Good Grief, More Cans?

I was rather proud of my 1992 Snoopy A&W cans.  I had collected four of them from various can lots I bought on eBay.

My Snoopy cans

 ...until I did some research online and found out there are four more of them.

Complete collection

The above picture came from an eBay listing for all eight cans... for a mere $359.08.  So the hunt continues.  Some day I hope to display the entire collection on my shelf.

Stocking the Second Set of Shelves

It took quite a while, but the new shelves now have cans on them.  I basically had to take down all the cans from the first shelves, combine them with all the new cans, and start organizing them alphabetically from scratch.  There are now three sections to the collection:

These are my cans
A thru S. 

The top three rows are my foreign cans (from Japan and the Middle East).

The next four rows are cans T thru Z.

The next four rows are my Mountain Dew and Shasta cans.

The top six rows are my Coca-Cola cans.

The bottom six rows are my Pepsi cans.














And this doesn't include my 7 Up state can set, my 1977 RC baseball cans, 1978 RC baseball cans, etc.  

So am I done building shelves?  No.  Now I need some shelves to hold taller 16 oz cans (energy drinks and tea cans) and shelves to hold my short 8 oz stubbies.  But those will be built sometime in the future.  For now, the tools have been put away and my collector's hat is back on.

Building the Second Set of Shelves

Back in June, I built some shelves to display my can collection.  But over the last few months, the collection has outgrown the shelves.  So in August I began surveying the basement for a good place to build a second set of shelves. 

Framing the second shelves

I decided to keep the cans in just one corner of the basement which led to the "can room" design. 

If needed, future shelves will be built along the side of the stairs and underneath the stairs.  And finally, a third "wall" can be built from the end of the new shelf to the steps to create the Can Room.

Stay tuned to see the finished product...

Arabic Cans

Last month I reported I was in contact with someone in the Middle East about sending some Arabic cans to me.  Well, the cans have been delivered.  One side of the cans is in English and the other in Arabic.  These are the 54 cans that now comprise the Middle East wing of my collection.

A big THANKS goes out to BeerCanRich99!!!

Can Watch: This Fall's New Diet Coke Can

Picture from the internet

This fall, Diet Coke's "Stay Extraordinary" campaign takes on a different look.  The new limited-time-only design keeps the silver background and blows up the font so big that the words "Diet Coke" don't even fit on the can!

The new design shipped to markets on September 1.  That will give the can a couple of months to get comfortable on the shelves before holiday themed cans start shipping in November.

Picture from my collection

September 6 update - Who says there isn't a soda can fairy?  That was my first thought when I got home from work today and found a can with this new design lying in my sink!  Or maybe my wife picked it up on her walk to the store.  It looks like it was in a soda machine or rack of some sort because there are rub marks around the top and bottom, but this will keep a spot warm on the shelf until I can get a can in better condition.  Viva la Diet Coke.

October 29 update -  Everyone can rest easier now because I found a can in much better condition this morning.  A big thanks goes out to the litter bug on Main Street.

How Do I Open This Crazy Thing?

Back in the late 70's, we had to make a big adjustment in how we opened our soft drink cans.  An alternative to the pull top rings had just been discovered and was being rolled out to thirsty consumers.  The stay-on-tab was introduced.

But how would the average consumer know how to use the new-fangled contraption?  By reading the instructions on the can, of course.

I currently have two cans that fall into the "OI" classification, or Opening Instructions.  The first is the Pepsi can above from 1977.  The other is the Coke can below from 1978.

It's been over thirty years now since the stay-on-tab was introduced.  What could the next innovation be?  Or have we reached beverage can perfection? 

Current Excitement: Arabic Cans

I'm close to sealing a deal with a fellow collector who is currently visiting the Middle East.  He put out an offer to send Arabian cans back to the United States.  So I jumped on that offer.

These are some of the soda cans he has.  He also has at least this many non-alcoholic malt beverage cans.  Since those contain no alcohol, they technically fall within the guidelines of cans I collect.  So I told him I'm interested in everything he has.

Barring any jaw-dropping shipping charges, we'll be sealing this deal soon.  I'll be sure to write a follow-up post whether I get the set or not. 

Can Watch: Dr Pepper Ten

Dr Pepper Ten

I heard about this a while back, but I thought I would give it time to make it to my area before I started to look for it.  So now I am watching for Dr Pepper's new product, Dr Pepper Ten.  It is a hybrid drink that's supposed to have low calories (like Diet Dr Pepper) but the same taste as regular Dr Pepper.  Each can has only ten calories.  Get it?

