My Mate's A Knob

[Trent]

Well, according to some of the American micro's, a can is a superior packaging product to a bottle, as it is impervious to light - and of coursde they use cans that are lined inside, rather than just aluminium.
I know that 21st Amendment do it for at least their 21A IPA and Watermelon wheat, and Maui Brewing Co do it for their packaged beers (IIRC their coconut porter and lilikoi wheat?) I havent ever tried them in cans, but I am sure that such high quality brewing companies wouldnt be putting good beer into cans if it were detrimental. Maybe it depends on the quality of the cans, rather than cans as a whole?
Trent

 

[Pollux]

Maybe the issue is in Australia it tends to be the cheaper nastier beers that go into cans.....Hence the dislike of canned beer, that and the metallic taste that seems unavoidable.

 

[beersom]

lol your mate sounds like a friend of mine who managed a pub and said he'd fire me if I poured a beer in a single pull. apparently cutting then starting the flow mid pour releases the aroma and true flavour of the beer, as well has aiding in head retention and keeping it carbonated. :unsure:

a multi stage pour does aid in head retention and is what I always teach in my training sessions..... not so sure about it helping to keep it carbonated, although a good size foam does help with aroma release.

 

[Sammus]

a multi stage pour does aid in head retention and is what I always teach in my training sessions..... not so sure about it helping to keep it carbonated, although a good size foam does help with aroma release.

Yeah the aroma thing I can believe (except his pub only served VB/new/ and the like). The head retention I could possibly believe, save for the fact that since I've had my own kegs and taps at home, 99% of all beers I drink are poured my me, and I've tried both a single pull and split pull, and can't notice any difference at all.

What's the reason behind the better head retention? I don't know the science behind it. Perhaps if I did I could make make a better judgement, then maybe there is a reason it might help head retention on a commercial pub system, but not my home system.

 

[Adamt]

True head retention is a property of the beer itself - surface tension and the like. "Head retention" provided by Headmaster glasses are due to more gas coming out of solution, in other words, creating more head to replace the head that's dying, i.e. head replacement, not retention.

I can't see how pouring in two pulls could at help at either of these... except maybe produce more head during the pour.

 

[beersom]

Yeah the aroma thing I can believe (except his pub only served VB/new/ and the like). The head retention I could possibly believe, save for the fact that since I've had my own kegs and taps at home, 99% of all beers I drink are poured my me, and I've tried both a single pull and split pull, and can't notice any difference at all.

What's the reason behind the better head retention? I don't know the science behind it. Perhaps if I did I could make make a better judgement, then maybe there is a reason it might help head retention on a commercial pub system, but not my home system.

In a basic nutshell beer foam is created by hydro-phobic proteins being driven out of suspension - usually by carbonation or the very act of pouring (hence why a flat beer can still have a head depending on the pour). Pouring in one swoop only allows one chance for a dense foam to form whereas pouring part way then allowing it to settle and re-pouring gives you another chance to disturb more of these same hydro-phobic proteins thus creating a denser and longer lasting head.
I remember a training session once pouring a Hoegaarden (a beer that usually has good foam) in one go and pouring a Cascade light(a beer that usually has poor foam) in 3 steps so that both beers finished pouring only seconds apart. The cascade light kept a good dense foam marginally longer than the Hoegaarden.

Although as another poster has pointed out the very properties of the beer itself will have a much greater bearing on its own foam than any method of dispense (you can't polish a turd), but any help in any way to present a better beer to the consumer is a good thing.

 

[loikar]

In a basic nutshell beer foam is created by hydro-phobic proteins being driven out of suspension - usually by carbonation or the very act of pouring (hence why a flat beer can still have a head depending on the pour). Pouring in one swoop only allows one chance for a dense foam to form whereas pouring part way then allowing it to settle and re-pouring gives you another chance to disturb more of these same hydro-phobic proteins thus creating a denser and longer lasting head.
I remember a training session once pouring a Hoegaarden (a beer that usually has good foam) in one go and pouring a Cascade light(a beer that usually has poor foam) in 3 steps so that both beers finished pouring only seconds apart. The cascade light kept a good dense foam marginally longer than the Hoegaarden.

