August 26, 2004
99 aluminum bottles of beer on the wall

Beer technology marches ever forward.


PITTSBURGH - How much would you pay for a bottle of beer that stays cold nearly an hour longer?

Pittsburgh Brewing, maker of Iron City Beer, is asking an additional $1 per case.

The brewery has partnered with Alcoa to produce aluminum bottles that keep beer colder for as much as 50 minutes longer than a glass bottle, Alcoa officials said.

About 20,000 cases of the new aluminum bottle beer are en route to as many as 28 states and should be on shelves this week, Alcoa and Pittsburgh Brewing said Tuesday.

The bottles have three times the aluminum of a typical beer can. That gives them superior insulation, Alcoa spokesman Kevin Lowery said.

It's not the first time Alcoa has teamed up with the local brewery to put out a new product. In 1962, the two put the first pull tab on beer cans.

"We think it's much better than a can and as good or better than glass," said Joe Piccirilli, vice chairman for Pittsburgh Brewing.

Iron City wants to expand sales. But the aluminum bottle may be more important to Alcoa. The aluminum giant wants to win back a share of the market it lost to beer bottles, both glass and the plastic ones now common at sporting events nationwide.


I certainly favor cold beer. The problem I have is that in my experience, beer doesn't taste as good when it comes in a can. That may be a function of the kind of beer which has a can option, of course. And it goes without saying that putting beer in a plastic bottle is a crime against nature. In any event, I don't see any aluminum bottles in my future.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on August 26, 2004 to Food, glorious food | TrackBack
Comments

This sounds like the sort of question that can only be answered through careful testing and experiment. Time to get some beer!

Posted by: Ghost of a flea on August 26, 2004 12:51 PM

The real problem I see is not the bottle, but the brewer. As a occasional visitor to Pittsburgh, I've been advised by the natives that Iron City Brew is bottom of the barrel beer, much like Piels and Genesee Cream Ale.

As for plastic bottles, I use them for home brewing without any problem. The ones you see at the stadiums, however, look unsightly, to say the least.

Posted by: William Hughes on August 26, 2004 1:10 PM

"The brewery has partnered with Alcoa to produce aluminum bottles that keep beer colder for as much as 50 minutes longer than a glass bottle, Alcoa officials said."

Fifty minutes!?!

Two thoughts:

[A] buy an ice chest

[B] it shouldn't take so long for you to drink a can of beer that it becomes warm - certainly not an hour

Posted by: Seth on August 26, 2004 2:02 PM

What the heck was the mechanism on beer cans prior to the introduction of the pull tab?

Posted by: Greg Morrow on August 27, 2004 9:04 AM

"What the heck was the mechanism on beer cans prior to the introduction of the pull tab?"

That would be a can puncture similar to what you have to do with a big can of grapefruit juice or pinapple juice.

I'm with Seth...it shouldn't take that long to drink a 12oz beer (or even a 16oz beer). I'm at the point where I don't even need a koozie. :)

Posted by: Mike in Austin on August 27, 2004 9:37 AM