My taste in beer runs decidedly toward hoppy ales: IPAs, ESBs, and American pale ales. And so I took note when, last summer, The New York Times commissioned a panel of four beer connoisseurs to sample and rate 24 top American pale ales.
Their winner was one I hadn’t heard of: Dale’s Pale Ale, brewed by Oskar Blues in Lyons, Colorado. Most strikingly, Dale’s Pale Ale is available only in cans. Cans I say.
Canned beer, I had always believed, was for college students and mustachioed NASCAR fans. I don’t recall having a single can of beer since before I turned 21. And yet here was a panel of beer experts raving about a pale ale delivered only by can.
Eric Asimov, the Times wine critic who commissioned the panel, went so far as to speculate that Dale’s Pale Ale came out on top not despite being canned (all of the other 23 beers were, not surprisingly, bottled), but because it’s canned:
As in every tasting of beer and ale, the biggest problem we
encountered was with freshness. Mr. Carroll expressed shock at
the number of ales that showed signs of damage from exposure to
high heat or direct light. For all the he-man, macho attributes
foisted on beer by marketing, it is surprisingly fragile and
needs to be handled delicately. That means it needs to be
refrigerated as much as possible and protected from direct light.
Mr. Sullivan suggested that if you are selecting beer from one of
those perpetually lighted coolers, choose bottles from the back,
where they are at least partly protected.In our tasting, ales from well-regarded brewers like Stoudt’s,
Dogfish Head, Bear Republic and even some that made our list
showed signs of poor handling. One possible solution to the light
problem, at least, was staring us in the face right after the
tasting, when the identities of all the brews were revealed. Our
No. 1, Dale’s Pale Ale, came in a can.A can! Not long ago, cans represented all that was wrong with the
assembly-line American beer industry. No craft brewer worth a
copper brew kettle would even consider putting his precious ale
in a can. But times have changed, and some brewers say that cans
are lighter and easier to recycle than bottles, and offer
complete protection against light.
Sufficiently intrigued, I had to try some.
Dale’s Pale Ale is not exactly easy to find on store shelves; lucky for me, I live two blocks away from The Foodery, a rather unassuming little bodega here in Philadelphia at the corner of 10th and Lombard. The Foodery, you see, carries over 500 varieties of beer — the best from all over the world. (There’s not much food at The Foodery, but “The Beerery” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.)
If Dale’s Pale Ale is so good, surely, I thought, they stock it at The Foodery. And, indeed, they do — in the bottom row of the cooler at the far corner of the store.
The result: Dale’s Pale Ale is, without question, my favorite beer, ever. The slogan on the cans reads “A huge voluminously hopped mutha of a pale ale”, and they’re not lying. I’ve been drinking it regularly for the last six months, interspersed with many of my other favorites, and Dale’s Pale Ale continues to impress, can after can.
I’m convinced that their use of cans is a big reason why. I’ve never once had a bad or even mediocre can of Dale’s; it’s never skunked and always fresh, despite the fact that it’s shipped across the continent from Colorado. Plenty of other beers that I enjoy tremendously on the West coast just don’t travel well. And even for beer brewed locally (like, say, the Philadelphia’s own Yard’s Brewing Company, whose excellent Philadelphia Pale Ale placed fifth in The Times showdown) I occasionally encounter a skunked bottle. I often suspect bad seals on the bottle caps — not a problem with cans.
Beer is fragile, and, like produce, the fresher it is, the better it tastes. This is why it’s so much fun to drink at a brewpub, where the beer is brewed right on the premises.
It seems obvious that good beer comes in brown bottles instead of cans not because bottling results in better-tasting beer, but simply because all the other good beers come in bottles too.
On their web site, Oskar Blues addresses this directly:
For years the craft beer trade — us included — considered the
brown bottle the best package for real beer.[…]
Cans are lightweight and almost unbreakable. They’re also easily
broken down when emptied, they’re weightless in the backpack,
cooler or trash bag, and chill faster than bottles.Simply put, cans are the best package for bringing beer to
wherever beer fiends go.They also eliminate light damage to our precious beer. (Excessive
exposure to light causes a condition called “lightstruck”, which
makes beer taste skunky.) Cans also reduce the risk of oxidation
to our beers and keep Dale’s Pale Ale fresher than bottles can.The straight dope: Cans are the best friend a beer and a caring
brewery can have.
This is the point where, if I wanted to hit you over the head with a lesson to be learned, I could conclude with a preachy lesson about how preconceptions can keep you from trying good ideas that are staring you in the face — i.e. by pointing out that if not for The Times’s glowing review, I never would have tried Dale’s Pale Ale, and in fact never would have even considered it, simply because it’s canned, thereby missing out on what has become my very favorite beer; and that not only was my anti-can bigotry unfounded, but the fact that it’s canned is in fact almost certainly a significant reason why I like it so much — but I don’t, so I won’t.
