Our most recent poll confirmed what we suspected. Most beer drinkers prefer their brews from a tap but wind up with beer from bottles. For the majority, craft beer on tap remains an occasional treat, something to look forward to and savor.
More than 7 out of 10 folks who cast a vote said that beer on tap (when served right) is most enjoyable, but they drank the majority of their beers from bottles. Some said beer on nitro was even better still, especially Old Rasputin, which I now must find and try – it sounds great.
The main reason shared in the Comments section and other places on the Internet pointed towards convenience as being the driving factor behind their reliance on bottles. It’s simply easier to walk to the fridge than down to the pub, and many folks don’t want to get behind the wheel after a few pulls from the tap handle, so they keep it in the house. It seems that craft beer drinkers use good judgment!
Around 21% of respondents said that the majority of their beer comes from the tap (lucky bastards!), and some shared their secret to having tapped beer at home – growlers. I imagine you could also add the kegerator crowd into this category as well.
A few voters also said they prefer beer only from bottles because of its reliable quality. It seems some have had bad tap experiences in the past.
In the end, it looks like most of us are trapped by busy lives and sound judgment. We long for the creamy, fresh goodness of craft beers on tap, but settle for excellent beer from bottles. Either way, I’m sure we’ll all survive. 🙂
Thanks to everyone who voted and shared their thoughts on the great “Tap Vs. Bottle” conundrum. Here’s hoping you find yourself near a clean tap full of excellent beer sometime soon, or even better, something big, bold and bubbling on nitro!
Cheers!
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
I missed the survey, But my vote is for for draft first, cans second, bottles third.
Draft is the most fresh way to get a beer and the most enjoyable. I think canned beer comes next because it is the closest to draft, no way for light to even attempt to skunk it.
Bottles however are the most common especially for craft brews and end up finding their way to my fridge for the majority of my drinking.
I agree 100%, I just wish there was more great beer in cans. It seems to be heading that way, which is a good thing indeed.
Their is definitely a trend developing for canned craft beer, but it is still 1 to 100 in bottles if not more. Canning is very difficult to do especially for the micro brewery.
I just wish more of the bigger fish would start canning already, like Victory, Stone, and some of the other players who are brewing more than 50,000 barrels a year.
Growlers, baby.
I love growlers, but Don can’t manage them – too much planning and too much beer. Baby!
Blasphemy! Too much beer? Planning? WTF? Mine always go empty a little after I open them. Had a Coronado Idiot and Founders Breakfast Stout earlier in the week…it’s about time for some refills. Helpin’ the environment, too.
Good on you Daniel, on all counts!
I recently had a back and forth with a British blogger on this very topic. He identified the US beer scene as bottle-centric. (He thought of British beer scene as cask-dominated.) I had never really thought of it that way. There’s way more craft to American bottled brews, but a beer on tap always wins out.
Best thing to do is to buy American craft brew on tap, but there are a lot of limitations to this approach.
Cans or bottles don’t make any difference in taste; They’re just transportation vessels. Draft (draught?), however, does change the characteristics of the beer. Cans are allowed in more places (parks, lakes), but I can’t bottle my homebrew in a used can.
Cans are actually better for aging as they let in less oxygen and light than bottles.
Yeah, but cans are cool. You could always try to can your beer in old beer cans…Some of them have screw on lids now. Could be the best reason ever to buy Coors Light resealable cans. Seriously…I needed them for my home brew….
I think Don is a closet Coors Lite drinker. Screw-top cans. The perfect excuse! 🙂
Ahhh, but I would have to be a home brewer, and sadly I am not. No excuse here. I have partaken of said beverage in my past, but stopped once I found out that my local watering hole has both Chimay and Sierra Nevada. No need for the silver bullet…unless I find that pesky Marsing werewolf.