Dr Pepper is marketing it for men, claiming the drink is "not for women."  They hope to get a firm foothold on the middle-age male market for low-calorie sodas. 

For more information, you can read the article Time published about it here.

The above picture is not mine, I found it on the world-wide interwebs.

From my collection

December 28 update - I met up with a friend from high school last night.  We hadn't seen each other for over ten years.  He drove here from Wisconsin.  When I got in his car and we pulled away, I heard a familiar sound rolling around in his back floorboard.  I reached back and pulled up this Dr Pepper Ten can.  I told him about my cans and he graciously donated it to my collection.  Maybe he could box up some other cans from Wisconsin and ship them to me... 

Thanks Joe

O Canada

Canadian cans

I received a shipment of steel Canadian cans in the mail today.  What makes them Canadian?  Let me count thy ways:

     1.  They have cities such as Toronto and Montreal printed on the cans
     2.  The cans have both French and English printing
     3.  They are 10 oz. liq. as opposed to the USA 12 fl. oz. standard
     4.  Some of them have funky opening mechanisms *
     5.  Plus, the guy I bought them from said they were Canadian

* Eleven of the thirteen cans are pull tops.  Two of those eleven are still sealed and have the pull rings attached (they are different than the standard USA pull rings)








* The Carlton Club can is a flat top (this particular can was opened with a churchkey)

* The Crush can has a press button mechanism

Can Watch: 7 Up Mixed Berry Antioxidant

To be discontinued

I just found an article that says 7 Up will be coming out with Mixed Berry Antioxidant this holiday season.  It will replace their holiday Pomegranate Antioxidant flavor (yay, another discontinued can that I have). 

I'm looking forward to my first holiday season of can hunting.  I'm sure the hunt will be on for new cans around Halloween and Christmas. 

For more info on the new 7 Up, read the full article at BevReview.com. 

Is There A Dr (Clone) in the House?

Do an internet search on Dr Pepper clones and you will find there are dozens of them!  Collecting DP clones could easily be a subset of someone's main collection.  Thus far in my collecting adventures, I have accumulated ten clones.

Top row: Dr Pop, Dr Phizz, Dr. Wow, Dr Shasta, Dr. Choice
Bottom row: Dr Thunder, Dr. Chill, Dr Vess, Dr. K, Dr. Topper

Oh, and if you get a headache from the caffeine, I recommend a call to Dr. Brown...

Not For City Boys

Blaze Orange

On my way home from work today, a blaze orange object near the edge of someone's yard caught my eye.  As I passed by I noticed it was in the shape of a can/bottle.  A quick mental inventory of my collection told me I had nothing this color at home and should circle around for a second look.  Was it crazy packaging for an alcoholic drink?  Or was it even a drink at all?

I stopped on the side of the road and darted the 20' or so into the yard to grab the item.  It was a metal bottle.  After I was back in the car and safely away, I examined the bottle to find it was an energy drink called Team Realtree Outdoor Energy.  This particular "flavor" was called Blaze Orange.  I love discovering brands I don't know exist, such as my discovery of Marley's Mellow Mood last month.

The Team Realtree website has a photo section showing hunters with the deer they've bagged and other outdoor activities.  It also claims right up front "Not For City Boys."  There are four flavors available: Low Carb Cream Soda, AP, White Buck and Blaze Orange. 


So while the "country boys" are out hunting their deer and other wild game, I'll be hunting the other three flavors of this manly energy drink.

The Aftertaste Report Podcast

The Aftertaste Report is a new podcast on the Collective Brain Network which features Jason and Nikki reviewing two drinks per episode.

The podcast may eventually become a bi-weekly show with a new episode every two weeks, but for now it is a weekly podcast with a new episode posted every Sunday evening.  

And while you're there, you can check out the flagship podcast called The Collective Brain.  The show is on summer hiatus but season one (episodes 1-20) can still be heard on the site.  Season two will be starting soon.

My 1000th Can!!!

It was almost four months ago that I started collecting cans.  I wanted to try to get 100 different cans.  If I could do that, I would try for 250.  And my ultimate lifetime goal was 500 cans.  And now...

Today I logged the 1000th can in my collection!

Current can count = 1000

And the lucky 1000th can was...