36 Comments
Great find! I wish I had read this last week when I was in Philadelphia! Now I need to start tracking it down here in Cincinnati.
I didn’t know they grew hop heads way out there in Philly! Least of all did I ever consider that the infamous John Gruber could be one of them.
Yes indeed, cans are a great way to deliver beer. Serving tanks and kegs are made of metal, after all. So why not cans?
I’ll be hunting down Dale’s Pale Ale today. I just got back from the Barleywine festival at the Toronado in San Francisco and am finally ready for a little hair of the dog.
Thank you very much for this article. More beer reviews here would be very cool if you have the time…
P.S. Stone’s Runiation IPA may be up your alley if you haven’t already tried it.
Nice. My problem with cans was always that the beer cools off so much faster when drinking. But since I’m now all about drinking from frosty steins straight from the freezer (thank you Irish Catholic friends) I guess that wouldn’t be an issue.
Alas, Chicago gets no love. Come this summer, you should look around for a Bell’s Oberon mini-keg (5L)—finally an explanation for why those are soooo good.
I love The Foodery…it nearly makes up for Pennsylvania’s idiotic liquor laws. I’ll definitely pick some of this up the next time I’m in there.
Heresy redefined. I cannot wait to try Dale’s.
It’s weird reading you in a color scheme that is not grey-on-grey, John. Not bad—just different is all.
~jeff
“Simply put, cans are the best package for bringing beer to wherever beer fiends go.”
cans are also the packaging thats most damaging to the environment – yes they are easy to recycle- but nothing uses energy and therefore produces greenhouse-gasses like cans. http://www.irn.org/programs/aluminium/pdf/Foiling2005.pdf
think about it.
If you like hoppy beers and you can find it give Fullers London Pride a try. It is a lovely balanced beer heavily hopped with east Kent goldings. I realise since it is an English ale it might be hard to come buy but worth a try. The hopping is mostly dry hopping which gives the beer it’s distinctive flowery yet slightly sweet flavour so if you thing is intense hop bitterness then Fullers 1864 my be more your thing. Ok I’ve gone on long enough I’ll go now
Comments and a Gruber post about beer, it’s as if the world has stopped rotating on it’s axis!
Well, it sounds like I’m going to need to get my hands on a few of these cans, if only so I can get the world spinning again.
You live shockingly close to me. Scary.
Marc: I’ve tried Fullers here in Philly, but I suspect it doesn’t fare well coming across the pond.
Of all the local brewers in Philadelphia I still prefer Victory, particularly their German style wheat beers.
John – have you had any luck finding Dale’s at any of the wholesale places?
It may cross the pond just fine, but Fullers, like many a UK brew, is pasteurized before it is sold in the USA. Some inane law about bacteria or something…
I once worked a few blocks from the brewery in Chiswick. Fullers owns a number of pubs there as well. I enjoyed the pros and cons bit on cans and bottles for well traveled beer, but there is just something to having a fresh beer which traveled less than your morning commute. Oh, the point of my story – definitely add Fullers to the long list of beers to be had should you find yourself on the other side of the pond.
Nate: For what it’s worth, Bell’s is from Michigan, not Chicago.
But I wholeheartedly agree: A fine beer.
Does anyone know how I might be able to get my hands on Dales Pale Ale here in Melbourne Australia?
I am in agreeance with axel. Recycling is not the best option. Re-use is much more important and valid. On the subject of beers, I’ll probably never get Dales in my country, so ‘I drink, I goat’ – http://www.goatbeer.com.au
I was in a bar in Estes Park, CO and I asked the bartender for a recommendation beyond the Fat Tire I usually get. He immediately got me a Dale’s Pale Ale.
Just sayin’.
This article should help me convince the unbelieving. I’ve been taking Old Chub (Oskar’s Scottish ale) to work and getting laughed at because it’s in a can. People point out the 8% and say that must be why I’m bringing it. I’ve argued for a while that cans (don’t drink from them directly) are a better container, and it’s nice to see some vindication.
Shawn: No. I’ve had no luck finding Dale’s at any of the wholesale distributors.
Greg: Just how much beer are you taking to work?
Well, I’ve had Dale’s and I’m kinda unimpressed. I had it at the house of a brewer friend of mine and he did speak well of it, although not glowingly.
I don’t know if it’s the taste of the can (or the feel of it on the lips), but I found it a little flat tasting (not carbonation, but lacking flavor).
