Going Green
By Jim Bona
(Hamilton, NY – April 2015) I was having a couple cold beers with a friend the other day. The topic of conversation evolved into a spirited debate whether beer is greener in the can or in the bottle. There are good points on both sides of the discussion.
I am not sure that I would choose a beer strictly on how green it is. (Blasphemous?!) For me, the most important criterion is how it tastes. Maybe I haven’t evolved beyond the dinosaur mentality that beer in glass is the best tasting. That was what my buddy was insinuating. (That I was too old fashioned. I took it well…I think.)
He is of the firm belief that the technology has developed to the point where you can get good tasting beer out of a can. If you can get good taste out of either, then, which is the way to go? If judging by taste, beer in bottles can be exposed to light and can develop a skunky taste. This is why most beers are in green or brown bottles. Not a problem with cans, as they are completely opaque.
Bottles are more likely not to be recycled, resulting in higher production costs for glass. Refillable bottles can be green, but you have to take into consideration the fact that they have to travel back to the brewery, which costs energy. They also have to be cleaned and sterilized too – spending more energy. Aluminum is more expensive to mine and turn into cans, but has a much higher percentage of being recycled, which keeps the cost down.
Considering the distance your beer has to travel, bottles are heavier in weight. This results in much higher transportation costs. Cans are lighter, so they have a much lower cost to transport. It seems that there are good points made on both sides. The argument is moot, though. Best thing to do is not get your beer in glass or in cans at all.
Best way to bring home green beer is to avoid both by buying growlers, which you refill yourself. This also cuts down on all the bottles and cans that have to be taken to be redeemed. There are more and more places that you can go to fill your growler. As long as you are going to finish it off in a couple days, you don’t have to worry about the beer going flat. It really is the greenest way to enjoy your beer.
Jim Bona is recently retired and a resident of the village of Hamilton for more than 30 years. He is passionate about all things green…and a few other things too. He can be reached at: madnews@m3pmedia.com