Grinder12000

Recipes 

Probably been talked about once or twice but . . . . .

I LOVE Ale Asylum's Nut Brown Ale and had it on tap for the first time last week - WOW - it was awesome.

So - why is there such a large difference and can't this be corrected with a recipe correction?

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BlindLemonLars

Recipes 

In the commercial world, I think it's primarily an issue of freshness. Kegged beer is brewed and shipped quickly (and cold) for virtually immediate consumption, while bottles/cans may sit in trucks, warehouses and stores for weeks or months. Bottles are also more prone to degradation from heat or UV exposure. Finally, most kegged beers (domestic anyhow) aren't pasteurized, while most bottled ones are.

In some cases though, I have to believe that there is more going on, and perhaps different recipes are used. I always enjoy Guinness on tap, but I've never had a canned or bottled variety that tastes anything at all like the draft product.

menschmaschine

Recipes 

I don't know, but have some theories:

Bottled beer usually has more alcohol than draft. Does they do this for longer shelf-life?

Bottled beer is usually more carbonated than draft. Do they do this because the average consumer doesn't pour bottled beer slowly and they are compensating for lost carbonation in the glass?

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McGarnigle

Recipes 

Maybe. But I think this is to make it sessionable. A lot of British ales are made lower alcohol for pub drinking, where you'd want a bunch. Bottled beers are intended for more contemplative drinking.

In the US, this falls apart a bit because of the lack of a pub culture, and because the microbrew cult of high ABV. But it still exists somewhat; bars don't want you to sip, they want you to guzzle.

ExpertBrewers

Recipes 

The main difference would be some kegs are also unpasteurized well most bottles are.

mew

Recipes 

I agree that there is usually a huge difference. Here are some more opinions:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/microbrews-bottled-very-different-kegged-68625/