Why do Americans drink Beer out of small cans?

28 comments

1. We have multiple sized beer cans. We call the “Monster energy” cans tallboys.

2. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

   I find this question painfully ironic because some of my European colleagues think drinking beer out of “big” bottles (33 cl) is inconvenient and they prefer the mini bottles (25 cl) because, “They stay cold”.

   So shouldn’t the same logic apply to cans?

3. The beer cans I buy are 16 oz, same size as monster energy.

4. I don’t, I drink 24oz tall cans!!!👍🏻

5. Cuz they taste good.

6. We do things in US customary units and you do things in metric.

   Basically, your ½ Liter (16.9 oz) bottles and cans are slightly larger than our 16 oz bottles and cans, and your ⅓ Liter (11.2 oz) bottles are slightly smaller than our 12 oz bottles and cans.

   It’s not that big of a difference.

7. We do have larger can but I prefer smaller cans because I like my beer to be cold.

8. The amount of alcohol. Standard consumption of alcohol, especially before beer got crafty and different strengths, was the same 1/2 oz alcohol. A typical domestic 12 oz can of beer (the tiny ones you call it) has a similar alcohol content as a glass of wine or a shot of hard alcohol such as whisky. Makes monitoring your consumption intake easier when you can count your drink intake instead of trying to do math while you’re drinking

9. Your premise is flawed. Plenty of Europeans drink from the smaller cans.

   We have both, as well as even larger cans.

10. I can go to the store here in Spain and get small cans of many different types of beer.

    Americans also drink tallboys and bottles.

11. > In Europe

    Population: 746 million

    > Why do Americans

    Population: 340 million

    You’re just full of generalizations aren’t ya?

12. Why do Europeans drink beer out of big cans?

13. Idk everytime I had a beer in England or France it came in a glass. Which was the same size as the glasses here that I expect beer to come in

14. Maybe Europeans are compensating for something. /s

    (just kidding, I think that kind of quip is childish)

15. Wait I thought Europe wasn’t monolithic? Can someone explain?

16. We have multiple sized cana, at the gas station here i can get 32oz cans if i want as an alternative to a 40oz bottle

17. I don’t always drink beer, but when I do I prefer bottles.

    Stay thirsty, my friends.

18. We have those too.

19. Americans are largely very self conscious about their hand size. It’s considered more masculine for objects to look small in your hand.

    So when you’re banging some glizzys and burgers on the grill with a crispy boy in your hand, you want your neighbors to see and comment on how big your hands look.

20. We do? I only drink tall boys.

21. The few times I’ve visited places in Europe, I was almost always served beer in a glass and occasionally a glass bottle. I don’t really remember getting cans, but I’m sure things have changed.

    Also, I would say a good chunk of craft breweries in the US have switched to larger cans now since getting glass bottles is sort of a pain in the ass. When I visit my local beer store where you can build your own 6-pack, I would say at least 80% of the beers come in larger 16oz cans instead of the standard 12oz can.

    I wish places would go back to glass bottles though. I love collecting bottle caps, but I get why they don’t. Glass is heavier, breakage is a bigger risk, and they supposedly cost more.

22. I can buy my Bud Lights in 12oz, 16oz, 25oz, 32oz (FL won’t sell 40’s), and those damn pesky 8oz azulitas that I sometimes grab by mistake thinking my 12oz are on sale.

23. Iirc, Alabama state law prohibits cans larger than 25oz.

    That being said, the 12oz can/bottle tends to very common as a “one size fits all approach” as some drinkers prefer smaller portions sizes and packaging multiple formats of the same beverage can be prohibitively expensive for small breweries. Economies of scale can also favor this can size, as it’s extremely common in the beverage industry as a whole.

24. We have 8oz cans, 12oz cans, 16oz cans, 24oz cans, 40oz cans, and the same (or similar) sizes in bottles plus 50oz bottles and 64oz bottles. The US really likes choice.

25. I buy whatever cans my beer of choice comes in. Since I buy mostly craft beers, I don’t really have an option.

26. Listen, here’s the American way, down an entire 40 (or 128) of mickeys, toss it so hard that it shatters against the wall of a concrete overpass that you’ll be under, crack another and repeat until you can barely walk.

27. It’s easier to [shotgun](https://www.wikihow.com/Shotgun-a-Beer) a beer with a can than a bottle.

28. Prohibition is probably the answer. America’s banned alcohol for a while and that changed a lot of things about American drinking culture.