Product: Butternuts Beer & Ale: Microbrews in a can? For the most part, you won’t even tell the difference with these farmhouse ales. Producer: Butternuts Beer & Ale Approximate Retail Value: $6.99 per 6-pack Category: Beer Country of Origin: Garratsville, NY, USA Reviewer: Jon Costantino The F Words: Flavor – Feel – Finish –

Rating:

When I first saw Butternuts Beer and Ale at a beer festival, the first thing that struck me was that they came in an aluminum can. I thought to myself, “A CAN?!!? Have these men no respect for hops and malt?!?!” For the most part, cans are meant for fishing trips and frat parties. But much like the lesson about books and their covers, I found out you can’t judge a beer by its container. And in the case of four Butternuts Beers, if you poured three of them into a glass and served them, you wouldn’t even know the difference.

First I tried the Snapperhead IPA, which is a full-bodied pale ale. I had it in the fridge for a couple of days, so when I did finally pour it, it had a crisp smooth taste. Immediately, I was hit with the smell and taste of oranges, with a little nutmeg. It also had a powerful feel as I tasted it, giving me a chance to really experience its body. But unlike most pale ales, which you can feel sitting in your stomach as your reach for another one, it didn’t seem heavy after I finished it. I also left a little bit in the can to see if the flavor changed, but it was just as good as when I poured it in the glass. It was a truly enjoyable beer experience.

The same could not be said for the Porkslap Pale Ale. Although it says pale ale on the can, there is nothing in the flavor that reminded me of one. It tasted more like an amber, and a weak one at that. The only thing even close to redeeming about the Porkslap is its color, but you’ll be disappointed that such a nice-looking beer could taste so boring. And when I drank it from the can, it took on more of the aluminum than I would have liked. If you see Porkslap in the store, skip it and look for either the Snapperhead IPA, or any other canned beer you can find, because this one is no different than any other one.

The Heinnieweisse Weissbier was an unusual-tasting experience. Usually when you have a German-type wheat beer, it’s a little intimidating because the color is so murky, that you can already feel the heaviness of the beer in your mouth and gullet. Not so with this one. It was remarkably light, while still keeping the fruity lemon flavor of a wheat beer. The color is a beautiful yellow, and has a refreshing aroma that makes you think of summer. This is the perfect beer for a BBQ at the shore, with the cans sitting in a nice cooler packed with ice. And you can skip the lemon wedge if you’re drinking from the can—it has enough flavor already.

But the best of the bunch was the Moo Thunder Stout. Except for the English stouts than come with the air widget inside, a canned stout can be a scary proposition. But this was the smoothest, most refreshing stout I’ve had in a long time. When you first pop the top, you’re hit with the smell of almost chocolate-flavored coffee. The aroma also stays with you for a long time, like having chocolate pudding in a glass. It doesn’t have the heavy cream feel of the usual stout, and that’s a good thing. It reminded me of more of a Porter-style beer, which it a more drinkable version of the stout.  And even though Stouts are mostly a winter, sometimes room-temperature beer, this Moo Thunder can be enjoyed all year round.

So don’t be afraid of the aluminum can. Sometimes a whole load of flavor can be hidden inside a little container. But stay away from the Porkslap Pale Ale, no matter how cool dancing pigs look on the can. 

Snapperhead IPA

Porkslap Pale Ale

Heinnieweisse Weissebier

Moo Thunder Stout