can?
The new can design aims to provide a drinking experience that is a little closer to the taste and comfort of drinking beer from a glass. What you’ll notice:
- The larger, wider lid helps open your mouth allowing for more air flow during the drinking experience.
- The can opening is located slightly farther away from the edge of the lid, placing it closer to the drinker’s nose to help accentuate the hop aromas.
- The hourglass ridge creates turbulence (like our patented Perfect Pint glass) which “pushes flavor out of the beer” and the extended lip places the beer at the front of your palate to maximize enjoyment of the sweetness from the malt.
The main purpose for these changes is to enhance the aroma of the beer, which is typically blocked by a can. As we all know, aroma is a huge part of taste. Don’t believe me? Plug your nose and eat cinnamon. You won’t taste a thing. Getting your nose into a beer is a key factor in the enjoyment of big flavorful beers.
Koch is the first to admit that the changes are only a slight improvement. For a form of packaging that’s always been looked down on by the craft industry though, a small improvement can make a big difference. Just seeing a major player like Sam Adams using cans will likely be the validation that many brewers need to switch to the more cost and energy-efficient vessel. And with free access to the new and improved model, small brewers can utilize high quality beer cans without going broke. The likely end result? More beer!