# New Beer Cans **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 2, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159 "2013-08-02T15:37:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ducati](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/1 "2013-08-02T15:37:21Z")
I don’t drink beer. I don’t associate with those who do. Kidding. I’d never get laid if it weren’t for alcohol! However, I do find the evolution of the beer can interesting. Those of you Of A Certain Age will remember [cutting your feet open on pull tabs](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6815931806_f0f6e6f874_o.jpg) a-la Jimmy Buffet, which was the industry’s answer to [poking two holes in the can.](http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4fbd4c40eab8ea7e7500000d-1200/step-one-puncture-one-triangular-hole-with-your-church-key-tool.jpg) Finally replaced with the[stay-on tab](http://www.freekymonkey.com/pictures/ac889d.JPG) in 1980, we could again look forward to barefoot walks and not choking on the tab we dropped in the can to avoid being litterbugs. The 1990’s brought us an incremental change by making the hole [a little bit bigger.](http://behance.vo.llnwd.net/profiles14/272258/projects/5025655/0a1ef1acfe6da7021054489ad63cf0b3.jpg) Now, it would seem, we have come full circle. We’re back to poking two holes in the can so we can get the beer out faster. [Busweiser is testing a new vent can](http://www.cnbc.com/id/100793351) [Miller Lite has the “Punch Top” can.](http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/how-will-you-punch-miller-lites-punch-top-can-140752) I love their ads, but why poke around for something to poke with? Bud’s got them beat on that design… And if that’s not fast enough for ya, VIOLA! [A giant hole!](http://www.today.com/food/next-big-thing-new-beer-can-goes-topless-1C9195935) What’s next? Beer tankers just driving around with a fire hose attached? ---
**Author:** ![SpeedwayRyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@SpeedwayRyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpeedwayRyan)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/2 "2013-08-02T20:58:51Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > [Busweiser is testing a new vent can](http://www.cnbc.com/id/100793351) CNBC manages to screw up “Bud Light” as “BudLite” in the first photo caption. Two mistakes in such a tiny caption. It’s “Miller Lite” and “Bud Light.” Both have spaces. Pet peeve. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/3 "2013-08-02T21:10:10Z")
An early one of John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee series had one of his wonderful little riffs on this. He says the process is to look at the (then new) pull tab, think deep thoughts about progress and the future of mankind, then turn the can over and use the opener on the bottom. I stopped drinking out of cans about two decades ago, so it’s no nevermind to me. Every time one of those foldy-bendy tabs breaks off without popping the seal or only halfway doing so, I am reminded why. I guess the improvement I liked was the two-hole, pop the seal in with your thumb model, which disappeared in favor of the bendy-lever that’s actually more work. But you can save them for kidney dialysis or, when they’re pink, something or another. And it makes you feel sooooo good. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/4 "2013-08-02T21:30:28Z")
I do not understand the concept of the Miller Lite punch top at all. What is the point?? ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/5 "2013-08-02T21:36:30Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > We’re back to poking two holes in the can so we can get the beer out faster. I had one of those new dual-hole cans (Molson Canadian, for those who are interested) when I was on the golf course the other day. I didn’t find it that easy to open the second hole–it took a little work–but I also didn’t notice a lot of improvement in the flow as I was drinking from the can. Maybe if you’re pouring beer into the glass, it makes a difference, though. ---
**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/6 "2013-08-02T21:54:50Z")
I love this sort of thing. “We don’t have anything to say about our beer, it’s the same old swill, but check out the cool new package!” See also, aluminum bottles, Miller’s vortex bottle, 8 different packages to go around each bottle/can type, ect. I seem to remember from Beer Wars that it’s a way to take space away from competitors by taking it up with their bazillion packaging types. Gotta love it. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/7 "2013-08-02T22:03:48Z")
They could put the second hole tab at the base for shotgunners. You gotta exploit those markets where they are. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/8 "2013-08-02T22:09:33Z")
> [@SpeedwayRyan](#): > > It’s “Miller Lite” and “Bud Light.” Both have spaces. Only fitting, since both are wastes of space in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/9 "2013-08-02T22:54:18Z")
> [@that\_darn\_cat](#): > > I love this sort of thing. “We don’t have anything to say about our beer, it’s the same old swill, but check out the cool new package!” See also, aluminum bottles, Miller’s vortex bottle, 8 different packages to go around each bottle/can type, ect. The product is the product and across competitors it’s all pretty much the same. So they change the packaging and tout that. Marketing folks have to justify their salaries, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/10 "2013-08-02T23:31:00Z")
> [@want2befree](#): > > I do not understand the concept of the Miller Lite punch top at all. What is the point?? The idea is to provide a whole for air to go into the can while the beer is coming out of the main opening. If you don’t let air in, eventually the flow out will slow because a vacuum is being created inside the can. Try taking a bottle, filling it, and turning it upside down. Same idea. The second hole prevents the “glugging” you get with a bottle. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/11 "2013-08-02T23:37:11Z")
