Mission Launches 32oz Cans – A First In-Person Look

Thank you to Mission Brewery for helping me get my hands on two of their new 32oz cans…aka the Can-nons!  If you check out the photo above, you’ll see what a normal 12oz can looks like next to these big boys, and I can also vouch for the fact that they dwarf even a 19.2oz or 24oz can as well.  These are big boys and there literally is a quart of beer in every can.  As Mission puts it, “One Gigantic Can…Two Delicious Pints.”  Dubbed as America’s biggest micro can, these beers carry the slogans “The quart is in session” and “Large Craft Warning” and the promotional materials show photos of the cans in actual size!

The experience of these 32oz cans is unique.  I had to try drinking one straight from the can, so the 4.8% ABV El Conquistador Pale Ale was a perfect place to start.  This beer leans toward the hoppy side of the fence for a Pale Ale (which I love) and it is loaded with citrus flavor and aromas.  El Conquistador was nicely balanced but a hop-lover’s dream at 44 IBU, and at 4.8% ABV you actually CAN drink a quart.

I’ll admit I was a little intimidated by the 9.25% ABV 32oz can of Shipwrecked DIPA so Mrs. BeerBuzz and I each got to enjoy a pint.  It was a lot of fun filling two pint glasses from one can and even more fun drinking it.  Shipwrecked reaches out and grabs your palate with a lot of west-coast hop aroma and even more flavor.  I was expecting a little more boozy flavor, but Shipwrecked hides the 9.25% ABV really well.  The flavor is citrusy and resinous with the smack of grapefruit that I really liked and at 75 IBU, this beer will get your hop-attention very quickly.

I’ll be excited to see how well the 32oz cans do, and I suspect they will become a really popular package.  I can picture buying two cans like you’d normally buy a growler, but in a package that will block all light, stay fresh much longer and survive a bumpy ride home.  I think this is a really great package from Mission Brewery so be sure to check these out for yourself and let me know what you think.