The Unpasteurized Truth: Tank Served Beer and Why It's Touted as Unbeatable
Beer is a complex beverage that benefits from a thorough understanding of its brewing processes. Two critical steps, fermentation and conditioning, are essential for producing top-quality beer. Despite these fundamental processes, many brewers are now marketing tank-served, unpasteurized beers as a new frontier of fresh, authentic drinking. This article delves into why this marketing strategy is gaining traction and explores the nuances of fresh beer served from tanks.
Fermentation: The Foundation of Great Beer
Fermentation, the primary process by which beer is made, involves yeast converting sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. This step is crucial for developing the unique flavors and aromas that distinguish one beer from another. Proper fermentation ensures that the beer is safe to drink and has the desired characteristics. During this phase, the beer undergoes a maturation process that improves its complexity and body.
Conditioning: The Pathway to Perfection
After fermentation, beer undergoes conditioning, which involves further aging to refine its flavors and textures. This step can take various forms, including cold conditioning, which allows the beer to mature slowly at low temperatures. While younger beer can be fresh and lively, other styles, especially those with more complex flavor profiles, can improve over time. Conditioning can enhance the smoothness and balance of the beer, offering a more refined drinking experience.
Crafting Unpasteurized Beer: The Tank Delivery System
In the past, filtered but unpasteurized beer was commonly delivered to cellars and cellars in tanks, where it was drawn up to the bar. This process, often referred to as the tank system, provided a fresher, more direct route to the consumer. While pasteurization kills off unwanted bacteria and extends the shelf life of beer, it can also affect the living enzymes and flavor profiles of the beer. Tank-served, unpasteurized beer, on the other hand, retains these elements, offering a more authentic and vibrant drinking experience.
Modern Resurgence: Resurrecting the Tank System
In recent years, a few craft breweries have revived the tank system, such as Pilsner Urquell from Czechia, which sends refrigerated trucks to various countries to top up tanks in select pubs. This practice ensures that the beer consumed remains as fresh as possible, without the need for additional pasteurization or filtration. Additionally, microbreweries are adopting this method, as it allows for precision in drawing straight from the tanks to the taps, eliminating the need for filtration.
Popular Brewpubs: Foghorn Brewery in Newcastle
A notable example of a craft brewery embracing the tank system is the Foghorn Brewery in Newcastle, Australia. The brewery has three tanks behind the bar, from which a rotating selection of beers is served straight to the taps. This direct-to-taps method ensures that the beer is as fresh as possible, with no additional filtration or handling steps. As customers, we can appreciate the simplicity and authenticity of this system, which aligns with the original intent of the tank delivery method.
Marketing and Perception
While large-scale breweries may use freshness as a marketing strategy, it is not a widespread practice among craft breweries. The tank system's resurgence is driven by a genuine desire to provide consumers with the freshest, most authentic beer possible. Claims of “freshness” are often based on the lack of filtration and pasteurization, which can enhance the natural qualities of the beer. However, it is important to understand that different beer styles may benefit from varying aging processes, and the freshness of beer is not a universal criterion for all types.
Conclusion
The tank-served, unpasteurized beer movement is a testament to the craft brewing industry's commitment to authenticity and quality. While the marketing hype surrounding freshness can sometimes overshadow the complexities of beer making, the tank system offers a compelling way to serve beer that is as close to its original form as possible. As consumers, we can appreciate this approach, knowing that we are enjoying a product that has been meticulously created and served without unnecessary alterations. Whether or not this system is unbeatable is a matter of personal taste, but it certainly provides a compelling alternative to the traditional methods of brewing and serving beer.
Keywords: tank beer, unpasteurized beer, fresh beer