> [@want2befree](#): > > I do not understand the concept of the Miller Lite punch top at all. What is the point?? The ads are very coy about it, saying things like “it makes it easier to pour.” The real reason is so morons can shotgun the beer down and get obnoxiously drunk much faster than would otherwise be possible without punching a second hole in the can with your pocket knife. Back in the day of steel cans, one would open the top, then tip the can up and simultaneously punch a second hole in the bottom of the can with a church key. Problem was that it often resulted in spilling some beer, which is alcohol abuse. None of this is mentioned because an ad that just says “Get drunker faster and be an instant asshole” is gonna get negative press. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/12 "2013-08-03T00:41:00Z")
Yeah, here’s the type of [aluminum bottle](http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://p.twimg.com/Awg7i-1CQAAY9V7.jpg:large&imgrefurl=http://twicsy.com/i/2tTSQb&h=1024&w=768&sz=304&tbnid=nMDBCm6D3tHsmM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=68&zoom=1&usg=__XU1hxGcZqxGptDTFmq0Yfowlt-A=&docid=B3O8s3WKrvthsM&sa=X&ei=3VD8Uf_KDoXkrAHivYHgCQ&ved=0CEoQ9QEwAg&dur=584) that I bought at the Kiss concert last week in Ottawa. For $9.50 a pop. I’m sure the bottle was less than 1/10th of that, but still… ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/13 "2013-08-03T01:45:55Z")
Yeah, how about tree-froggin’? Church key a hole in the side near the very bottom, put it to your mouth, then pop the top. Glurg. Closest thing to the hosing you’re talking about I ever heard. I also heard that if you drank it through a straw you could get drunk faster, but I never took the time to try. And what’s wrong with getting drunk faster? Seems to me a person would party hearty, then pass out before they got obnoxious. Win-win. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/14 "2013-08-03T03:52:22Z")
> [@ducati](#): > > I don’t drink beer. I don’t associate with those who do. > > Kidding. I’d never get laid if it weren’t for alcohol! > > However, I do find the evolution of the beer can interesting. Those of you Of A Certain Age will remember [cutting your feet open on pull tabs](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7041/6815931806_f0f6e6f874_o.jpg) a-la Jimmy Buffet, > And if that’s not fast enough for ya, VIOLA! [A giant hole!](http://www.today.com/food/next-big-thing-new-beer-can-goes-topless-1C9195935) That would cut the living shit out of your foot. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/15 "2013-08-03T14:52:14Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Problem was that it often resulted in spilling some beer, which is alcohol abuse. Worse than that. You do know the Irish legend that on Judgement Day, you’re suspended upside down in a barrel filled with all the liquor you ever spilled? If you drown, to Hell with you. ---
**Author:** ![Gunslinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gunslinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/16 "2013-08-04T08:46:01Z")
> [@want2befree](#): > > I do not understand the concept of the Miller Lite punch top at all. What is the point?? Wasn’t that a failed transitional form between the “poke your own damn holes with a churchkey, ya lazy bum” and tear-off/modern tab styles, before they realized they could do without a vent hole? Actually I think I’m misremembering and they tried the same lever-nubbin technology as the vent hole on the new can to make the main hole on the experimental can, and it didn’t work, so they went with the simpler pull-ring instead. I can see the aluminum-wineglass appeal of the can that you pull the entire top off of, but IMO the vent-hole problem was adequately solved by the modern widemouth can. > [@Becky2844](#): > > Yeah, how about tree-froggin’? Church key a hole in the side near the very bottom, put it to your mouth, then pop the top. Glurg. That must be a regional term. Where are you from? I’ve only ever heard it referred to as “shotgunning” in Texas and on the internet. Also you stab it with a pencil or whatever, no need for a can opener. Though I like the juxtaposition of being all fancy and using a churchkey, and then calling it “tree-froggin”. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/17 "2013-08-04T12:43:52Z")
I was expecting a thread on Sam Adams now being (limited as I understand) distributed in cans instead of exclusively bottled. New can technology, coating to keep the aluminum out of contact with the beer (as if the stuff wasn’t brewed in metal vats), marketing blah blah. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-beer-cans/665159/18 "2013-08-04T21:42:02Z")
Obligatory link: [I can’t get beer into me!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97CuAQ_xxM4) Whatever David, the blue mountains are cool, you blue yourself :). It helps in ice chests, where everything is cold (on the surface). > [@want2befree](#): > > I do not understand the concept of the Miller Lite punch top at all. What is the point?? Ever pour gas from a can? Or buy a big thing of liquid laundry detergent? They have a second hole to vent. Coors has had their [own variation on vents](http://www.beer-universe.com/images/articles/122/vent.png) for some time. The site linked claims it’s a gimmick. [Coors also makes](http://www.2beerguys.com/images/forblog/miller_coors_light_pint.png) those “canteen” bottles that **Leaffan** mentions. I rather like them. But no, they’re not worth $9.50, but that’s what happens when you go to a concert. I did the math and they’re usually the same price as 12 oz./355 mL cans (e.g. 9x 16 ouncers vs. 12x 12 ounce).