They evoke a vision of Homer Simpson guzzling a Duff or Bluto Blutarski in Animal House smashing the empties against his forehead. Be truthful, though. Say you're parched and you forgot to stock the refrigerator. Cans chill down faster than bottles. Cans don't present a threat of broken glass and are welcome in places where bottles are banned.
Airlines prefer cans because they're lighter and take up less room.
The widget cans marketed here by Guinness, Murphy and other European brewers have removed some of the stigma. Pete's Brewing has been toeing the waters by offering its Wicked Summer Brew in cans on a limited basis. Boston Beer Co. has produced a cream ale-type product called Boston Beer that is available in 440 ml cans only in Great Britain. Others will follow. There's a niche here and somebody is going to fill it.