5 to try: Arizona canned beers

Today is National Beer Can Appreciation Day. Oft-maligned by many beer drinkers, cans have been gaining favor in the last couple years because they chill quicker than bottles, they don’t break as easy and they’re more conducive to poolside/lakeside enjoyment.

Here are five breweries (but not the only ones) canning beer right here in Arizona:

SanTan Brewing: This Chandler brewery offers four brews in cans – Devil’s Ale, HopShock IPA, Epicenter Amber Ale and HefeWeizen. You also can get “variety” 12-packs with three cans of each.

Four Peaks Brewing: This Tempe brewery has been bottling for years, but in 2010 also began canning a few of its many beers, including Kiltlifter, SunBru Kolsch and Hop Knot IPA.

Prescott Brewery: This Prescott brewery offers two of its beers – Ponderosa IPA and Liquid Amber Ale – in cans, but a new, larger cannery soon will allow it to can six or seven beers.

Grand Canyon Brewing: This Williams brewery cans four beers – Black Iron IPA, American Pilsner, Sunset Amber Ale and White Water Wheat – which also are sold in variety 12-packs called Trail Mix Packs.

Mudshark Brewing: This Lake Havasu City pizzeria-turned-brewery cans four of its beers – Desert Magic IPA, Dry Heat Hefeweizen, Full Moon Belgian White Ale and UpRiver Light.