Tap (Draft) vs. Bottled Beer

Bottles and cans. While I love draught as much as the next guy, tap lines can vary in cleanliness. I think it's a reflection on the fact that the overall workforce just don't give a phuch about nuthin', no more.

 

Bottle all the way. The last time I had tap was at a World of Beer in Florida and I asked for a St. Bernardus 12 on tap. Tasted like a watery shadow of it's brilliant self

 

depends on where i'm going. at my trusted beer bars, i prefer tap

 

I definitely prefer bottles, but some beers are just way too good on tap. My go-to example is Young's Double Chocolate Stout, which on tap is so sensationally above any other medium I've had it in.

 

If the draft lines are well kept then the experience is good. A bottle is a snap shot in time and can be great as well, style permitting!

 

Dude, I have no clue where you go in Michigan, bu that's weird. I've traveled all over and live in NY, even the idea of pouring your own beer is absurd. Literally that would be considered trying to steal beer and you'd get immediately kicked out of the bar

 

It depends. Depends on the beer, what kind of place the taps are, etc. If I'm at a beer bar that obviously specializes in serving good craft beer, then I better expect some awesome beer flowing forth from those taps. Awesome as in served properly (temp-wise, glassware, reasonable head, etc), clean tap lines, fresh, and pretty much the same quality of what I'm expecting at the brewery. But one of my favorite hang outs is a pizza pub/bar. They have a decent craft selection, but they're definitely a pizza place, not a beer place. I don't hold their taps to the same expectations, so I usually just order a bottle. Their Odell IPA on tap, one of my favorite beers, is vastly inferior from fresh Odell IPA in the bottle.

I do love trying beers straight from the breweries themselves. Obviously that's the winning scenario.

 

no, you are not crazy ... like several other in here, I very much prefer bottles. At home with the bottle (or can), I have more control of temperature and the pour.

Beer on tap can be great, but my 10 best beer experiences have happened at home with the bottle or can.

With that said, I'd like to run into a super fresh beer on tap where they keep the lines clean ... just to see if the hype is justified. So far, my experience with on-tap beer is that it never lives up fully to the legend of the tap.

 

Im the same way with zombie dust id rather have it bottled than on tap... on tap is great but it always taste better every time i get it bottled.

 

There is no way a bar could have an uncooled run of 20 feet, they would never be able to pour a beer that wasn't all foam. Even a short run of uncooled line causes foaming. Long run systems use glycol cooling lines running next to the beer lines inside insulated conduit.

 

If you're getting an IPA(or any beer) on tap with no head, that's usually the fault of the bartender who poured it, not the beer. In rare cases the CO2 pressure in the line precludes head, but again, that has nothing to do with the beer.

 

At first I thought the post you're referring to was sarcastic. Then I realized it wasn't. Wow.

 

Same experience here. Had the opportunity some time back to get Troeg's Hop Nugget on tap after having it bottled. After the first sip I knew there was a definite problem and did not finish it. Later we found out there were some health violations at this establishment and that a failure to properly clean and sanitize their equipment was one of the violations listed. But I still enjoy getting a rarer beer on draft especially if I have had it bottled first just to compare.

 

I personally liked this years KBS much better out of the bottle than the tap. Much more coffee forward and tasty to me.

 

Exactly, sounds more like a really annoying guy constantly complaining about his pours and the manager is just like, "Fine, pour your own, we'll still charge you though."

 

As a general rule "for me" a properly maintained and functioning tap beats the bottle everytime. Yet due to convenience at home I drink mostly bottles.

 

Let me preface this by saying, although I really enjoy craft beers, I don't have a very well-trained palate yet. I know what I enjoy, and I can recognize the major flavor characteristics of the different beer styles, but I'm just not experienced enough to identify or communicate the subtler ones.

That being said, yesterday I ordered a Sam Adams Alpine Spring draft from Ruby Tuesdays. I've had this beer before in bottles and liked it, but I thought the draft version was absolutely delicious. I initially noticed what I perceived as a "buttery" or "butterscotch" flavor at the beginning which eventually gave way to the more citrusy flavors I expected, but I never noticed this before in any of the bottles. I went home and did some research and discovered this may have been diacetyl which is often considered a flaw.

And this brings me to my question: What the heck is this beer supposed to taste like? Was this actually diacetyl that I tasted, or could I have been perceiving something else like malt or yeast? I'm just a little puzzled why I would like a beer better if it was flawed, which makes me think it wasn't actually diacetyl that I tasted. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

I agree 100% with this statement. If Ive had a beer both on draft and from the bottle, I almost always prefer it from the bottle. I think thats cause I can control the variables (freshness, temperature, serving glass). I also think a downfall of draft beer is the tap lines. Ive heard horror stories about tap line neglect. If you are drinking complex beers with flavor intricacies that can certainly throw things off.

 

what beer has the greatest taste difference either good or bad on tap vs bottled

 

Any IPA on tap will be better than the bottle.