Editing Beer (section)

== Serving ==

===Draught ===

{{Main|Draught beer|Cask ale}}

[[File:Cask Ales.jpg|thumb|A selection of [[cask beer]]s]]

Draught (also spelled "draft") beer from a pressurised [[keg]] using a lever-style dispenser and a spout is the most common method of dispensing in bars around the world. A metal keg is pressurised with [[carbon dioxide]] (CO<sub>2</sub>) gas which drives the beer to the dispensing [[beer tap|tap]] or faucet. Some beers may be served with a nitrogen/carbon dioxide mixture. [[Nitrogen]] produces fine bubbles, resulting in a dense [[Beer head|head]] and a creamy [[mouthfeel]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Draft Beer Quality Manual |url=https://cdn.brewersassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/13094643/Draught-Beer-Quality-Manual-2019.pdf |publisher=Brewers Publications |access-date=22 November 2024 |location=Boulder, Colorado |pages=3–4 |chapter=Draught Equipment and System Configurations |date=2019}}</ref> In the 1980s, Guinness introduced the [[Widget (beer)|beer widget]], a nitrogen-pressurised ball inside a can which creates a moderately dense, tight head. This approximates the effect of serving from a keg, at least for a British-style beer which does not have a specially large head.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question446.htm |title=How does the widget in a beer can work? |publisher=[[HowStuffWorks]] |access-date=5 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102214918/http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question446.htm |archive-date=2 November 2007 |url-status=live |date=16 August 2000}}</ref> 

Cask-conditioned ales (or cask ales) are unfiltered and [[Pasteurization|unpasteurised]] beers. These beers are termed "[[real ale]]" by the [[Campaign for Real Ale|CAMRA]] organisation. When a cask arrives in a pub, it is placed horizontally on a "[[stillage]]" frame, designed to hold it steady and at the right angle, and then allowed to cool to cellar temperature (typically between {{convert|11|–|13|C|F|disp=or}}),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cask-marque.co.uk/beer-information/beer-temperature?highlight=YToxOntpOjA7czoxMToidGVtcGVyYXR1cmUiO30=|title=Beer Temperature |publisher=cask-marque.co.uk |access-date=21 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027200750/http://www.cask-marque.co.uk/beer-information/beer-temperature?highlight=YToxOntpOjA7czoxMToidGVtcGVyYXR1cmUiO30=|archive-date=27 October 2012 |df=dmy-all |date=7 July 2014 }}</ref> before being tapped and vented—a tap is driven through a rubber bung at the bottom of one end, and a hard [[spile]] is used to open a hole in the uppermost side of the cask. The act of stillaging and then venting a beer in this manner typically disturbs all the sediment, so it must be left for a suitable period of hours to days to "drop" (clear) again, as well as to fully [[Brewing#Conditioning|condition the beer]]. At this point the beer is ready to sell, either being pulled through a beer line with a hand pump, or simply being "gravity-fed" directly into the glass.<ref>{{cite book |title=Draft Beer Quality Manual |url=https://cdn.brewersassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/13094643/Draught-Beer-Quality-Manual-2019.pdf |publisher=Brewers Publications |access-date=22 November 2024 |location=Boulder, Colorado |pages=95 to 97 |chapter=Appendix D: Notes on Serving Cask Ale |date=2019}}</ref>

Draught beer's environmental impact can be 68% lower than bottled beer due to packaging differences.<ref>{{cite web |title=Draught Beats Bottled in Life Cycle Analysis |url=http://www.treehugger.com/clean-technology/draught-beer-beats-bottled-in-life-cycle-assessment.html#ch01 |publisher=treehugger.com |access-date=15 January 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=LCA of an Italian lager |journal=The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=133–139 |doi=10.1065/lca2007.02.306 |year=2007 |last1=Cordella |first1=Mauro |last2=Tugnoli |first2=Alessandro |last3=Spadoni |first3=Gigliola |last4=Santarelli |first4=Francesco |last5=Zangrando |first5=Tullio |s2cid=111273627 }}</ref> A life cycle study of one beer brand, including grain production, brewing, bottling, distribution and waste management, shows that the CO<sub>2</sub> emissions from a 6-pack of micro-brew beer is about 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds).<ref name="newbelgium">{{cite web |title=Carbon Footprint of Fat Tire Amber Ale |url=http://www.newbelgium.com/files/shared/the-carbon-footprint-of-fat-tire-amber-ale-2008-public-dist-rfs_0.pdf |publisher=newbelgium.com |access-date=15 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224214330/http://www.newbelgium.com/files/shared/the-carbon-footprint-of-fat-tire-amber-ale-2008-public-dist-rfs_0.pdf |archive-date=24 February 2009 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> The loss of natural habitat potential from the 6-pack of micro-brew beer is estimated to be 2.5 square metres (26 square feet).<ref>{{cite web |title=Ecological effects of beer |url=http://ecofx.org/wiki/index.php?title=Beer |publisher=ecofx.org |access-date=15 January 2008 |archive-date=11 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511150428/http://ecofx.org/wiki/index.php?title=Beer |url-status=dead }}</ref> Downstream emissions from distribution, retail, storage and disposal of waste can be over 45% of a bottled micro-brew beer's CO<sub>2</sub> emissions.<ref name="newbelgium" /> Where legal, the use of a refillable jug, reusable bottle or other reusable containers to transport draught beer from a store or a bar, rather than buying pre-bottled beer, can reduce the environmental impact of beer consumption.<ref>{{cite web |title=When Passions Collide … |url=http://terrapass.com/society/when-passions-c-1/ |publisher=terrapass.com |access-date=15 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111200646/http://www.terrapass.com/society/when-passions-c-1/ |archive-date=11 November 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

