Is there a difference between drinking a beer in the bottle vs. on tap? I think so. On numerous occasions I have noticed a significant difference between the two. Why is this the case? Well, for one thing, beers on tap are carbonated by force injection of various levels of CO2 and many times nitrogen. Beers in the bottle are often given extra dextrose (corn sugar), yeast, or other forms of sugar to create carbonation (although it is noteworthy that most bottled beers are also force carbonated). So, which is really better? It depends on what the beer is meant to do. I’ve often found that I prefer most beers on tap vs. their bottled counterparts. This is especially true of Stouts. A great example is Guinness. I do not like it in the bottle but love it on tap. This is also true of a beer like Young’s Double Chocolate Stout. With beers like the above, this is a decent rule to go by. It is also true of most beers that are already matured at the time of drinking. But there is another category to consider.
If you didn’t know already, some beers are meant to be conditioned or aged in the bottle. Some beers can even have a shelf-life just as long or longer than wines. Since beer is still an organic, that is, it is not distilled and continues to change over time, it can be matured in the bottle. So, some beers that are in the bottle are able to achieve a character that is not possible on tap. Higher alcohol beers, more hoppy beers, and darker beers are often found in this category. Next time you drink a beer, ask yourself whether or not it is meant to be aged in the bottle or not. It will truly change over time.
One last thing needs to be said. Since beers can taste quite a bit different in the bottle vs. tap, I would encourage the reader to try a beer that they don’t like on tap or in the bottle (whatever is opposite the one you didn’t like). You may even find that the beer you thought you hated is the one you love the most.
I do want to note a couple other things as I continue to add to this post. First of all, there is some science to the idea that tap it better than bottled beer. In a keg there is less airspace per amount of beer, so less oxidation is likely than a bottled beer. The second thing is that most companies will insist that their kegged beer be kept cold during its whole life, while this is not the case with bottles. The other thing that I wish to address is whether or not beer on tap is stronger (alcohol wise) than bottles. The answer is no. “Then, why do I get a headache,” you ask. Since nitrogen is a lighter gas and higher levels of CO2 gets in the bloodstream easier. This, in turn, gets to the brain easier and creates more possibility of a headache. You may drink the same amount of beer on tap that you normally drink in a bottle and get a headache…but the reason may or may not be alcohol.
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Yeah,
A few months ago I had Stella Artois on tap and thought it was only OK and not worth the money. Last time I had it (a few years ago) was in the bottle and I recall enjoying it more.
I’ve also heard that for the over-indulgent drinker, tap beer pressurized with nitrogen lends itself to a wicked headache the next day.
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there’s an notable difference from tap as opposed to bottle. We already discussed this Mike, but i think (for example) that boulevard’s dry stout is extremely average in the bottle but quite good on tap with nitrogen. conversely, Sierra nevada’s pale ale is better in the bottle than on tap. The beer’s hops are more developed in the bottle and you get way more of the piney, grapefuity notes than when it’s on tap. sup nate!
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sup andrew!
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And what about nitrogen-conditioned beers, like Danny mentioned? Interesting practice!
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Hmmm, actually very few beers are pumped with nitrogen, though it is becoming a more common practice. Except in the case of beers that have an intended creaminess in the head (like Guinness), nearly all beers are pushed with CO2.
Also, I seriously doubt if the N vs. carbon dioxide is a noteworthy factor in hangovers, if any at all. Really, it is mostly about dehydration.
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beer_scientist Reply:
January 1st, 2011 at 9:49 pm
This is a pretty old post that needs updating based on being over two years old and a matter of information that we have now vs when we started writing…we’ve learned quite a bit in that time.
First, you are right about the CO2. There are plenty of beers that actually use nitrogen or nitro blends with CO2 but C02 is primary. However, your point is well taken…and thanks for stating what you did about it.
Second, I never said anything about a hangover, I said it was a headache and I still stick by the point about finer and lighter gases adding to the headache. Dehydration certainly is a factor but not the only one. The bodies withdraw from alcohol, for instance, is a noteworthy factor. Aside from that, B vitamin and nutrition deficiencies add to the potential. Again, the point wasn’t to hangovers so much as headaches.
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beer_scientist Reply:
January 1st, 2011 at 10:30 pm
I should probably also add that I would now make a fundamental distinction between bottle conditioned beers and force carbonation in regards to yeast properties and vitamins associated with it.
Like I said, this post is pretty old and could use some updating. Perhaps a new post is in order, especially since the primary point being made at the beginning was really about the flavor properties of bottle vs. tap and I added some of the other points on the end…we were writing about beer for a month at the time…needs some work for sure.
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Dashwood Reply:
July 11th, 2012 at 6:25 pm
Guinness and smooth flow beers are pushed with nitrogen, largers and ales are pushed using CO2, i’m a retired landlord
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michael reinhardt Reply:
July 11th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Thanks for the comment, Dashwood. I honestly should have updated this post quite a while back. I think the point you make is helpful but not 100% true across the board. I suppose some of it depends which side of the pond we are on.
However, I would like to note that in the case of cask ales that there is naturally occurring carbonation. In the case of Guinness, there are are various methods of dispensing it. For instance, places often use gas blends. While it may be technically true that some folks push it with nitrogen, even they (Guinness) carbonate with co2 in the keg to create some necessary counter-pressure.
I’ve also seen Lagers and Ales being pushed with Nitro at times. In fact, I recently had an IPA that was pushed with Nitrogen. I also wish to point out that Guinness, Boddingtons, and several other nitrogen pushed beers are technically ales, so the point that “ales” are pushed with co2 is a bit broad, in my opinion.
Whatever the case may be, this article could certainly use a serious overhaul…I’ve learned a little more on the topic since 2008.
By the way, where were you a landlord? What a great job…I genuinely wish that there were more British pubs in the US.
https://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer-edu/dispensing-beer-blended-gases-cid-1793.html
See also Kunze, Technology Brewing and Malting p. 741-742.
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[...] Conventional wisdom tells us that a properly drawn brew is pretty much always preferable to the same concoction poured from a bottle. I get it, there are reasons why, based on how carbonation works for tapped beer and what may or may not be added to the recipe to achieve the desired bubbles in a bottle, one might feel that way. I also appreciate arguments that beer conditioned bottling can create an altogether different game. But rather than waste your time here on the concepts and practices, I defer to a wonderful entry from our friends at “Thank Heaven for Beer” that discusses the issue beautifully. https://thankheavenforbeer.com/2008/09/29/bottle-vs-tap/ [...]
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I completely agree with your opinion that Sierra Nevada is better from a bottle.
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[...] choose local instead of imported beer to avoid unintentional aging. (Unless, perhaps, the beer was meant to be aged in a bottle, like higher alcohol, hoppy, or darker [...]
[...] choose local instead of imported beer to avoid unintentional aging. (Unless, perhaps, the beer was meant to be aged in a bottle, like higher alcohol, hoppy, or darker [...]
Normally with a bottled coloer this means that the cold control mechanism is no longer working and needs replaced. If you can get spare parts for the same water coloer then this can be relatively easily replaced. What is happening at the moment is the water coloer is continually chilling which is resulting in the ice donut at the bottom of the internal resevoir. This will keep on happening until the cold control is replaced.The Water Delivery Company offer a coloer repair service but you may prefer to look at our range of or .
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