->    Where do you import your beer from? Russia? :) 
  
I can't recall Russian beer here, but I've certainly seen Polish, along 
with a whole lot from western Europe, India, China, etc., etc.. Even 
Yankland. 
  
->    I think it's something like 20 odd years since I last saw a beer can made 
-> out of steel. As Michiel pointed out, recycled aluminium is so much more 
-> economical and much easier on the machinery that makes the cans. 
  
True. And yet it is also true that steel is still used in many 
countries. I have no idea why. 
  
Incidentally, I found a Coca-Cola can and tried the magnet test. As I 
expected, there was no attraction to any part of the can, including the 
lid. The can was aluminum. Period. 
  
These aluminum cans have far thinner walls than steel ones. They're 
scarcely more than foil. When they're full of pressurized beverage, 
they're reasonably rigid, but when they're empty and depressurized they 
can easily be crushed between two fingers. Of course, this is an 
advantage in recycling, since they can be compacted easily. But maybe 
it also explains why they are not used for non-pressurized foodstuffs. 
The cans would have to be made with much thicker walls, and the cost of 
the aluminum would then be significant. 
  
->    WHAT!?!?! You mean you are totally out of beer in the middle of the summe 
-> Gimme a break! How do you survive? :) 
  
I'm not much of a beer drinker. Maybe one a day. I go to a bar often 
enough to satisfy that need. At home, I generally drink various 
non-alcoholic beverages. 
  
                          dow 
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