=== Packaging ===

{{Main|Beer bottle|Drink can}}

[[File:Dutch beers.jpg|thumb|A selection of Belgian, Danish, Dutch, German, and Irish beers]]

Most beers are cleared of yeast by [[filtered beer|filtering]] when packaged in bottles and cans.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=-FviAgcmo90C&dq=beer+classification+ale+lager&pg=PA59 Google books] Charles W. Bamforth, ''Beer: Tap into the Art and Science of Brewing'' pp. 58–59, Oxford University Press US (2003), {{ISBN|0-19-515479-7}}. Retrieved 29 September 2008.</ref> However, [[bottle conditioning|bottle conditioned]] beers retain some yeast—either by being unfiltered, or by being filtered and then reseeded with fresh yeast.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GG-60Vtl81EC&dq=beer+bottle+conditioned&pg=PA370 Google Books] T. Boekhout, Vincent Robert, ''Yeasts in Food: Beneficial and Detrimental Aspects'' pp. 370–371, Behr's Verlag DE (2003), {{ISBN|3-86022-961-3}}. Retrieved 29 September 2008.</ref> 

Many beers are sold in cans, though there is considerable variation in the proportion between different countries. In Sweden in 2001, 63.9% of beer was sold in cans.<ref>{{cite web |title=European Beer Statistics—beer sales by package type|publisher=European Beer Guide|url=http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/eustats.htm#package|access-date=5 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070426040130/http://www.europeanbeerguide.net/eustats.htm|archive-date=26 April 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> People either drink from the can or pour the beer into a glass. A technology developed by [[Crown Holdings]] for the 2010 [[FIFA World Cup]] is the 'full aperture' can, so named because the entire lid is removed during the opening process, turning the can into a drinking cup.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.packwebasia.com/design/packaging-materials-innovation/695-full-aperture-end-technology-makes-drinking-easy |title=Pack Web Asia – Full aperture end technology makes drinking easy |work=Pack Web Asia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202230222/http://www.packwebasia.com/design/packaging-materials-innovation/695-full-aperture-end-technology-makes-drinking-easy|archive-date=2 December 2013}}</ref> Cans protect the beer from light (thereby preventing spoilage) and have a seal less prone to leaking over time than bottles. Cans were initially viewed as a technological breakthrough for maintaining the quality of a beer, then became commonly associated with less expensive, mass-produced beers, even though the quality of storage in cans is much like bottles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allaboutbeer.com/features/packaging.html |title=Beer Packaging Secrets |publisher=All About Beer Magazine |access-date=5 November 2007 |quote=From a quality point of view, cans are much like bottles. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928060803/http://www.allaboutbeer.com/features/packaging.html |archive-date=28 September 2007}}</ref> Plastic ([[Polyethylene terephthalate|PET]]) bottles are used by some breweries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.packaging-gateway.com/projects/holsten/ |title=Holsten-Brauerei Pet Line for Bottled Beer, Brunswick, Germany |publisher=Packaging-Gateway.com |access-date=5 November 2007}}</ref>

=== Temperature ===

The temperature of a beer has an influence on a drinker's experience; warmer temperatures reveal the range of flavours in a beer but cooler temperatures are more refreshing. Most drinkers prefer [[pale lager]] to be served chilled, a low- or medium-strength [[pale ale]] to be served cool, while a strong [[barley wine]] or [[imperial stout]] to be served at room temperature.<ref>[http://www.realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20000921.php RealBeer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511050203/http://www.realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20000921.php |date=11 May 2010 }} ''Beyond the coldest beer in town'', 21 September 2000. Retrieved 11 October 2008.</ref>

