New Belgium’s joining the craft beer in cans. The Ft. Collins, CO. company says their canning line started up today. First beer in cans (and maybe the only one) is Fat Tire Amber Ale.

It’s not my favorite in cans or bottles or keg, but it’s New Belgium’s sales leader. A cult has grown up around it.

Don’t look for any Fat Tire in cans here in California anytime soon. Alice Hassinger, of New Belgium, says it may be a while. The initial rollout is for Colorado, she said. Expect the canned Fat Tire there next month.

However, if you’re looking for first-rate craft beer in cans, there’s hope from a couple of directions. As I said last week, 21st Amendment, San Francisco, has contracted with Cold Spring Brewing, Cold Spring, MN. to produce its Live Free or Die IPA and  Hell or High Watermelon Wheat in cans. They’ll be in stores here in the Bay Area next month.

Meanwhile, Marty Jones of Oskar Blues, Lyons CO. says they’re looking for a Northern California distributor of their most excellent canned beer, Dale’s Pale Ale, 6.5 percent, 54 IBUs, Old Chub Scottish-Style Strong Ale, 8 pecent, 40 IBUs; and Gordon Double India Pale Ale, 8.5 percent, 85 IBUs.

Right now, Marty says, Stone Brewing, Escondido, distributes the beers in Southern California. But there’s no distributor up here. Oh my. We really are becoming a beer desert. Hey Morris, Bay Area Beverages, DBI, San Francisco, whomsoever. Please pick up Oskar Blues. Hear a beer drinker’s prayer.
Micro-canning’s been good for Oskar Blues. Marty says they’re opening a new 50 barrel brewery in nearby Longmont, CO and expect to produce 30,000 barrels of beer this year. Beer will still be brewed in Lyons (which is a wide spot in a narrow road 12 miles west), but it will be for their restaurant, he adds. “We’re also going to play around with some experimental beers there, some of which may end up in cans,” he says.