Beer aficionados agree: Newest Iron is one cool -- make that cold -- bottle

Sunday, September 19, 2004
By Bob Batz Jr., Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



The coolest thing in Iron is aluminum.

Aluminum bottles, that is, that Pittsburgh Brewing Co. just launched as a
futuristic package for its venerable Iron City beer.

Since the regional brewer announced three weeks ago that it was becoming the
first to nationally distribute these cutting-edge containers, beer drinkers all
over have wanted to get their hands and lips on one. They're eager to test
claims that the metal 12-ouncers are cooler than glass ones or cans -- in looks
as well as in their efficacy at getting and staying cold.

"Feel that bottle!" Dave Lockerman said the other night, as he handed his
first-ever aluminum one to his buddy Mark Neubert. Neubert instantly answered,
"It's cold!"

When it comes to beer, these guys are real SOBs -- members of the Society of
Beertasters, which Lockerman described as "a loose-knit association of people
who like beer." About a dozen of them were more than happy to take the new
bottles for a spin at the group's monthly meeting last week at Elwood's Pub in
Rural Ridge.

They conducted a blind tasting of Iron City poured from glass bottles, cans and
the new aluminum bottles, and several judged the lager from the new bottles to
be the coldest.

When Lockerman unveiled the new bottles, they peered inside and squeezed them.
They even cut one in half to check out the thicker aluminum -- three times as
much as in a typical can. One woman said the feel of it -- much stiffer than a
can -- reminded her of those colored aluminum tumblers that were all the rage
in the 1950s.

"I think it's a good idea," said Neubert, who knows something about metal,
since he works at Irvin Industries, a Butler steel mill.

Still, he couldn't figure out why the aluminum wouldn't also cause the beer to
turn warm faster than glass. He asked a metallurgist at work to explain it, but
the guy couldn't.

The group kicked around the claim that the new bottles stay cold for up to 50
minutes longer, but as Neubert asked, "How would you know? The [beer] ain't
gonna sit there long enough!"

Actually, countered his wife, Pat, a self-admitted sipper, not guzzler, of
beer, "I would probably appreciate having a cold-keeping can."

Wayne Swartz just had to experience drinking straight out of a full metal
bottle.

"His tongue is going to stick to it like to a sled in winter," Pat Neubert
said, trying to, you know, ice him.

But Swartz didn't freeze. "It tastes fine. Just like out of a bottle." (Even
the SOBs who dislike Iron agreed with that.)

"For me, coldness is everything," said Iron man Dan Callender in giving the new
version two thumbs up. "I'm just wondering how much longer it'll be before
other breweries do it."

Others U.S. brewers are watching and considering breaking into these
unbreakable containers, including industry giant Anheuser-Busch, which this
month is to roll out 16-ounce aluminum bottles of Michelob and other brands in
certain markets.

It's still too early to judge how successful the aluminum Irons will be, but so
far, area distributors and bars say consumers are snapping them up.

"They're selling like hotcakes," said Mark Davis. He may be mixing his
metaphors, but he knows Iron City, having been Pittsburgh Brewing brewmaster
for nearly 20 years. Now he runs the Pittsburgh BottleShop Cafe in Collier,
where he said the gleaming bottles really stand out in his coolers -- and are
flying out of them.

The twist: People take the bottles home with them as souvenirs.

There have even been reports of the empties being used as bowling pins.

The containers, known as bottlecans and alumabottles, are already popular in
Japan and are being more commonly used for soft drinks, even some vodkas.

Montana's Big Sky Brewing Co. became the first North American brewer to
distribute beer in them starting in June 2003 with its "Moose Drool" brew.
Besides chill-ability, Big Sky touts the containers as lighter, much more
rugged than glass and better at protecting beer from damaging light.

Shop owner Davis, an Iron City loyalist whose heart pumps the beer he lovingly
refers to as "the red label," prefers to call the new Irons "ca-bottle," for
can and bottle. He's as proud as anyone that the brewery and aluminum bottle
partner Alcoa also pioneered the pull-tab can back in 1962. (Iron-ically, the
new bottles require an opener.)

He shares Pittsburgh Brewing's high hopes that the new packaging will give Iron
a sustained boost. The takeoff has been so abrupt that the brewery was caught
by surprise and still hasn't caught up with demand from distributors and bars.

"We're telling them, 'Look, be patient with us,'*" said Vice Chairman Joe
Piccirilli, who said the first 20,000 cases disappeared in the first two days.
So the brewery ordered more of the bottles and has cranked up production to up
to 20,000 cases a week -- about five times as much Iron as this time last year.

As they try to fairly allocate the new bottles, they've only been able to get
them into four of the 35 states they hope to reach by the end of the year.
"It's been a great sales and marketing story," Piccirilli said.

McBroom's in Regent Square is one distributor that sold out right away and had
to wait several days to get more cases, which cost about a buck more than a
case of glass bottles.

Customers liked the new bottles "tremendously," said owner Dino DeFlavio. "They
stayed colder, like advertised." For now, he added: "It's like a novelty. I
don't know if it's going to stick."

