BOSTON, MA – The Boston Beer Company – makers of the Samuel Adams line of beers – has announced that its uniquely designed “Sam Can” is coming to Canada.
Developed over the course of two years of research and testing, the distinctive package was launched earlier this year in the US, after the brewery’s founder – and can skeptic – Jim Koch was convinced that it would meet his strict standards.
“The debate over bottles vs. cans has been a sticking point for brewers in the craft beer community for years,” says Koch in a press release. “In the past, I had my doubts about putting Samuel Adams in a can because I wasn’t convinced that Boston Lager would taste as good as it does from a bottle. But cans have changed. And I believe the can we designed provides a slight, but noticeably better drinking experience than the standard beer can.”
Differences between the “Sam Can” and a regular beer can include a wider opening and a flared lip that “work in concert to deliver the beer in a way that makes the flavor closer to drinking out of a glass,” according to sensory expert Roy Desrochers of GEI Consultants.
For those who choose to pour their beer into a glass, the redesigned can will likely have no impact on their drinking enjoyment. But in situations where drinking straight from the can is necessary or preferred, Koch says that “we believe we have a vessel that gives our drinkers the best tasting Samuel Adams in a can.”
473 ml “Sam Cans” of Samuel Adams Boston Lager will be available soon at select LCBO outlets in Ontario, retailing for $2.85 per can. Distribution plans for other provinces are yet to be announced.