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What Is Draft Beer?

Draft beer, also known as draught beer, is simply beer that is poured directly from a keg or cask rather than from a bottle or can. Draft beer has been enjoyed globally for centuries by people of all ages. It is served fresh from the keg rather than having to endure a long preservation process as it is bottled and canned counterparts have.

In its most basic form, draft beer is any beer that is served directly from a container that contains the liquid itself, such as a barrel, pony keg, firkin, or half a barrel.

It can also refer to bottled-conditioned beers which still contain yeast and sediment but pour out of the same kind of vessels used for draft beer.

Differences between Draft and Bottled Beer

The differences between the draft and bottled/canned beers are significant in both taste and texture. Draft beer typically maintains more of its carbonation levels because it has yet to be pasteurized like its bottled counterparts; meaning that it keeps more “body” or texture when poured into the glass due to its higher level of venting.

In terms of flavor, draft beers often taste fresher and smoother due to much lower levels of oxygen exposure compared to their bottled competitors; leaving craft brew fans noting stronger hop aromas without being oversaturated with bacterial-based off-flavors that can be noticed in some poorly managed bottles/cans of craft beer.

Therefore, with this knowledge, it comes as no surprise that many craft breweries are choosing to focus on serving their products on tap because it allows them to be able to quickly move limited batches out while still maintaining their high standard of quality when evaluating their own products against those they share with competitors in the market place today.

 Popular Types of Draft Beer

A variety of lagers and ales comprise the lineup sold in public bars and taverns across the United States including classic American light lagers such as

  • Coors Light
  • Budweiser
  • Miller Lite
  • Pabst Blue Ribbon

In addition to these traditional offerings bistros often pour more obscure import styles such as Belgian witbier sours, French Saisons from Central Europe such as Gueuze lambics not just lesser known domestic production ale styles like IPAs pale ales .

But craft brewers are bringing even more styles for consumers’ tastes including stout (Irish style black stout), bock (German dark lager), and hefeweizen (German style wheat beer). As consumer demand for these types grows so do market offerings making sure each will have something new to try style every visit .

Among all types you are guaranteed to find one that fits your particular taste buds might have regardless if you’re a fan light bodied beers or favor heavy dark craft selections always something good to get!

History and Origins Draft Beer

Brewers of old may have been stuck with cold storage tanks and bottles to store their fermentable wort, but today we can thank 19th-century ingenuity for bringing us the conception of modern brewery systems. This enabled brewers to offer a wider range of beverage options to the public, changing the way we drink forever.

Jumping forward to today, most of the process is heavily focused on maintaining the structure and integrity of the product with the complex methodology used by macro breweries that employ electronically managed continuous fermentation systems. Even small-scale designer breweries operate in various locations with equally consistent output thanks to scientifically shortened development times and improved product quality.

Basically, no matter where you are, you can pop down to your local bar or restaurant with the confidence that you will be able to enjoy a fresh and chill pint or keg.

Different Ways to Serve Beer Draft

Whether it’s a night out at a restaurant or a party at home, consumers are sure to have their choice of specialty beverages available.

Restaurants typically come with their own set of standard pour glasses, but depending on the circumstances, there are some other ways to take pleasure in the variety of choices. Such options can include bottles, cans, cartons, growlers and even personal recipes.

Some retail establishments even offer home kits with personal taps that allow for full-scale modifications and proper regulation of temperature and pressure for lines dedicated to specific spaces.

Of course, the restaurant scenario might vary depending on the type and size of each establishment and require qualified individuals to maintain strict control over conditions in order to ensure the finished product achieves the best results for everyone involved.

As for unexpected indoor or outdoor events, mobile services with pop-up bars which run solely off generators can provide huge portable casks to dispense smooth cold beverages for multiple drinking scenarios without fail—whenever and wherever fun is needed!

Pre-Industrial Production Draft Beer

Refrigeration may be a more modern invention, but its roots go back much farther than the era of industrialization – shocker! Did you know the pre-Iron Age Sumerians had functional systems in place as far back as 1200 BC?

Yep, they used communal vessels in semi-enclosed mounds of sand to store and preserve fermented beverages – a pretty sophisticated evolutionary adaptation that helped perpetuate their culture. The Babylonians, Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans and many more seemed to follow suit by improving on the creation and reducing its affluence.

Later on, Ancient China also played a part with their own pavilions, inns, taprooms, servants and craft guild taverns. Now that’s something worth raising your glasses to!

Benefits Draft Beer

It’s clear as day: draft beer tastes fresher than any bottled brew, be it an ale, stout, pilsner, or some oddball concoction. Through secondary fermentation and passing through the keg’s lines and the injection of carbon dioxide, those added layers of subtle or strong flavors finish off the beer making it smoother, tastier and better!

The difference between draft and bottle is so obvious that even amateur consumers can discern it with ease.

Cost Effectiveness Compared Bottled Beers

Sure, buying each pint may seem like a financial obstacle, but when it comes to higher-priced items on the menu, buying a six-pack beats the cost per item any day.

