Draught premium lager superior to canned version?
Discussion
Lester H said:
Yes, I know this may have been discussed on here before. However, if you take Kronenberg as an example, is the canned version the same, and thus the superiority of draught ( as it’s all sterilised) all in the mind? Or even the design of the glass?
Canned Kronenburg 1664 has to be the most evil thing you can buy in a can short of Anthrax. Are you insane?The only Kronenberg even mildy acceptable is the French stubby version (which isn't 1664).
Of course taste is subjective!!
I tend to think that for my tipple of choice, Brooklyn and Sam Adams, the can is preferable to the bottle, but nothing beats draft. Especially in a frozen glass.
stongle said:
Lester H said:
Yes, I know this may have been discussed on here before. However, if you take Kronenberg as an example, is the canned version the same, and thus the superiority of draught ( as it’s all sterilised) all in the mind? Or even the design of the glass?
Canned Kronenburg 1664 has to be the most evil thing you can buy in a can short of Anthrax. Are you insane?The only Kronenberg even mildy acceptable is the French stubby version (which isn't 1664).
Of course taste is subjective!!
I tend to think that for my tipple of choice, Brooklyn and Sam Adams, the can is preferable to the bottle, but nothing beats draft. Especially in a frozen glass.
This is perhaps not relevant, but I’m reminded of my (French) brother in law.
When he came to stay with us, I took him out to my local & bought a couple of pints of Kronenbourg.
Pints finished, he headed for the bar & in his best, self conscious, English ordered “Two pints of Sixteeen sixteee four pleeese”. The bar maid looked at him completely blankly & I had to intervene & specify “Two pints of Kronenbourg!”
I felt sorry for him because his English was perfect, but he’d been flummoxed by cultural differences. There’s only one type of Kronenbourg in the UK.
In answer to your question, I’m not sure I’d be able to tell the difference between the draft & canned versions, in all honesty!
When he came to stay with us, I took him out to my local & bought a couple of pints of Kronenbourg.
Pints finished, he headed for the bar & in his best, self conscious, English ordered “Two pints of Sixteeen sixteee four pleeese”. The bar maid looked at him completely blankly & I had to intervene & specify “Two pints of Kronenbourg!”
I felt sorry for him because his English was perfect, but he’d been flummoxed by cultural differences. There’s only one type of Kronenbourg in the UK.
In answer to your question, I’m not sure I’d be able to tell the difference between the draft & canned versions, in all honesty!
Spoken to a senior brewer today. The lagers, brewed on an industrial scale are identical at source, whether canned, bottled or in the keg for pubs. He made the interesting point that the taste also depends on the design of the glass, it isn’t all b.s., apparently. In reference to another poster, the age may affect cans eg if you buy as a last resort from a newsagent but at the moment there is a supply problem, so it’s mainly likely to be fresh.
Well it’s a friendly thread, so I’ll go on...I was visiting my local which was a micro brewery too. I was, and am, no stranger to cask ale. A group of 4 Camra members came in for a tasting session, they were rather self important, thus the landlord and brewer distributed 16 of those third of a pint taster glasses and the critique began :’ too citrus, prefer this- more malt- no, you’re wrong this is more complex, yep but it’s a bit cloudy...this must be Silver King..no it’s JHB. It’s not IPA, it’s Taylor’s..This is the strongest.. reminds me of Sarah Hughes- a hit of red under the light......’. Of course, they were all the same!
When I used to drink lager, pretty much all draught lager tasted watered down or just negatively different to their bottled/canned equivalent. More often than not, the draught lager (especially the premium lagers) were far less gassy than the canned variety (flat), which significantly altered the taste. This was about 15 years ago though and things may have changed.
Now that I mainly drink cider (of various brands) I can taste the difference between a draught, can or bottle version. Bottles are superior. I have no idea why as I assume it all started off the same.
Now that I mainly drink cider (of various brands) I can taste the difference between a draught, can or bottle version. Bottles are superior. I have no idea why as I assume it all started off the same.