Now, still, it’s probably the best beer in a can I’ve had in years, but give me a Mirror Pond Pale Ale or Pike Place IPA any day.
I’m not a heathen—I do pour it into a proper glass rather than drinking it straight out of the can.
One interesting fact is that in Brazil people usually prefer canned beers than bottles, principally if they are consuming small quantities of it (350 ml or less). “Long Necks” (how we call those small bottles) are usually encountered only for imported beer of fashion trendy brands (like the ones release for summer or winter times).
You can buy fullers from bevmos in the states. Being a GreatBritonite my experience of american ale is limited.
The best thing I’ve tasted from over there is ‘Rogue Mocha Porter’ (i like dark stuff) it is simply wonderful. Strong, slightly chocolaty but still with a bite, smooth. They come from the state of Oregon (http://www.rogue.com/brews.html#mocha)
Nate & cboone: Yes Bell’s is from Michigan, and while Oberon is good, try their Two Hearted Ale for a good IPA.
Or, from an hour north of Bell’s, you can find my favorite IPA, New Holland Brewing Co.’s Mad Hatter. Stop by and we’ll have a beer.
I definitely have to try Dale’s though…
Fuller’s London Pride definitely tastes better on draft in the UK than here in bottle or tap in the U.S. If I find it on tap, and we have it in several places here on the left coast, it is quite good nonetheless.
Of course… the whole recycling issue could be gotten around if brewers would use returnable bottles more.
Good find…except that the NY Times sort of beat you to it. I won’t get my hands on a Dale’s anytime soon…unless you ship it to me in exchange for some London-bought Fuller’s.
That being said, I don’t see the value in drinking an ale like Pride (or any other live brew) after it has been pasteurized and bottled. There’s nothing like the taste of good, fresh cask ale (so long as it’s been handled with care and pumped through clean lines).
But if you’d rather drop a fiver on a bottle of English ale instead of five benjamin’s on a flight to London, buy yourself some Sam Smith (any variety). It’s quality English swill.
You know I am impressed, I love beer too and well can’t wait till I can try this… On the other hand living in Germany and in Bavaria, have to wait till I get back to Canada and do some cross boarder shopping
Well, since my name is Dale, I have to try Dale’s ale. Problem is I live in Illinois. How do I get my hands on this beer?
Dale’s is probably the most fragile beer I’ve ever drunk. I first picked up a case on a friend’s recommendation (The promotional Yonder Mountain String Band album didn’t hurt either.) and loved it. The next day I drove the rest to a different friend’s house, and in the half-hour drive without a cooler, it got skunked. Now that friend thinks I’ve got the worst taste in beer ever.
Tetley’s English Ale (my personal favorite) is also canned. I don’t think it’s really in the same ballpark of quality as these smaller breweries, but I enjoy it nonetheless.
very nice read. I’ve been a fan of Dale’s since I moved to Denver, and while Colorado offers some of the most amazing brews I have ever raised to my lips… when someone breaks out Dale’s it’s a sort of special event. Colorado loves Dale! Check out Oskar’s other brews as well, they are all great brews.One question I would ask: I would think that bottles dissapate heat faster and better than aluminum does, and regarding the lightstruck issue, which is worse for beer? light or heat?
Dale’s flies off the shelves whenever we get it in at The Foodery and I love the look on folks faces when I tell then a can is gonna swear them off Sierra Nevada.
Also next time you’re in the foodery be sure to say hi to Seuss. I’m the dreadlocked bearded blonde guy.
John: I was going to suggest pouring it into a proper glass. That gets rid of the cooling-too-fast issue. Though I wouldn’t recommend drinking Dale’s or most non-lagers ice cold anyway. Anyway, i’m inspired to pick up a case next time I’m in the liquor store. Here in Denver, they’re a cinch to find.
Ok, I’m joining too late to have much impact, but I decided to pick up a six pack of Dale’s due to this post. I live in Colorado, so it wasn’t a problem to find. Anyhow, thanks! A six-pack was $7, and is an excellent bargain at that price. Dale’s is definitely one of the better pale ales I’ve had. Not the best, but I’d rank it pretty high on my list.
Anyhow, as far as pale ales I prefer, I recommend Stone Ruination Pale Ale, as another commenter did above. Although I’d only recommend it if you are in the mood for a serious amount of hops. Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial Pale Ale is probably my favorite pale ale. Beautiful balance, but it doesn’t come cheap ($10 for a four pack here). And finally, I recommend Great Divide’s Titan IPA for another great, inexpensive Colorado pale ale. Great Divide’s beers are amazing. If you like stouts, their Yeti Imperial Stout (both regular and the oak-aged variety) is fantastic.
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