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

I would like to know which ones you're talking about, and Which breweries?

I do know that some will drop the yeast and proteins with products like PVPP and BioFine Clear, but those drop out and should not be in the finished product.

 

Thats what i've been told in a paid beer course i took a couple of months back by a so called beer conoisseur guy, he didnt mention any specific substances nor brands, but you seem quite knowledgeable, maybe you can shed some more light on this matter?

 

Because Beer is ALWAYS better on tap, IMHO. I don't care of its old mil or FBS. To me it always tastes fresher on tap and fresh is what I like.

 

Rarely drink keg beers but 95% of the beer I buy is draught. It certainly makes an enormous improvement over the bottled versions but I put that down to lower carbonation and the ability for beer to develop in cask via controlled oxidation.I didn't realise that kegged beer was different from bottled though.

 

Sam Adams Boston Lager is much better on tap.

 

I think that a lot of this is mental. I've had plenty of draft pours which didn't provide enough head. Heck, last night I had a Weihenstephan HefeWeiss on draft and because they poured it to allow only a thin ring of foam, it took much away from the flavor/mouthfeel. Another guest of mine got a sessionable porter and it too had little head. Whenever this happens I think that I'd be better off pouring these beers at home from the bottle. Things like very clean glasses and pouring technique matters a great deal to me.

 

Sometimes I think I prefer 2 hearted from a bottle rather than tap. Even more wierd its the one time I head it from a mini keg I thought it was even better. Sometimes I think it its my mind playing games.

 

The 2nd best beer I've ever had was a fresh canned Heady Topper.. The best..the 2oz sampler on draft at the cannery!

 

Some obvious aspects have not been stated unless I read too quickly, but I think just the fact that you are drinking from a can vs. a glass makes a difference. Aroma, etc...

Also, I have had some pretty horrible on draft experiences. Once had a Lagunitas Sucks on draft from a pizza place that instantly made me aware of the impact of unclean draft lines. Never have had such a great beer taste so bad.

 

CO2 is my main guess. I always much enjoy a beer poured into a glass, whether bottle of draft. It releases a lot of the CO2, which makes it easier to drink.

 

Yup, I caught that right after I posted. Sometimes you guys are too fast on here!

 

Agreed. My first Pliny was on tap and I really did not like it all that much. Had another out of the bottle a few months later and it was night and day improvement. I have since repeated the experiment 5-6 times and Pliny out of the bottle was the winner every time. not sure why

 

A 12-oz can of Pilsner for $7.75? That was at the ballpark, right?

 

Considering this was at the stadium, freshness shouldn't be much of an issue as they now have the new Slyfox cans. That said, there's always going to be some kind of variation from batch to batch.

I do agree that beer, from a keg, for the most part, tastes much better. This is especially true for me when it comes to IPAs, Saisons, Pale Ales and lighter beers. This might only have to do with serving temperature, though, as I prefer these on the chilly side vs darker beers at room temp. Carbonation is also another varying factor, not to mention oxidation levels between keg, can and bottle.