I recently rediscovered Belhaven. Mine is the reverse of your experience. In olden times, maybe ten years ago, the bottled was porter-like as you experienced it. The bottles I've had in the last couple of years were lighter, amber, like what you had in the can. I never had it canned. Could they have two different lines? Or do we have two different tastes? I will look for the cans, and I too, like the "device'.

I am very fond of porters, and was surprised that my first taste of this ale was porterish, last spring. This beer seemed like a whole different item, although there have been a few months. (usually I have a strong taste memory, though)

i think that little 'widget' inside all of these draught cans is full of nitrogen. there are two ways to 'carbonate' beer: with CO2 or N2. Nitrogen is the gas of choice for most, if not all, real draught porters. the nitrogen (N2) bubbles are much, much smaller than CO2-created ones. they hold the head muchlonger. you pop the draught can, the widget opens releasing all the N2, and voila, you have a tap-like drink. cool, right?

Frankly, it is cool. I got myself a can of draught Tetley's to try too, it calls it a widget. And, best of all, it is easy to make a black and tan at home (with a pale ale on the bottom, and Guinness draught poured over a spoon on top)!!!! Impresses the wife AND visitors.

The "little ball" is called a "widget" and it is an abomination to beer. It causes nitrogen to be released when the can is opened and produces an artificial creamy head similar to nitro-serve draught beers. Like nitro draughts, it results in a bland, homogenized taste that has had any hop characteristics knocked out. Beers that use them are not considered good by most craft beer lovers. Boddingtons is a great example. Although they make an acceptable( but not great) real ale in Britain, the stuff available here is crap. Beyond that though, you should avoid ANY beer packaged in a can - even if you have the bottled version. There are no quality beers anywhere that are canned - not Guinness, not Belhaven(used to be a good brewery)and certainly not Boddingtons. Why do you think NO quality microbrewery cans their beer? Beyond taste issues though, canned beer totally lacks any aesthetic appeal.

Hi Steve. Microbreweries are canning:<ul><li>Butternuts of New York,</li><li>Oskar's Blues from Colorado, and</li><li>Hockley from Ontario.</li></ul>But I take your point as I do not love the widget beers myself.

I can understand taking cans of real craft beer backpacking, etc. now that it appears there are a few microbreweries canning their beers, but other than that, I won't drink canned beer any more than I'd drink beer from a plastic cup!

in certain circumstances where beer in a plastic cup is the only choice I'll take it over the alternative of no beer.

Now now now, Steve, we're just having fun with a toy. Sure, the microbrew made in the pub is always the first choice, but this is a different category. Craft beer lovers know this, and for example, everybody wishes Boddington's and Guinness were better, but there you go.
Your comment about hops would EXPLAIN A LOT though, why the bottled Belhaven Ale is different from the frothy can.

Listen, Tetley's English Ale beats ALL these guys in the fluffy, ball in a can competition.
Beer advocate sez:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/8535/706/

Yummy!!!!! Frothy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry guys, it sounded to me like you thought canned nitro-widget beers were really good. As for Tetleys and comments on Beer Advocate extolling its virtues -- you can find people there who rate Labatt Blue and Coors highly too. Just because it gets some raves there doesn't mean anything. Also, there's no such thing as so-called English "pub ale". It's a marketing ploy used to sucker drinkers who don't know British beers. Real ales are what you find in any decent pub over there. The next closest thing are bottle-conditioned ales. Tetleys in a can is neither.

I stumbled across Belhaven Draft at a Scottish Pub in Savannah, Georgia called Molly MacPhersons. The Belhaven Draft was the best Ale I have ever had. When I got back to Atlanta I found Belhaven Ale in the bottle. It did not have any where close to the same taste as the Pub. I contacted Belhaven and finally found the Belhaven Pub in Cans which is so close to the Draft. This is the Belhaven you all want to try and get a hold of if you cannot find a pub with the Belhaven Draft. Yes it does have a widget in the can. You will not be disappointed. John Jones - Atlanta, Georgia

best dark beer ive tasted but hard to find in abilene,texas