FRIENDLY REMINDER - Search for Cans in the Wild!

Most of the beer that I consume is purchased in the form of malted grain, hops & yeast. Obviously there are other expenditures involved, but it's empowering to be able to make almost any beer you desire.

Of the beer I don't make myself, most is in bottles and cans. For the cans, Oskar Blues, Surly, Bohemian (from Utah) & Ska fill most of that space in that order. My main purpose for drinking canned beer is hiking and biking. It is a superior storage method for such excursions.

Long-term cellaring requires a bottle and a dark, cool place. Cans are for the long-haul over the mountains, through the canyons and navigating trails. You can crush a can when you're done with it and have almost no weight for the hike, run or ride home. Although Oskar Blues is widely considered to be the pioneer of good beer in cans, there are many who have joined that team.

Don't miss out on the chance to take a can of something great with you next time you are out in the wild. And when you're out shopping, please remember to search out new beers in cans. You'll cruise faster when you're not worrying about that glass bottle in your pack.

Here's a great resource: http://www.craftcans.com/links.php

A simple beer can craft project you can do with no instructions follows:

I took some of that aluminum coated reflective insulation and wrapped it up in the shape of a can (big enough to fit a can of Surly). Now I can chill a can to around 34 degrees and take it with me on my hikes and bike rides. It warms up to about 45 degrees by the time I'm ready to drink it. In case this is way more complicated than I believe it is, I've posted a small photo of the can cozy at the bottom of this page.

--Thomas Ale Johnson