One thing he does know: Some beer drinkers will refuse to drink out of "tin."

Whether the new bottles give a different or metallic taste is part of the buzz
surrounding the new product, which, like cans, is coated inside.

Drinkers at McBroom's sister business, D's SixPax & Dogz, have had mixed
reactions, says manager David Slover. "I personally don't think it tastes any
different." He agrees the bottle does stay colder, but that may not matter as
much as its "space-age look. [That] alone is what's going to sell it."

Nothing space-age about that: SOB member Dan Callender recalled how his coal
miner father used to prefer Iron City because it came in a short, fat "steinie"
bottle. "It poured better."

Speaking of pouring: The Iron-in-aluminum story and photos have been splashed
all over the Internet and media outlets worldwide -- nearly 1,000 U.S.
publications and more than 300 TV stations, according to numbers the brewery
received last week. Is this the opening of a beverage container revolution?
Time will tell.

Meanwhile, on some discussion boards, the cool new ca-bottle actually has made
some people clever, such as the wag who warns on the urban planning/discussion
Web site Cyburbia.org: "Seriously, if you own stock in the beer can foam holder
industry, get out now."

The Society of Beertasters meets at 7:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the
month at Elwood's Pub in Rural Ridge. The group is planning an overnight bus
tour to Stoudt's Brewing Co.'s Microfest in Adamstown, Lancaster County, on
Oct. 16. For details, e-mail or call 724-265-4267.

>Beer aficionados agree: Newest Iron is one cool -- make that cold -- bottle
>
> They're eager to test claims that the metal 12-ouncers are cooler than glass
>ones or cans -- in looks as well as in their efficacy at getting and staying cold.
>
>"Feel that bottle!" Dave Lockerman said the other night, as he handed his
>first-ever aluminum one to his buddy Mark Neubert. Neubert instantly answered,
>"It's cold!"

As any teenager who got at least a D in high school physics could
assure you, if the container feels cold, it's NOT doing a good job of
keeping the beer cold!

vince norris

>Beer aficionados agree: Newest Iron is one cool -- make that cold -- bottle
>
> They're eager to test claims that the metal 12-ouncers are cooler than glass
>ones or cans -- in looks as well as in their efficacy at getting and staying cold.
>
>"Feel that bottle!" Dave Lockerman said the other night, as he handed his
>first-ever aluminum one to his buddy Mark Neubert. Neubert instantly answered,
>"It's cold!"

As any teenager who got at least a D in high school physics could
assure you, if the container feels cold, it's NOT doing a good job of
keeping the beer cold!

vince norris

wrote:
> >Beer aficionados agree: Newest Iron is one cool -- make that cold --
> >bottle
> >
> > They're eager to test claims that the metal 12-ouncers are cooler than
> > glass
> >ones or cans -- in looks as well as in their efficacy at getting and
> >staying cold.
> >
> >"Feel that bottle!" Dave Lockerman said the other night, as he handed
> >his
> >first-ever aluminum one to his buddy Mark Neubert. Neubert instantly
> >answered,
> >"It's cold!"

> As any teenager who got at least a D in high school physics could
> assure you, if the container feels cold, it's NOT doing a good job of
> keeping the beer cold!

Well, yes and no... I know that you're referring to the thermal
conductivity, but you have to remember that these bottles came out
of a refrigerator -- and the outside would be cold from being there,
regardless of how cold the insides were.

But that brings up something that hadn't occurred to me before now --
the aluminum bottles must take a bit longer to CHILL then too, assuming
they DO keep beer colder longer. Yes? I see that as a bit of a
negative.

BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...
--
//*================================================= ===============++
|| Russ Perry Jr 2175 S Tonne Dr #114 Arlington Hts IL 60005 ||
|| 847-952-9729 [NEW!] VIDEOGAME COLLECTOR! ||
++================================================ ================*//

wrote:
> >Beer aficionados agree: Newest Iron is one cool -- make that cold --
> >bottle
> >
> > They're eager to test claims that the metal 12-ouncers are cooler than
> > glass
> >ones or cans -- in looks as well as in their efficacy at getting and
> >staying cold.
> >
> >"Feel that bottle!" Dave Lockerman said the other night, as he handed
> >his
> >first-ever aluminum one to his buddy Mark Neubert. Neubert instantly
> >answered,
> >"It's cold!"

> As any teenager who got at least a D in high school physics could
> assure you, if the container feels cold, it's NOT doing a good job of
> keeping the beer cold!

Well, yes and no... I know that you're referring to the thermal
conductivity, but you have to remember that these bottles came out
of a refrigerator -- and the outside would be cold from being there,
regardless of how cold the insides were.

But that brings up something that hadn't occurred to me before now --
the aluminum bottles must take a bit longer to CHILL then too, assuming
they DO keep beer colder longer. Yes? I see that as a bit of a
negative.

BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...
--
//*================================================= ===============++
|| Russ Perry Jr 2175 S Tonne Dr #114 Arlington Hts IL 60005 ||
|| 847-952-9729 [NEW!] VIDEOGAME COLLECTOR! ||
++================================================ ================*//

Russ Perry Jr > wrote:
>BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
>how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
>the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...

