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The great beer debate: draft, bottles, or cans?
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What evil lurks in the hearts of draft towers?
The great beer packaging debate has raged on for years, becoming even more complex as some craft brewers have started selling their beers in cans. Does one method yield better beer than the others, and which should you choose when the same beer is available in different formats? The answers to these questions are largely subjective, but there are some differences between the different packaging methods to keep in mind.
If beer tasted the same regardless of what package it came in, it’s doubtful this debate would exist at all. Many people prefer draft beer to its bottled or canned brethren, citing a smoother, less bitter taste. Draft beer often does taste different - this can be a result of bulk aging that occurs in the kegs, lower carbonation levels (CO2 is perceived as a bitter bite in the beer, which is reduced through the pouring of draft beer), or even modified recipes being specifically brewed for draft (Sierra Nevada is one brewery that does this, presumably to make the draft version more of an easy-drinking session beer).
So what’s the main problem with draft beers? The bar owners and bartenders who ruin the experience through ignorance or greed! Many bars do not clean their taps and beer lines as often as they should (if at all!) and this can turn the path from keg to glass into a nasty microbiological gauntlet the beer has to pass through. Luckily, no organisms harmful to humans can live in alcohol, but dirty gear can and will ruin the taste of your precious beer!
Another nasty trick bar owners employ is the use of air mixers – these devices mix air into the CO2 before it enters the keg. Owners do this because this gas mix is cheaper than pure CO2 and helps reduce foaming (and wasted beer) at the tap. I can understand the economics, but pumping oxygen into the keg is the worst thing a bar could do. They are compromising the quality of the beer (through oxidization), potentially introducing contaminants and random flavors/odors into the keg, and changing the carbonation level that the brewer wanted the beer served at. Horrible, horrible stuff.
Bottles and cans are immune to all of this bar trickery, and are also very portable (you can take draft to go in a growler, but it won’t last long once it’s opened). There are trade offs, however. Beer is typically filtered and pasteurized before being bottled or canned, and this can change the taste of the beer in subtle ways. Age can also mess with the flavor – how long has that bottle or can been in transit, sitting in a hot warehouse somewhere, or waiting on the liquor store shelf? The “born on date” is actually more than just a marketing gimmick!
Bottled beer also runs the risk of becoming light-struck (or “skunked”) – exposure to light activates hop compounds which produces a skunky flavor and pretty much ruins the beer. Cans are lightproof and are actually the best medium for long-term storage and shipment, but there is a stigma that only cheap beer belongs in cans. Some old cans actually tainted the beer with a metallic flavor, but modern canning operations do not have this problem – unfortunately, popular opinion and the expense of setting up modern canning lines has prevented many craft brewers from taking the plunge.
Alas, this debate might be settled for you before it begins – often, you have no choice how to take your beer. Canned craft beer is still relatively rare, and in most places, you won’t find the smaller import labels and non-local craft breweries on tap. This seems to be changing, as I’ve personally seen a huge increase in both the number and variety of taps on offer as the craft beer movement has gained momentum. However, even the best beer bars have a limited number of taps, so be prepared to do a lot of your drinking from bottles. Regardless of how your beer gets to you, remember all the things which can affect the taste – I always give a beer I didn’t like a second chance if I can find it in another form.
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