Belgian Beer Board

It is unusual for me to find belgian beer on tap , and in several of those occasions I found it very similar to the 33cl bottled version. Few exceptions are Westmalle Dubbel and Grimbergen Dubbel, both tasted better on tap, especially Grimbergen was a surprise as I don't really like it on bottle. The very few heavier beers I've tried, I wouldn't be able to tell them apart from a bottle.

On 75cl bottles, I only tried (several years ago, at Brussels Grand-Place ) Gouden Carolus Imperial Dark and it was simply amazing. But there's no 33cl version of it to compare.

What's your experience on beers that are different enough on tap and/or 75cl bottles?

In the immediate area where I live, there are simply no Belgian beers on tap. None. Zero.

If I drive for about 45 minutes though there is a great bar/pub called The Back Abbey (and they have another location about 10 minutes beyond that one) which carries some wonderful Belgian beers on tap and in the bottle.

De Garre tripel can often be found, along with Klokke Roeland and St Bernardus 12 among others.

It's a bit pricey though, so I don't go there more than a couple of times a year.

But to get more to the point in regards to your question, certainly beers can deviate a lot between tap and bottle, and even between different sized bottle options.

In many (but not all) cases I find the tap offerings to be the ones I prefer. It seems the lighter and lower abv beers are usually better from tap, while the darker and higher abv beers do well while spending a little time in a bottle. Again, not always the case, and your experiences may be different.

Cheers! - John

Quote from: John B on September 03, 2023, 10:28:05 PMIn many (but not all) cases I find the tap offerings to be the ones I prefer. It seems the lighter and lower abv beers are usually better from tap, while the darker and higher abv beers do well while spending a little time in a bottle. Again, not always the case, and your experiences may be different.

Also my working theory. Lower abv beers benefit from tap freshness, while higher abv are best after some bottle ageing. Exceptions will surely apply, due to hops and spices for instance.

Outside belgian styles, I have found german wheat beers to be more dense and slightly more flavorful on tap. That's very much a "the fresher the better" style.
I also had Lagunitas IPA but to my disappointment couldn't tell it apart from the bottle version. Maybe it had lost some extra freshness in transport and/or time past since keg opening.

P.S. Many thanks for filling in your profile location

Hi Jorge,
I think John has already said it.
Beers from tap are always very fresh.
So a hoppy beer is very suitable. I have good experiences with Hapkin for instance.
Also, the foam from tap is much more creamy and rich, especially just after the pour.
I think that even stronger dark beers can be very enjoyable from tap.
Again, that foam is much more creamy, and the beer has that pleasant freshness too.
OTOH, beers from tap can lack some complexity, and that's because a bottle refermented beer that has been kept for a couple of years can have a much more mellow equilibrated beer, and a much more complex outcome, compared to that same beer from tap, even if it is keg conditioned.



A big minorpoint about beers from tap is that one easily can get less volume than what should be expected. 33cl for instance.
It all depend on the location and the bartender pouring the beer. Always a PITA if one encounters a glass that's been filled for half and having a too much of a head.
In case of De Kings pub here in Bruges, it's just the way round.
And at that point, I just LOVE beers from keg.
This Gouden Carolus Whisky Infused from tap at De Kings came at €4.80, and what a rich filled glasses thay always are 

Cheers,
Filip

YUM! What a generous pour of a beautiful beer.

Must include it in my autumn+winter beer order.

Have you managed to try a few-years-old bottle, for comparison purposes? Or are they still ageing on your cellar?

And I wrong in assuming it is one of your favorites right now?

Quote from: JRJordao on September 07, 2023, 02:47:08 PMHave you managed to try a few-years-old bottle, for comparison purposes? Or are they still ageing on your cellar?

And I wrong in assuming it is one of your favorites right now?

Jorge,
Yes, definitely one of my favorit beers today.
I haven't achieved a side-by-side of tapped and bottled Gouden Carolus Whisky infused yet.
I would love to do this, but then I need a bar where they offer them both, and that's really not that easy to find.
But the differences sure will lay in the freshness, because there is no bottle or keg refermentation. No bottle yeast is no evolution on that matter.
Cheers,
Filip