Yeah, the "coldest tasting beer" thing is just stupid. But
what really gets me about that campaign is that they have a
real shot at educating consumers about why keeping beer cold
is good, but they go and blow it by flat out lying. "Because
you like to drink beer cold" my @ss.
--
Joel Plutchak "Eat everything. Have fun." - Julia Child.
plutchak at [...]

Russ Perry Jr > wrote:
>BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
>how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
>the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...

Yeah, the "coldest tasting beer" thing is just stupid. But
what really gets me about that campaign is that they have a
real shot at educating consumers about why keeping beer cold
is good, but they go and blow it by flat out lying. "Because
you like to drink beer cold" my @ss.
--
Joel Plutchak "Eat everything. Have fun." - Julia Child.
plutchak at [...]

Russ Perry Jr > wrote:
>BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
>how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
>the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...

Yeah, the "coldest tasting beer" thing is just stupid. But
what really gets me about that campaign is that they have a
real shot at educating consumers about why keeping beer cold
is good, but they go and blow it by flat out lying. "Because
you like to drink beer cold" my @ss.
--
Joel Plutchak "Eat everything. Have fun." - Julia Child.
plutchak at [...]

"Russ Perry Jr" > wrote in message
...

> BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
> how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
> the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...

Oh, c'mon. Everyone knows that cold has a particular taste. It tastes
similar to blue.

-Steve

"Russ Perry Jr" > wrote in message
...

> BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
> how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
> the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...

Oh, c'mon. Everyone knows that cold has a particular taste. It tastes
similar to blue.

-Steve

Right, and what happens to that cold beer when it leaves those refrigerated
rail cards and sits in my beer distributors hot warehouse.

Jon

"Joel" > wrote in message
...
> Russ Perry Jr > wrote:
> >BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
> >how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
> >the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...
>
> Yeah, the "coldest tasting beer" thing is just stupid. But
> what really gets me about that campaign is that they have a
> real shot at educating consumers about why keeping beer cold
> is good, but they go and blow it by flat out lying. "Because
> you like to drink beer cold" my @ss.
> --
> Joel Plutchak "Eat everything. Have fun." - Julia Child.
> plutchak at [...]

Right, and what happens to that cold beer when it leaves those refrigerated
rail cards and sits in my beer distributors hot warehouse.

Jon

"Joel" > wrote in message
...
> Russ Perry Jr > wrote:
> >BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
> >how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
> >the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...
>
> Yeah, the "coldest tasting beer" thing is just stupid. But
> what really gets me about that campaign is that they have a
> real shot at educating consumers about why keeping beer cold
> is good, but they go and blow it by flat out lying. "Because
> you like to drink beer cold" my @ss.
> --
> Joel Plutchak "Eat everything. Have fun." - Julia Child.
> plutchak at [...]

On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 19:46:33 -0700, "Steve Jackson"
> wrote:

>"Russ Perry Jr" > wrote in message
...
>
>> BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
>> how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
>> the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...
>
>Oh, c'mon. Everyone knows that cold has a particular taste. It tastes
>similar to blue.

Geez, and to think I once respected your palate. Farts smell (never
mind taste) blue, as in "deadly blue flatus." Cold tastes white.
Unless it's Guinness Cold, of course.

Furrfu.
--
Nobody You Know

On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 19:46:33 -0700, "Steve Jackson"
> wrote:

>"Russ Perry Jr" > wrote in message
...
>
>> BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
>> how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
>> the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...
>
>Oh, c'mon. Everyone knows that cold has a particular taste. It tastes
>similar to blue.

Geez, and to think I once respected your palate. Farts smell (never
mind taste) blue, as in "deadly blue flatus." Cold tastes white.
Unless it's Guinness Cold, of course.

Furrfu.
--
Nobody You Know

On Tue, 21 Sep 2004 19:46:33 -0700, "Steve Jackson"
> wrote:

>"Russ Perry Jr" > wrote in message
...
>
>> BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
>> how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
>> the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...
>
>Oh, c'mon. Everyone knows that cold has a particular taste. It tastes
>similar to blue.

Geez, and to think I once respected your palate. Farts smell (never
mind taste) blue, as in "deadly blue flatus." Cold tastes white.
Unless it's Guinness Cold, of course.

Furrfu.
--
Nobody You Know

"Steve Jackson" > wrote:
> "Russ Perry Jr" > wrote:
> > BTW, has anyone seen the Coors (or Coors Light?) ads talking about
> > how it's the "coldest tasting beer"? Yikes! I guess we know what
> > the Coors PR people think of your average drinker...

> Oh, c'mon. Everyone knows that cold has a particular taste. It tastes
> similar to blue.

How come they never bragged about the fine "cold" taste of "ice"
beers?
--
//*================================================= ===============++
|| Russ Perry Jr 2175 S Tonne Dr #114 Arlington Hts IL 60005 ||
|| 847-952-9729 [NEW!] VIDEOGAME COLLECTOR! ||
++================================================ ================*//