It turns out that today is CraftCans.com Craft Beer in Cans Day. They are noting that January 24 is the anniversary of the first canned beer. On that day in 1935, New Jersey brewer Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company first canned their Krueger's Finest Beer and Krueger's Cream Ale. A lot has changed since then, and most recently is the growing trend of craft brewers canning their beer. Tallgrass Brewing from Manhattan, KS is leading the curve of this trend. A little over a year ago Tallgrass switched over to an all-can brewery and have been going gang busters since. Their latest offering is Velvet Rooster, the first canned Belgian tripel that I am aware of. Innovation like this is getting notice across the country. When I visited with the folks from Deschutes they were very impressed with what this smaller brewery from Kansas was doing. Velvet Rooster comes in a four pack of 16 oz cans. Tallboys! I chose my Karmeliet Tripel glass to pour this tripel because I wanted to give it plenty of room for the head to expand. The thick white foam nearly took up the entire volume of the glass. The body below has a hazy honey color. The smell has a pleasant sweet grain aroma with traces of melon and tropical fruits. Taste has more of a mango flavor with vanilla notes. This is a sweet beer, like most tripels are, but the dry qualities from the Belgian yeast keeps it from being too sweet. The body has a creamy carbonation texture. I would recommend sipping this slowly to experience the flavor changes as it warms. This is another winner from Tallgrass.

read more: Cock-a-Doodle-Do!: Tallgrass Velvet Rooster