Tap (Draft) vs. Bottled Beer

Don't know why but every time I have a scotch ale, specifically Scotty Karate and Dirty Bastard, in the bottle it's good but then I have it on tap and it is so much more smooth and the malt has more pop.

 

Not all taps are equal. Compare a fresh keg just tapped by a clean, properly maintained system to a keg that was tapped a month ago, that wasn't fresh/properly refrigerated before it was tapped, and into a non properly maintained/cleaned system AND when you get a glass it sat in the line for 3 days.
EEYUK!
I'm almost to the point where I don't have much draw to establishments that serve multi taps from somewhere else. BREWPUBS/TASTING ROOMS serve FRESH beer.

 

Lots of german beers are unfiltered when served from cask at the brewery while the bottled versions are filtered and/or pasteurized. The difference between the fresh cask version and the bottled version is very noticeable.

 

I don't really notice any difference, to tell the truth. Personally, i think it could be a modern myth. Paint me crazy...

 

I think it is a case of surface area of oxygen versus volume. Same way a larger format bottle will age slower than a smaller. Very much so the case with IPAs and Pale Ales. Just my two cents.

 

I've experienced a few times where the bottled version was better then the draft beer. The one that jumps to mind for me is Deschutes fresh squeezed ipa, I thought the bottled version was easily better than the draft.

 

What do you mean by "oxidation due to the hops"?

 

I like bottles personally, but that may be because taps mean public and I hate the public.

 

I prefer draft to bottles.

 

I prefer draught, with all beers but especially British cask stuff. Of course, I probably enjoy it more to an extent because it's a more social experience, but cask beer definitely is tastier and more drinkable than the bottled or canned equivalent (if in good condition, of course).

 

Cask>keg=bottle. I find very little difference between keg and bottle, save that the keg may be served colder than I like.

 

I notice a difference for Anchor Steam on tap versus bottles. I prefer the bottled version.

 

Barring a really poor selection,* I will almost always choose something from the draft list even when they have beers I prefer in bottles. I'm not sure the 1:1 difference is always that profound, but I figure I can always drink bottled beer at home.

*The only other exception is when they have something in bottles that I've not been able to find in my area and that I really want to try.

 

I disagree as far as La Cumbre's Elevated IPA goes. This beer is consistently better out of cans than from the tap, and I mean from the source. My theory is that the beer has more time to settle and balance itself out, but others probably know better.

 

I agree with other above posters that not all taps are created equal, what with plenty of bars out there being sloppy about cleaning lines and not storing beers properly.

 

Surprised no one has mentioned guiness yet. Way better on tap.

 

The hops makes the air taste bad i believe is what he means

 

Draught assuming it's in good condition.

I couldn't really pick out one beer that the difference is most stark though.

 

I noticed in Belgium that most of the beers are served from the bottle. There's the bars that do have like 12 on tap but then their booklet of beers is much larger. There's more bars though that have just a few on tap and most in the bottle though. But then again, we're not talking pale ales, and ipa's here.

 

I like stouts and porters from the bottle better. I do not have much of a reason, I just think they taste better. I would argue that IPAs and APAs taste better on draft. If it is a fresh keg then the hops really stand out. I've noticed significant differences in taste, specifically from Bell's Hopslam on tap vs. bottle. Hopslam is one of my favorites regardless how it is served but when I had it fresh out of the keg, man, those hops were potent.

I would say it mainly depends on handling. Once the beer leaves the brewery, it is up to the distributors to keep it fresh and get it in consumer's bellies as fast as possible. Temperatures and storage can make or break a brew. I guess my point is that the quality of our beer is usually beyond our control.