Omnivore - Americans prefer canned beer

Hipsters and the economy lead to preference in canned beer

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Bloomberg News cites the U.S. Beer Institute’s survey of how Americans prefer their beer, and survey says... we prefer canned beer. For the first time since 2003, canned beer is making an icy comeback.

According to statistics from the U.S. Beer Institute, there could be a correlation between our crappy economy and the increased preference for canned beer.

Fifty-three percent of beer consumed by Americans in 2011 was in canned form - up from forty-eight percent between 2003 and 2006. It’s also the highest share of canned beer being consumed since 1995.

According to the research, total beer consumption in the U.S. has been on the decline since 2007. Americans drank about 162 pints of beer in 2011, roughly 12 pints fewer than in 2008.

Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association, told Bloomberg News, “Historically, budget beers have been packaged in cans, and have been priced ridiculously low.”

And while the economy has a lot to do with it, there’s always the hipster culture to blame.

“Hipsters, a subculture of urban, young adults whose tastes run toward independent music and films and non-traditional fashion, may have given the trend another push when Pabst Blue Ribbon, the flagship brew of Pabst Brewing Co., became one of their signature drinks,” said Bloomberg News.