NOLA Mechahopzilla Cans, Check It Out!

Alright, it's old news by now on NOLA's Facebook page or on The Beer Buddha, but here's a preview of what the upcoming NOLA Mechahopzilla cans are going to look like!  

Pretty bad ass if you ask me... and just another sign that the guys over at NOLA Brewing are headed the right direction.  Irish Channel Stout year-round?  Check.  Irish Channel Stout coming in cans as well?  Check.  Mechahopzilla coming in cans?  Check!  I havent' seen a can design for the Irish Channel Stout, but NOLA puts out some of the best beer graphics around, so I'm confident they will be just as cool as this guy.

Keep up the good work guys, and I'll be looking to stock my fridge pretty soon.

Canned LA Craft Beer - Congrats To NOLA Brown!

Two Louisiana canned craft beer items to report this morning... first, I saw this at Bet-R yesterday and had to take a picture.  Makes me smile to see local breweries Tin Roof and NOLA Brewing on the shelves.  There were plenty of bottles as well of different Louisiana beers but it's cool to see the cans coming out.  Especially in time for the Summer season and then football season.

Secondly, congrats to NOLA Brewing, whose Brown Ale won a gold medal in the Ambers/Browns competition at the AmeriCAN Canned Craft Beer Festival!  That's pretty cool, and at only 4%, this is a beer that can be enjoyed plenty at a day of tailgating or canoeing.

Abita Cans Are Out!

Hey everyone, in case you haven't seen them yet, Abita beer in cans should be out or on the way to a store near you!

(New Orleans) The Abita Brewing Company is pleased to announce the debut of three of its flagship brews in cans:  Amber, Purple Haze® and Jockamo I.P.A.® The Abita cans will appear in stores, restaurants and bars in the New Orleans area Monday, February 6 and with wider distribution across the region and the nation to follow. 

I've already heard word of them at Calandro's, Whole Foods and Albertson's in Baton Rouge already, so if you feel like checking out some canned Abita, there's a good start!

Abita joins NOLA and Tin Roof in the canned Louisiana craft beer market, although NOLA and Tin Roof each only can one of their offerings each.  Southern Star is another canned craft beer out of Conroe, TX that we get here in Baton Rouge.  Obviously cans have their place wherever glass is forbidden like the beach, canoeing, and Mardi Gras.  In fact, the Abita cans are here just in time for Mardi Gras!  For my money though, I'd rather grab some NOLA and Tin Roof.

NOLA Can Release & Tin Roof Home Brew Appreciation Night!

Just a quick heads up about a couple of upcoming events in the Louisiana beer world! 

Thursday, October 27th - NOLA Brewing will be releasing their cans at a party at Tipitina's in New Orleans of course.  There will be live music, canned NOLA beer, and free limited edition NOLA coozies.  Check out The Beer Buddha's blog for a little more info.

Thursday, November 10th - Tin Roof Brewing will be hosting a Home Brew Appreciation Night at their brewery starting at 6 PM.  It's described as, "An evening celebrating our local craft beer culture and our appreciation for our Louisiana Homebrewers. All are invited to come out and sample a variety of home brewed beers, as well as your favorites from Baton Rouge’s very own Tin Roof Brewing Company." If anyone out there is a homebrewer and wants to contribute to the homebrew tasting, please email name, beer name, and style to info@tinroofbeer.com by Nov 1. 

Tin Roof Brewing - Pefect Tin Amber cans to be out this week!

Check out the press release below from Tin Roof Brewing:

TIN ROOF BREWING COMPANY LAUNCHES PERFECT TIN AMBER IN 12 oz. CANS

BATON ROUGE, LA (August 29, 2011) - Tin Roof Brewing Co. is pleased to announce the launch of their canning line and the release of their flagship brew, Perfect Tin Amber Ale, in 12-ounce aluminum cans.  Tin Roof, Baton Rouge's only microbrewery, will be the first Louisiana brewery to launch a full scale canning line.  Perfect Tin Amber Ale will begin being distributed this week in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and select stores on the Northshore.*

"Cans were the obvious choice for our first packaged product," said Charles Caldwell, Tin Roof co-founder.  "With all of the activities we love in Louisiana, such as parades, tailgating, festivals, and being outdoors in general, cans can go where bottles can't."

But that's not the only reason for cans.  "Cans are lighter than bottles, chill faster, require less fuel to transport, are more readily recyclable and protect beer from the degrading effects of exposure to light," Caldwell said.  "Extremely low oxygen pickup during the canning process helps extend shelf-life and ensures your beer is as tasty and fresh as the way it was intended."  

More and more microbreweries are turning to cans, threatening to break the reputation of glass as the only worthy container for a quality brew.  Adding all of the environmentally friendly aspects to the quality beer they keep, all we can say is "YES we CAN." 

Tin Roof Brewing Company was founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and began operations in November 2010.  Tin Roof currently offers two flagship brands, Perfect Tin Amber Ale and Voodoo Bengal Pale Ale.  Both brands are available on draft, and while Perfect Tin will be available in cans this week, Voodoo Bengal should follow in the coming months.  Tin Roof plans statewide distribution by the end of 2011.  Brewery tours are every Friday from 5:30-7:30.  For more information, follow Tin Roof on twitter or facebook, or please visit www.tinroofbeer.com.

Perfect Tin cans waiting to be filled.*

So... the cans are almost here.  Look for the Perfect Tin Amber to be out on shelves around Baton Rouge this week.  It makes a lot of sense to start with the amber as it is more suited to hot weather and tailgating than Voodoo Bengal Pale Ale.  Hopefully the new Bandit Blonde Ale will be along in cans shortly too!

*Picture credit: Jay D's Bite and Booze Blog.

Abita Beer Announces Plans To Can Flagship Beers.

Hey everyone, just passing on a press release though I'm sure most beer fans out there have probably already heard the news... Abita is going to start canning several of their flagship beers, including Amber, Jockamo IPA, and Purple Haze.  They are expected to be on shelves in early 2012, and will be offered in addition to glass bottles and draft.  Here is a link to the full press release for anyone interested!

 

As for my thoughts on this... canning is a craft beer trend that is gaining a lot of steam nationwide.  I think canning makes a lot of sense in Louisiana where there are plenty of events that forbid glass bottles, like Mardi Gras, tailgating, and other outdoor events.  In addition to this news from Abita I know that NOLA Brewing and Tin Roof Brewing both previously decided to skip the bottling line and go straight to canning their beer.  (I know NOLA did the Irish Channel Stout in bottles, but that was a very small scale bottling and wasn't done with a full-scale commercial line.)  Honestly I'm surprised it took Abita this long to jump on board with the trend.

As far as canned craft beer is concerned, glassware is still the key to a proper taste and proper review.  It's impossible to pick up the colors of a beer and very difficult to pick up any aroma when drinking straight from the can.  The problems with aluminum flavors are largely gone now, and cans do provide a great light-free package that helps maintain the beers' integrity, but it doesn't do beer any justice if you're drinking it straight.  That being said, if I can bring a 12-pack of Abita or Tin Roof or NOLA on a canoe trip with me instead of a BMC product, you bet your ass I'll bring one of the local guys.