Why is craft beer on draft different than in the bottle/can?

Were the ages of the beer similar?

 

I've observed the same thing. To me, beer on draft usually just tastes fresher and seems to have more depth.

I have absolutely zero evidence to back this up, but my hypothesis is that something about pouring the beer from a larger vessel through the tap causes the CO2 to be released in a different way (smaller bubbles maybe) and thus results in a better, fuller mouthfeel and thus a better-tasting beer. Maybe the beer in the keg is kept under higher pressure too. I'd be interested to learn more as well.

 

Unpasteurized vs. pasteurized/flash-pasteurized?

Freshness matters, too. Which brand was it, Jack?

 

Heh! I mainly thought -for the sake of comparison- it would be a fun thing for others to be able to try your experiment on their own, while out at a game.

Edit: For what it's worth I have twice enjoyed cans of Pikeland Pils (one of which was rather old, the other quite fresh) and have to say that you're lucky to be able to make the comparison!

It's a rare occurrence to find our locally-brewed Pils renditions on tap, let alone fresh.

 

I do not know about Sly Fox, but Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is actual a different beer on tap versus the bottle. Slightly different gravities and IBUs.

 

I had a similar experience with Red Hook Longhammer IPA. Bought a bottle to sample and didn't care for it at all. Went out to eat some months later and that was the only decent draft option, so I thought, "what the heck" and ordered it. It was quite good on tap.

 

There is going to be less variance in how the beer was processed and treated. It goes through a few extra steps when canned, and when shipped.

That's my assumption anyway.

 

My assumption is that they are separate systems. So the beer going into the keg from one system, and from one spout, and it's 5 gallons of beer. The can is coming from an entirely different system, that is poured 12 oz at a time, from a few different spouts through an automated system with more steps. The canning operation could be in an entirely different building than where the kegs are filled, or they could be canned by another company entirely. Just seems that your more likely to notice an impact on flavor, from the filling process, more rapidly from a beer packaged in smaller quantity.

Then there's the shipping method. I would think it would be far easier to control temperature and shipping variance with the larger quantity of beer.

 

It's the one thing that craft brewers have yet to master - consistency. There's plenty of times I have bought the same bottled beer from the same brewery and had two separate experiences. It's just the nature of the beast. Most of the craft breweries who are celebrated have been in the game for less than 15 years. Hard to master a craft such as beer in such a short time frame. Add to the fact that you have a new 'flavor of the month' brewery popping up seemingly every 15 minutes, are you really surprised at the lack of consistency bottle to bottle, keg to keg and batch to batch?

 

That was my first thought when I opened the thread, I much prefer Hop Devil on tap.

On the other hand, I had a draft of Palo Santo Marron recently and thought the bottle was much better (draft was kind of vegetal and metallic).

 

It is possible the kegs were kept cold the whole time, while cans/bottles may not have been.

 

I think a bit of this is in our heads, as there is just something magical about having a beer that is properly served on draught. However I definitely notice the difference too, and am curious. Mostly in carbonation/mouthfeel, however recently I noticed this weird trend in my palate:

I definitely think pales/IPAs/lagers are often more enjoyable on tap, however weirdly enough I recently discovered that I prefer my higher gravity/bigger beers from the bottle. They just seem way bigger and bolder tasting, whether in roastiness, boozyness, or barrel character. I find that having an imperial stout on tap (obviously this happens if it's on nitro, but I'm not even talking bout that right now) almost mellows the beer out! Sometimes this is a good thing, and sometimes bad. For instance, I have had FBS both out of the bottle and on tap, and it was WAY mellower on tap. Granted FBS isn't a huge beer to begin with but some of the yummy sharp roasty coffee notes were toned down, and I was able to discern a lot more of the subtle malt character behind the coffee. Same happens with stone espresso IRS and old raspy.

I find IPAs, pales, lagers, And most non-in-your face beers seem to become more flavorful and benefit from being on tap, whereas I feel bigger beers are mellowed out (again, not a bad thing, just different), especially imperials and barleywines.

Anyone else find the same?

 

cans and bottles have conservatives and stabilizers because you can never know how much time they will spend on the shelves, on the other hand barrel/kegged/draft beer has none of this because the keg goes straight down to the pub and is meant to be consumed in less than 45 days max. so its pretty fresh and doesnt have the beforementioned conserv and stabs

 

The only beer I have ever seen that is EXACTLY the same on draft, in the bottle AND from the can is heineken. I don't know why it is but that beer never changes.