Food GPS has a great interview with one of the folks behind one of my favorite southern breweries, Cigar City. Of particular interest is his viewpoint on canning:

There was quite a bit of contention from our consumers in the beginning. Some were dissatisfied with the can as an alternative package and wanted us to put our beer back in the bottle. They claimed that there was a quality and/or flavor issue. We tested the canned beer in our lab and assembled sensory panels, determining that the beer in the can was actually better quality and also had heightened aroma and flavor. It held up better over time as well.

Some restaurants had their concerns and I don’t doubt that we lost some retail accounts there. We actually showed some of the higher end restaurants how to conduct table service with a canned product. Some listened and some never gave it chance, feeling that the package itself had somehow sullied the product inside. They didn’t have to take our word for it. All they had to do was a little research to realize that it was a better package for the product.

It’s nice to hear more love for cans from such a great brewer.  The more brands in aluminum, the more I can drink outside!