draft to bottle inconsistency

[hb441]

I had a nice cool Pilsner in a pizza joint a few weeks ago. Really nice. Nothing wrong with it. A few days ago I bought the same beer in a 6 pack. Brewed just a few weeks ago. Pilsner with Saaz hops. It really bugs the **** out of me when a bottled beer
that is fresh tastes much different than the draft. The hops in the bottled beer
were much more bitter and off putting like dry hopping is often. I think that packaging beer is the kiss of death for quality regarding micro breweries.It always leads to a degradation in taste. It must be the amount of beer compared to the surface area of the container. In a big keg the solids settle out better. In a bottle they cant go anywhere and ruin the balance of taste components...

 

[Homercidal]

I saw a seminar at the NHC that discussed oxidation. The presenters were from a major craft brewery. They had numbers to back up the oxidation amounts.

I can now easily see why most beers on the shelf might suffer from oxidation. I think the big boys can invest in a system that helps prevent it, but I think most people can agree that a beer served fresh on tap will taste better than a beer freshly bottled, all things considered. I think between the possibility of extra oxygen entering the beer due to more handling, plus the potential for higher handling temps during storage/shipping, creates more potential for loss of flavor, and a dulling of the brightness of a beer's flavor.

That said, I do think that some beers work fine in that regard, although a lighter beer like that certainly wouldn't.