Jones GABA tea-juice

Jones GABA fuji apple tea-juice I purchased at Big Lots in West Virginia for $.50 on July 21.  Click here to browse my entire collection.

A Real Monster

When I visited the Big Lots in Williamson, WV, on July 21, I bought a few cans that I didn't have.  One of those was Monster Heavy Metal.

I've seen some big cans in my time, but this thing is HUGE (compared to a standard 12 oz can above)!  It is 32 oz and Big Lots had it for $1.50.  I don't even drink Monster but I knew that was a great deal!

Upon doing some research on the internets, I discovered that Heavy Metal has been discontinued.  This, along with the discontinued Red Bull Cola that I bought at Big Lots, leads me to believe they are a great place to find remaining inventory of discontinued items.

I will continue to visit Big Lots in hopes of finding more of these interesting beverages.

Summit Energy Drink



Summit Gridlock



As I've stated before, I like finding cans of brands/flavors that I didn't even know existed.  And that was the case this evening when I was handed an empty Gridlock can.

Even though I don't drink energy drinks, I've been aware of the big three (Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar) for a while.  But since I've started collecting cans, that list of brands continues to grow. 

It seems everyone wants their share of the energy drink market.  For example, Coca-Cola has Full Throttle and NOS while Pepsi has AMP.  So, in a way, I wasn't too surprised to see Summit (an ALDI brand) also has their own energy drink. 

What will they think of next?

Family Reunion

I found another good reason to attend family reunions... CANS!

We went to a reunion today.  Notice the line of coolers on the right side of the picture... open season for can hunting!!  But with a collection my size, it's getting harder to find day-to-day cans I don't have.  There were more than a dozen cans there that I already had, but I did find a few I needed.
 

To be honest, a couple of these cans were found on the road on the way home (Xyience and Sprite).  But still, I wouldn't have them had I not gone to the reunion.  So when's the next reunion?

Current Excitement: I Have Can #1000 in My Possession

According to my can collection site, as of this morning I have 881 cans in my collection.  In addition to those, I have at least another 150 cans that I haven't "processed" yet.  By "process," I mean adding it to my master Excel file, taking its picture, adding the picture to the website, then moving the can over to the display shelf or storage box.  On a good weeknight, I can find time to process 20-25 cans.  But some nights I don't have time to deal with any of it.  And on weekends I sometimes have time to do more cans.

So taking all of that into account, I think I will process my 1000th can this weekend or early next week.  I have the can already.  It could be any of the 150 or so that are standing in line.  But which one will it be?  I will not play favorites, I will continue to pick random cans to be processed until I hit that 1000th can. 

The lucky can will be announced here soon...

Beverage Industry News

During the last couple of months I have been searching the nets for good sources of soft drink news or info about can collection general.  So if you are looking for the same thing, then sit back and let me share what I have found.

As far as news of the beverage industry, the best site I have found is Bevnet.  They usually publish 6-12 articles a day; some of it's news, some are product reviews, etc.  They have even started a video series called Bevnet TV.  They've had three episodes to date; Ep 1 - Coconut Water and Aloe Drinks, Ep 2 - The Emergence of Chia Drinks, and Ep 3 - C20 Coconut Water.  They also have a digital magazine they publish every few months called Beverage Spectrum Magazine.

And speaking of magazines, I also found Soda Spectrum Magazine.  They offer a print version and you can buy all the back issues in PDF format on a CD for a reasonable price.  I bought the CD and told myself once I finished reading those issues then I'd subscribe for the new issues.  But I'm not even close to finishing the 50+ issues that came on the CD!!

And if you're looking for some good websites, I've added some good ones in the links section on the right of this site.  There are plenty of other sites I've found, but those seem to be the ones I frequent the most.

And with that info, have fun learning about the beverage industry. And if you know of any useful sites I haven't mentioned, please leave them in the comments.

Pepsi Jazzed Up

In 2006, Diet Pepsi came out with three flavors of their new variant called Jazz; Black Cherry and French Vanilla, Caramel Cream, and Strawberries & Cream.  The cans used the 2003 Pepsi logo. 

I had never heard of Jazz until I saw the three cans in a seller's collection on eBay early last month.  I was already buying some cans from him, so I added these three to the list.  I wish I could have tasted them, the flavors sound interesting.  But alas, Pepsi Jazz was discontinued in 2009.