This cost-effective solution is mainly due to transportation, packaging and plant operations. Quality-conscious customers should weigh their wants against their spending – don’t forget that each bottle or mug can be used for elevated presentation to consume the product in its undiluted form without dilution with water or worrying about spoilage.

In the end, nothing beats an ice-cold and tasty drink out of the tap. Respect your price point by selecting options that offer unbeatable value when compared to traditional packaging – your wallet will thank you!

Environmentally Friendly, Packaging, and Transporting

As the public demand increases for more conscious consumption that spares resources and decreases reliance upon wasteful packaging processes, those who take away drinks in products like aluminum cans, boxes or even as-is are certainly to be commended.

It’s true, this kind of thinking has certainly led to a change in environmental attitudes, as well as cutting back in the amount of actual packaging needed. Just try to imagine the unfathomable amount of plastic containers used by the global drinks industry alone and it will become quite clear.

But there is good news: other sustainable solutions such as metal containers are readily available and while they still need proper recycling methods to be put into place, a regular sixteen-ounce glass can typically just get a rinse before being re-used multiple times. So yes, people on planet earth are becoming more eco-aware – now let’s keep up the momentum!

The Process of Making and Serving Draft Beer

Making and serving draft beer is an art form. It takes time and patience to perfectly pour a frothy pint of the golden brew. The process begins with clean tap lines, beer faucets, and glasses. Then comes the choice of draft beer and the manner in which it is poured. The perfect head for a draft beer requires just the right amount of carbonation and precisely timed swirling into the glass.

The last part of this dazzling display of expertise? Enjoyment!

Ingredients Used in Brewing Process

Brewers of all backgrounds, be they expert or amateur, are in awe of the limitless possibilities presented by crafting a Belgian dark sour creamy IPA. From creamy malts to sweet extracts, the ingredients and the combinations thereof are seemingly endless.

But that isn’t all: thanks to dietary restrictions and prohibitions against certain types of grains, milk, eggs and gluten, natural variations now fill the space left by their conventional counterparts. Pick your preferred hop variety–light citrusy or piney perfume or balanced blends of bittering agents–it’s up to you to source your sweetness and extract your flavor from starches and proteins.

Unleash the full body of malts with acidic additions for that lovely tart undertone; an essential component comes from the yeast (attributed with adding depth and complexity for a smooth finish). All these efforts might attempt to emulate a well-crafted brewery offering but achieving that perfection is still elusive.

Steps to Store, Dispense and Clean the Draught System

As a bartender, your job may seem to require you to wear many hats, but with the right kind of planning, success is sure to follow! Plumbing comes into play with managing the draught system, where having a firm understanding of the process and all its details can be confusing – regardless of the number of taps you’re dealing with – from two taps to two hundred.

Just remember that good pressure pushes liquid through the line which then flows through the tap handle. Other factors such as temperature, pressure and line sizes play an important role in pinpointing what your dial settings should look like.

Once that is settled and you have created the most appropriate environment for pouring, it is best practice to do a test sip every half hour in order to ensure consistency remains. When changing kegs it is important to ensure they are emptied in cooled conditions before replacing and tested and cleaned regularly in order to get longest life span possible.

Lastly, management tasks such as logging inventory and reordering draft maintenance records are best undertaken in order to keep track of such details.

Proper Temperature for Serving and Storage

They say that it always pays to keep your favorite drinks chilled – so strike a balance between temperature and flavor for the ideal experience! For most light beers, keep your temperatures between 33-50 degrees Fahrenheit for optimal crispness and flavor. If you want to bring out the body of porters and stouts a bit more, try 48-55 degrees Fahrenheit.

And whatever you do, don’t overdo it for Afterglow – colder temperatures can reduce the flavor and texture. Keep your drinks chilled and store them properly so you can guarantee customer expectations every time they crack open a cold one! That way, all parties will have the perfect afterglow every time!

Conclusion

When the craft beer revolution hit the industry years ago, bringing with it latent creativity and appreciation for small batches of handmade drinks, loyal fans of craft beverages never looked back. But their thirsts continue to grow exponentially, leaving individuals looking to explore tastier and tastier quench-seekers.

Never fear, however – brewers have risen to the challenge, pushing hard to come up with ever more innovative recipes and ingredients. As for what’s next…well, consumers can only wonder!

With concerns about Mother Nature becoming increasingly more pressing, gourmet festivals and craft breweries seem to be popping up in cities everywhere — leading us to believe that soon enough everybody will agree that the greatest joy lies in finding those hidden gems off the beaten track.

Nothin’ beats the pure elation of experiencing cultures passed down through generations, continually refining and advancing with each iteration – they foster community ‘n’ spread joy by inviting us to share a world of delightful drafts with all their heady flavors, sure to tantalize your taste buds beyond measure! Yer sure can’t get that experience anywhere else!

 

Author Image Fabian
I’m Fabian, homebrewer and beer taster. I’m also the editor of Beer100. I love travelling the world and trying out new handcraft beer and different beer styles. I’m not an expert in brewing beer, but I know a few things about beer, which I share on this blog. If you need help or have a question, please comment below.

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