Lester H said:
Well it’s a friendly thread, so I’ll go on...I was visiting my local which was a micro brewery too. I was, and am, no stranger to cask ale. A group of 4 Camra members came in for a tasting session, they were rather self important, thus the landlord and brewer distributed 16 of those third of a pint taster glasses and the critique began :’ too citrus, prefer this- more malt- no, you’re wrong this is more complex, yep but it’s a bit cloudy...this must be Silver King..no it’s JHB. It’s not IPA, it’s Taylor’s..This is the strongest.. reminds me of Sarah Hughes- a hit of red under the light......’. Of course, they were all the same!
A nice story, but didn't happen.Cans/bottles are more consistent. There are plenty of variables in draught lagers, such as how often the lines/equipment are cleaned, how long the barrel has been open for, how popular it is etc.
I’m my opinion, it’s well maintained draught > bottles > cans.
I understand that cans have a plastic lining to prevent reaction with the aluminium, but i suppose it is possible that there is some transfer. Glass is inert, so it doesn’t have that problem. However, the colour of the bottle can alter how it reacts to light, which can impact on flavour - apparently clear bottles offer no protection, brown ones the most.
It’s a complicated topic!
I’m my opinion, it’s well maintained draught > bottles > cans.
I understand that cans have a plastic lining to prevent reaction with the aluminium, but i suppose it is possible that there is some transfer. Glass is inert, so it doesn’t have that problem. However, the colour of the bottle can alter how it reacts to light, which can impact on flavour - apparently clear bottles offer no protection, brown ones the most.
It’s a complicated topic!
Lester H said:
Spoken to a senior brewer today. The lagers, brewed on an industrial scale are identical at source, whether canned, bottled or in the keg for pubs. He made the interesting point that the taste also depends on the design of the glass, it isn’t all b.s., apparently. In reference to another poster, the age may affect cans eg if you buy as a last resort from a newsagent but at the moment there is a supply problem, so it’s mainly likely to be fresh.
The shape of the glass makes no difference whatsoever. In international wine tastings (far more expensive than beer) they use a standard ISO tasting glass. I cannot stand "glass snobbery".https://www.wineware.co.uk/glassware/what-makes-is...
When I was at Uni, there was a particular bar which poured the nicest pints of Kronenburg I have ever had. Can't quite put my finger on why they were so good but they just tasted 'better'.
Sometimes you really can't beat a cold pint of lager but IMO bottled tastes much better than lager in a can or on tap.
Sometimes you really can't beat a cold pint of lager but IMO bottled tastes much better than lager in a can or on tap.
Chebble said:
I understand that cans have a plastic lining to prevent reaction with the aluminium, but i suppose it is possible that there is some transfer. Glass is inert, so it doesn’t have that problem. However, the colour of the bottle can alter how it reacts to light, which can impact on flavour - apparently clear bottles offer no protection, brown ones the most.
It’s a complicated topic!
All correct. You will find that lagers with a hoppy flavour (the more European lagers) will tend to be in green bottles, less flavoursome lagers in brown of clear.It’s a complicated topic!
Many years ago I worked in brewing, there are a lot of factors which change the flavour of lager including age/heat/light/temperature it's served and vessel you drink it from and how that vessel was cleaned before you used it. Lagers are actually quite volitile and don't really keep well after introduced to oxygen.
The brewer I worked for spent huge amounts of money on projects experimenting with nucleated glass (the manufactured imperfections in the base of the glass that keeps it fizzy and the head on the lager while you drink it) to get the head, dispersal of CO2 and subsequent flavour exactly as they wanted.
RobbieTheTruth said:
Lester H said:
Well it’s a friendly thread, so I’ll go on...I was visiting my local which was a micro brewery too. I was, and am, no stranger to cask ale. A group of 4 Camra members came in for a tasting session, they were rather self important, thus the landlord and brewer distributed 16 of those third of a pint taster glasses and the critique began :’ too citrus, prefer this- more malt- no, you’re wrong this is more complex, yep but it’s a bit cloudy...this must be Silver King..no it’s JHB. It’s not IPA, it’s Taylor’s..This is the strongest.. reminds me of Sarah Hughes- a hit of red under the light......’. Of course, they were all the same!
A nice story, but didn't happen.https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/10...
I bet you could do it with coffee too.
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