Beer writer [[Michael Jackson (writer)|Michael Jackson]] proposed a five-level scale for serving temperatures: well chilled ({{convert|7|°C|°F|abbr=on|disp=or}}) for "light" beers (pale lagers); chilled ({{convert|8|°C|°F|abbr=on|disp=or}}) for [[Berliner Weisse]] and other wheat beers; lightly chilled ({{convert|9|°C|°F|abbr=on|disp=or}}) for all dark lagers, [[altbier]] and German wheat beers; cellar temperature ({{convert|13|°C|°F|abbr=on|disp=or}}) for regular British [[ale]], [[stout]] and most [[Belgian beer|Belgian specialities]]; and room temperature ({{convert|15.5|°C|°F|0|abbr=on|disp=or}}) for strong dark ales (especially [[trappist beer]]) and [[barley wine]].<ref>{{harvnb|Jackson|2000}}</ref>

Drinking chilled beer began with the development of artificial [[refrigeration]] and by the 1870s, was spread in those countries that concentrated on brewing pale lager.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=BuzNzm-x0l8C&dq=history+of+lager+refrigeration&pg=PA95 Google Books] Jack S. Blocker, David M. Fahey, Ian R. Tyrrell, ''Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History'' pp95, ABC-CLIO (2003), {{ISBN|978-1-57607-833-4}}</ref> Chilling beer makes it more refreshing,<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RMB1zH16Q-wC&q=chilled%20drink%20is%20more%20refreshing&pg=PA463 |title=Introductory Chemistry: A Foundation |publisher=Cengage Learning |access-date=7 August 2010 |isbn=978-0-618-30499-8 |year=2004}}</ref> though below 15.5&nbsp;°C (60&nbsp;°F) the chilling starts to reduce taste awareness<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=BCLT3hH84GoC&dq=temperature+on+taste&pg=PA178 Google Books] Howard Hillman, ''The New Kitchen Science'' pp178, Houghton Mifflin Books (2003), {{ISBN|0-618-24963-X}}</ref> and reduces it significantly below {{convert|10|°C|°F|abbr=on}}.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=GepCDssW1FYC&dq=taste+perception+temperature+below+50+F&pg=PA27 Google Books] Robert J. Harrington, ''Food and Wine Pairing: A Sensory Experience'' pp. 27–28, John Wiley and Sons (2007), {{ISBN|0-471-79407-4}}</ref> Beer served unchilled—either cool or at room temperature—reveal more of their flavours. [[Cask Marque]], a non-profit UK beer organisation, has set a temperature standard range of 12°–14&nbsp;°C (53°–57&nbsp;°F) for cask ales to be served.<ref>[http://www.cask-marque.co.uk/cmoffer/standards.php Cask Marque] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081024050245/http://www.cask-marque.co.uk/cmoffer/standards.php |date=24 October 2008 }} Standards & Charters. Retrieved 11 October 2008.</ref>

=== Vessels ===

{{Main|Beer glassware}}

Beer is consumed out of a variety of vessels, such as a glass, a [[beer stein]], a mug, a [[pewter]] [[tankard]], a beer bottle or a can; or at [[music festival]]s and some bars and nightclubs, from a plastic cup. The shape of the glass from which beer is consumed can influence the perception of the beer and can define and accent the character of the style.<ref>F. G. Priest, Graham G. Stewart, ''Handbook of Brewing'' (2006), 48</ref> Breweries offer branded glassware intended only for their own beers as a marketing promotion, as this increases sales of their product.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?storycode=64595 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724020628/http://www.thepublican.com/story.asp?storycode=64595 |archive-date=24 July 2011 |title=How Miller Brands partners with licensees to drive sales |publisher=thepublican.com |access-date=17 October 2009}}</ref>

The pouring process has an influence on a beer's presentation. The rate of flow from the [[beer tap|tap]] or other serving vessel, tilt of the glass, and position of the pour (in the centre or down the side) into the glass all influence the result, such as the size and longevity of the head, lacing (the pattern left by the head as it moves down the glass as the beer is drunk), and the release of [[carbonation]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=xnLeJAPYzGkC&dq=pouring+beer&pg=PA211 Google Books] Ray Foley, Heather Dismore, ''Running a Bar For Dummies'' pp. 211–212, For Dummies (2007), {{ISBN|0-470-04919-7}}.</ref>

A [[beer tower]] or portable beer tap is sometimes used in bars and restaurants to allow a group of customers to serve themselves. The device consists of a tall container with a cooling mechanism and a beer tap at its base.<ref >{{cite web | url=http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/allston_brighton/2011/03/boston_licensing_officials_ban.html |last=Rocheleau |first=Matt |title=Boston licensing officials suspend use of large, portable "beer towers" |publisher=Boston.com |date=29 March 2011 |accessdate=24 April 2014}}</ref>