Hi Everyone, Recently, I tapped a keg of Metropolitan Flywheel pilsner from my kegerator and compared it to the flywheel that I poured from a bottle. The draft beer was lighter in color than the bottled beer - much more golden. The taste was generally about the same, but the difference in color was certainly noticeable. Anyone else have this experience and if so, does anyone know the reason? Thanks!
There are at least a few likely causes. Oxidation. Neither bottle or keg are immune and it is dependent on the quality of the packaging line. Oxygen will darken beer, and it will also have a noticeable effect on taste. Even the most sophisticated bottling lines have a measurable amount of DO, and smaller operations are doing everything they can to keep DO to tolerable levels. Filtration and or haze. As yeast drops the beer darkens. Less light is reflected. The brewery may be using less filtration in the kegs. Brewer variation. I am not familiar with Metropolitan. Keep in mind that many small brewers are Ma and Pa operations. It is not unusual for there to be some batch variations. Changing glassware or lighting. Ideally both beers are compared in the same style glass with the same volume under the same lights. Cheers
