By: Kyle Kuhn

Many companies are looking to cut costs wherever they can. By using aluminum cans instead of glass bottles Iron Horse Brewery will be able to accomplish lowering the cost of production. There’s just one problem though, they are afraid some patrons wouldn’t buy their product solely based on the fact that their beer would be in a can instead of a glass bottle.

Iron Horse has started to produce their High Five Hefe in aluminum cans and they will go from there. Before they start using aluminum cans with other brews they want to see what happens with the sales of the High Five Hefe. You should be able to find this Iron Horse brew in many of your local stores that sell beer (assuming they aren’t out of stock.)

“Many people relate aluminum cans with the image of an inferior beer,” Tyson Read, Head Brewer, said.

Other microbreweries have started to use cans as well: Fremont Brewing of Seattle, and 21st Amendment Brewery of San Francisco have been using cans for the past couple years now.

“It is growing acceptance,” said Tyson Read.

However, for the niche market that is microbrewing, the glass bottles continue to sell better almost purely based on image. Cans can actually keep your beer in better condition longer. Tyson mentioned that the aluminum cans have longer flavor stability since light can’t get through, therefore it takes longer for your beer to get “skunked” (a beer getting skunked refers to a beer getting too much exposure to light which will change the taste.) Overall aluminum cans are easier to package, cheaper to make, and much lighter than glass bottles.

As a selling point to buy the cans Iron Horse Marketing Director, Jared Villejo, said, “portable, crushable, still fulfill need for beer.”

Are aluminum cans really better than glass bottles though? Assuming you’re of legal age to drink, you should try them and decide yourself. Aluminum cans seem to be coming back.

Breweries are able to provide their patrons with the product they want at lower cost to both parties, so don’t expect aluminum cans to leave the microbrew scene anytime soon.