Yukon Brewing (onbeer.org’s honourary prairie brewery) was profiled last week on craftcans.com, a website devoted discussing and reviewing craft beer found in cans (yes, you can find a website devoted to almost anything on the inter-web…). The site does a Q&A with Yukon’s Bob Baxter looking at their decision to adopt cans along with other interesting tidbits about the brewery. Currently the cans are only available in Yukon.

I found the interview interesting for two reasons. First, I liked the glimpse into the very unique Yukon beer market (imagine how revolutionary it would be to have Alley Kat, Wild Rose, or Half Pints have the single biggest selling draught beer in their respective cities?). Reading about Baxter’s process for the can decision is also informative.

Second, it draws me back into my personal debate about cans vs. bottles. I, generally, have not been a fan of cans. In part because traditionally only lousy beer was found in cans. But that is falling by the wayside as more and more craft brewers opt for canning lines instead of (or more likely, in addition to) bottles. Yukon is one obvious case in point. The other is Central City’s decision to can its Red Racer line (ESB, Pale Ale, IPA). The B.C. brewery’s IPA may be the best one I have tasted in Canada.

Baxter makes some valid, consumer-oriented points – safer for outdoor use, easier to transport, cool, etc. However, my reluctance remains. I hold onto the theory that bottles – on the whole – are more environmentally sound than cans. I realize this is a VERY complex area (and I need to do more research on the subject), but I am persuaded by the re-usability of bottles vs. the single use can. Refilling a single bottle dozens, possibly hundreds, of times tops the recycling approach of cans. My collection of stubbies is a remarkable example of that. These bottles are decades old, re-used lord knows how many times before ending up in my basement, where they will be used for decades to come.

On the flip side I realize cans weigh less for transport, creating fewer greenhouse gas emissions. So if the bottle comes from far away, the scale may tip. (Of course, drinking beer on tap from a keg is hands down the most environmentally sound way to drink beer – especially if the beer is local. But I digress.)

Plus, all beer cans are lined with BpA – the type of plastic banned from baby and water bottles due to its tendency to leach toxins into the liquid. Apparently alternatives are being researched, but nothing yet has appeared. I realize debate rages about BpA as well, but I know I switched to metal water bottles a few years ago to avoid it. Not sure I want it encasing my favourite beverage.

Then there is the taste issue. Does the can impart flavours into the beer more neutral glass does not? I don’t have an immediate answer to that one, but plan on doing an experiment someday soon.

Added to the mix is the knowledge that consumers in the West prefer cans, while in the East they lean toward bottles, so a brewer has to factor that in as well. There are many layers to this issue, which is why the debate continues to rage for me personally – and likely others.

We will all continue to stumble along, buying the beer we desire in the format the brewer produces it. But it is good to stop once and a while and contemplate the consequences of those decisions. Clearly the Yukon interview was food for thought for me.