The Story of the 10oz Can

Over the weekend, my friend Judd Bares posed a question to his Facebook followers that got me thinking. It was a very powerful statement that asked:

So SWLA, Tell me why YOU demand 10oz cans...

If you ask any SWLA native beer drinker, more than likely they will tell you their reason for drinking 10oz cans. Some say it stays colder because you can drink it faster, it can get colder faster because it's smaller, it fits better in your hand, or that it's easier to do the math on how much you drink when you get too drunk.

On the flip side, a "normal" can of beer is 12oz. An easy argument to that is to say, "Oh, I'll just sip out 2oz as soon as I open it, then it's just a 10oz can. I have personally said this numerous times before becoming a 10oz can fan.

A touch of Googling brought me to the average amount we "sip". It's certainly not in ounces. According to Quora, five "comfortable" sips would equal out to 2 ounces for the average person. That's about .4 ounces per sip (thanks, Barbe Math). So, opening a 12oz can and taking five quick sips would then render your 12oz beer a 10oz. They continue to say a "large gulp" (the largest amount of liquid you can hold in your mouth), is just shy of 2oz. We are trying to enjoy the beer, BBQ, and make sure little Michael Paul doesn't run into the ant pile, certainly not gulp out 2oz of brew as soon as we open a can.

Another interesting fact I ran across was that the 10oz can was NOT invented for SWLA, as some people might think. Of all places, the 10oz can was born in Maryland. According to Now I Know, after prohibition, Budweiser was trying to make a comeback, but couldn't compete with the local Baltimore beer companies on price. They decided to get a bit crazy and offer a more "premium" beer in a smaller amount for the same price as a 12oz can of their competitor. The scheme worked, and now the 10oz can is the only thing most bars in Maryland will stock.

So there you have it, folks. Thank a yankee for inventing the 10oz can, and drink responsibly!