Draft Beer Vs Bottled Beer... Which is Best?

While there are many benefits to serving draft beer. We need to address the cleanliness of a draft system before we compare draft beer vs bottled beer. For draft beer. It is important to maintain draft lines to keep the beer fresh and appealing. Draft lines need cleaning - at least twice a month - to remove any sediments or buildups that can affect the taste of the beer. ​In addition, the lines should stay at a consistent 38-degree temperature. To prevent the beer from becoming foamy or flat. By taking care of draft lines, bar and restaurant owners can ensure that their customers always have a great experience with every pint. With that addressed. Which beer is better draft or bottled? Let's discuss.

Which is Better?

There is a lot of debate in the bar and restaurant industry about what type of beer is better: draft or bottled? Let's take a look at the pros and cons of each.

Draft beer pours from a keg, while bottled beer is sealed in a container and then transported to the venue. There are pros and cons to both types of beer. Here's a breakdown:

Pros of Draft Beer: 

• Taste: Draft beer often tastes fresher than bottled beer, because it doesn't have time to sit on the shelf.
• Cost: Draft beers are usually cheaper than their bottled counterparts.
• Environmental impact: Bottled beers create more waste than draft beer. Because they require extra packaging.

Cons of Draft Beer: 

• Storage: Kegs take up more space than bottles, so they might not be practical for smaller venues.
• Transportation: Draft beer can be difficult to transport because the kegs are heavy and fragile.
• Spillage: If a keg is tapped incorrectly, it can result in a lot of wasted beer. Or a beer system isn't set up right.
• Draft System Cleanliness: Plays a huge factor is draft beer tasting fresh. Sometimes the retailer doesn't clean their lines as much as they should and it impacts the brand of the brewery.

Pros of Bottled Beer:

• Taste: Some people believe that bottled beer tastes better than draft beer because it is less likely to be contaminated.
• Convenience: Bottled beer is easy to transport and store, and it doesn't require special equipment to serve.
• Shelf life: Bottled beer has a longer shelf life than draft beer, so it can be stored for longer periods.

Cons of Bottled Beer:

• Cost: Bottled beers are often more expensive than their draft counterparts. 
• Environmental impact: Bottled beers create more waste than draft beer. Because they require extra packaging.

Conclusion

So, what's the verdict? There is no clear winner when it comes to draft vs bottled beer. It all comes down to personal preference. Some people prefer the taste of draft beer, while others find a bottled beer to be more convenient.

Ultimately, it is up to the consumer to decide which type of beer they prefer. I believe a draft beer is better than a bottle beer. Especially if I know that I clean the beer lines at that specific retailer or brewery. Fresh draft beer from a clean beer system is... I don't think it gets any better than that... but then again that's my personal opinion.

I hope you enjoyed this post about draft beer versus bottled beer. If you have any other questions you can always reach out to us here and visit our blog. We have a bunch of other information not just about cleaning tap lines and cleaning beer systems, but about draft systems setting them up. Coffee systems and other cool educational information at our blog. Which would benefit anyone in the hospitality industry. Until next time cheers.