Just been enjoying a few beers lately. Same beer from the bottle good, from pub A great, then again from the tap of pub B tastes more bitter, an entirely different flavour that isn’t as refreshing.
I’ve experienced this before. So what’s up? Why are two pubs pouring the exact same beer from the tap and coming out with different flavours?
In: Other
Hey there, I’m a brewer by trade, and here are my thoughts. Some factors are: storage temperature, keg room temperature, length of draught lines, age of the beer, different batches of the same brand, what gas they use to push the beer through their lines, whether or not the lines have been regularly cleaned, whether or not the lines have been cleaned recently, some craft brands end up taking over more hop residue in earlier packaged beer vs the end of the tank.
Beer is a super finicky beverage, and the slightest change can completely ruin/alter the product. Most people that work bars/liquor stores either don’t have the means, or the give-a-damn to treat the beer as the brewery would intend; especially when each beer will have a slightly different handling capacity.
On the bittering note: you’re more than likely enjoying beer from cleaner beer lines. Dirtier lines will have small obstructions, like beer stone, that will allow CO2 to fall out of solution. The lack of carbonic acid will make the pH less acidic, and allow the bittering agents stand out more. This is just a guess though, as there are a lot of possibilities, dependant on a lot of variables.
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