Although as another poster has pointed out the very properties of the beer itself will have a much greater bearing on its own foam than any method of dispense (you can't polish a turd), but any help in any way to present a better beer to the consumer is a good thing.

Ah-Ha!, no you cant polish a turd, so instead, you're rolling it in Glitter!

 

[brettprevans]

Ah-Ha!, no you cant polish a turd,

uhum yes you can polish a turd- link

completely off topic but figured that this is why the thread is going. give hime a copy of the bjcp.

 

[manticle]

give hime a copy of the bjcp.

How on earth did people know what to brew before the BJCP?

 

[brettprevans]

ok so its the be all and end all but it will give him some explainations of beer types.

 

[manticle]

Just jostling the concept (good-naturedly). Sometimes guides get seen as definitive rules and stifle creativity.

I'm not suggesting you meant that though. I myself need to learn as much as I can, including the style guides. I have a beer nerdy friend who knows an awful lot about beer (far more than me) but the first thing he judges when he tries a new one is "hmm it's not really to style' as opposed to 'hmmmm, malty, fresh, nice hops balance'.

 

[brettprevans]

nah its cool man. i knew you were having a poke. I always think of them as one particular type of guidelines amoungst many and forget that some people think that they are the bible and must be followed religiously.

 

[Bribie G]

Fairly low carbonated beer can be given a spectacular head using the Buttersd70 pocket beer engine/sparkler which blows a beer / air mixture down into the brew. This is basically what is done with a tight sparkler on a UK handpump, or in a fairly analogous way with nitro keg such as Guinness or Kilkenny (air being 80 percent nitrogen).

In this photo the beer itself is fairly flat:

 

[bconnery]

uhum yes you can polish a turd- link

completely off topic but figured that this is why the thread is going. give hime a copy of the bjcp.

Except that the BJCP doesn't include Australian Pale Ale yet...
The AABC guidelines do though...

 

[bigholty]

Well, according to some of the American micro's, a can is a superior packaging product to a bottle, as it is impervious to light - and of coursde they use cans that are lined inside, rather than just aluminium.

Has anyone ever done a blind tasting of the same beer from a can vs. a bottle? Obviously you would need a beer that comes in both forms of packaging. I'd be interested to give it a try, any suggestions as to the least offensive beer available in both a can and a bottle?

 

[chappo1970]

Has anyone ever done a blind tasting of the same beer from a can vs. a bottle? Obviously you would need a beer that comes in both forms of packaging. I'd be interested to give it a try, any suggestions as to the least offensive beer available in both a can and a bottle?

Tooheys new, Red bottles and cans of death Mid?

Not offensive just have no taste so a comparison should be easy.

Chappo

 

[Adamt]

BigH: CPA and Dr Tim's could work... though the cans are polymer lined steel (I've since found out), and then you have the issue of freshness and maturation because of the yeast... comparing could be difficult. Maybe a lager that comes in a bog-standard aluminium can?

I don't particularly like drinking from cans but I have no problem with the beer in the cans. I've poured Tim's into a glass and you'd never know it was canned. The only problem I find is the mouth contact with the can mouth, no matter what drink it is I always get a metallic tang.

 

[Katherine]

Something I cant do is drink from a can.... And so annoying drinking with a can cruncher!

 

[Pollux]

Fairly low carbonated beer can be given a spectacular head using the Buttersd70 pocket beer engine/sparkler which blows a beer / air mixture down into the brew.

I love that technique, I actually have a 3ml syringe on the windowsill in the kitchen, sitting in a shot glass of boiled water that gets replaced daily....

 

[Leigh]

All cans are plastic lined, whether they are aluminium or steel...so there should be absolutely no difference!