subject: Bottles Vs Draft: Choosing Your Beer [print this page] All beers are not created equalAll beers are not created equal. Anyone who has sampled a few will know that for certain. Although it largely depends on personal preference which beers you like, there is definitely a quality issue that can affect the taste and after effects of beer.
The ingredients, length of brewing, storage and service of beer can all affect taste and can make one beer taste delicious and another like warm dishwater. Leave a beer in the sunlight for a few hours and youll see just how environmental factors can influence taste. But it is perhaps how beer is transported and stored that has the greatest impact.
The two main ways that beer is stored and served is in barrels or in bottles. Barrels are accessed via a pump and the resulting glass of liquid is called draft beer. Bottled beer is packaged at the location of the brewery and served as it comes. So which is better and why?
It is commonly thought that most beer drinkers would prefer a draft beer if given the choice. Thats because draft beer is said to maintain the flavour it had when it was brewed. Because it has been stored well in barrels at the right temperature in the cellar of a pub, it wont have been too adversely affected by environmental factors.
There are a number of sub categories of barrel or draft beers. Some are cask conditioned which means that the fermentation process continues in the barrel. This can produce incredible flavours but the beer must be stored correctly, and very still, or the microbes will start to spoil it. Beer in kegs is pasteurised so it will keep for longer but doesnt have quite the same spectacular results.
Bottled beer can again come in a number of different forms. Some breweries attempt to make bottled draft beer. They havent been pasteurised but have often been filtered too much and have lost the distinctive draft taste. Ordinary bottled beer has been pasteurised but still manages to retain a nice flavour. Be careful though, as bottled beer has a shelf life of only about three months. Beyond that it can start to go bad. It is also true that beer in brown bottles will keep for longer than beer in green bottles as it is less susceptible to sunlight.
Essentially, it doesnt matter so much whether the beer is draft or bottled. The same beer from a tap or in a bottle might have some subtle differences but it shouldnt really affect your enjoyment of its taste. The real deal breaker is the quality of the beer and the ingredients that have been used to make it. A good beer will be delicious from a tap or a bottle. A bad one will taste bad no matter where it comes from. It really is up to you which you prefer. The bottom line is that you should always be willing to try and experiment. That way you will never miss out.
