Pasteurized, Non-pasteurized beer list?

[The FlyerFly]

is there any list existing on the internet of what North American beers are pasteurized and which are not?

I am setting up a draught beer fridge in my basement TV room, and would like to know what i can expect to get for it. Generally, i prefer Canadian brews and Moosehead is amongst my favorites. However, good taste in beer is nearly unheard of in the area i live in (Central Pennsylvania), so the main area beer distributors wont carry anything decent in less than 1/2 barrels.

since pasteurized draught beers have a longer shelf life, they might be my best option for buying and drinking over longer than 40 days.

any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[East Coaster]

Ah Moosehead is a decent brew.

most bottle labels should state whether they are pasteurized or not as for a particular list that may be hard to come by as a brewery may chose to pasteurize their beer after recieving government subsidy for a pasteurizer. Moosehead is shipped pasteurized as most of the other macro lagers.

Hope this helps and good luck with the project.

[jesskidden]

most bottle labels should state whether they are pasteurized


Not in the US (I can't recall the last time I saw a beer label that stated the beer was pasteurized. The opposite- "Non-pasteurized" or "live yeast", "bottle conditioned" or "keep refrigerated" - yes but not the reverse.)



.... shipped pasteurized as most of the other macro lagers.



Since the OP is looking for draught beer, again "not in the US" where for many years the very definition of "draught beer" was "Non-pasteurized". (That's still the case for bottle or cans labeled "draught/draft" but the rule was changed when imports and some domestic brewers started flash pasteurizing kegs.) Still the US "macro" brand kegs are not pasteurized, while many macro imports are (mostly to prolong the shelf life for shipping purposes).

I'd say that if you're hoping to keep draught beer "fresh" by buying pastuerized kegs, you're just not drinking your beer fast enough.

While your immediate area's distributors may lack a good selection of kegs on hand, you're located in one of the greatest brewing regions in the country and any good distributor should be able to supply you with sixtels of some of the best US beers, brewed in Pennsylvania, by ordering them ahead of time.

[MeridianFC]

If you can't find good beer in PA you're doing something wrong.

As above, most if not all domestic (US) draft beer is not pasteurized. The vast majority of imports are. It's part of the reason I imagine many imports taste better over in their native land.

[skahtboi]

If you can't find good beer in PA you're doing something wrong.



I had the same thought when I read this. Heck...one of my current favorite breweries, Victory, is there. On top of that, look at all of these other (http://beerme.com/region.php?c=us&s=pa) breweries that are there!!! The OP should be able to find a lot of good beer, in kegs, right in his own back yard. Of course...they won't be Canadian.... :rolleyes:

[The FlyerFly]

let me clarify. when i said "good taste in beer", i was referring to Pennsylvania beer drinkers and their collective judgment about what good beer is. because so many people are stuck on crap beer like Budweiser and Coors Light in this area, the distributors dont bother carrying anything worth drinking in less than 1/2 kegs because the smaller quantities dont sell.

there are definitely some solid brews in PA, but i just want to know that i can get something that i can tap and drink at my own pace without wasting some. if i were to get a 1/2 barrel of non-pasteurized beer, i wouldnt drink it fast enough. but i have to stop by the regional major distributor and see what they can get.

[Red T]

I recently went to a beer fest and talked to a master brewer there. He was willing to fill a cornelius keg for me. I'm sure if you contacted some breweries or brewpubs you could make the same arangement. Just a thought. You might even get a recipe or two! If nothing else some ideas on the next homebrew.

[East Coaster]

ah my mistake and misinformation, don't always believe what you hear I guess.

[HogieWan]

even though it's not pasteurized, beer kept cold and on co2 will last quite a long time. My homebrew will last in a keg for over a year without being cold the whole time

[markaberrant]

I've had several local bartenders/managers/owners tell me they won't carry craft beer because it is unpasteurized and thus spoils quickly. I try to explain this is not true of unpasteurized beer, and that even the swill is unpastuerized, but they just look at me like I'm an idiot customer trying to feed the "expert" a load of BS... which explains why I spend very little time in their establishments.

[jesskidden]

One of the greatest things about the modern beer scene, for me, is the fact that there are many fewer "general rules" about beer. Whereas, once, in the US, the rule of thumb was "draught beer is unpasteurized, packaged beer is pasteurized (unless it's labeled 'real draught/draft' or Coors"- gee, not as simple back then, either, was it :eek: ).

Today, there are fewer such blanket statements. And that's thanks to craft breweries, homebrewers and many of the smaller, rarer breweries who now export to the US but ALSO increased development of brewing techiques (in this case, the "flash pasteurization" of kegs in the US, pioneered by, of all brewers, Lone Star and later picked up by the "traditionalist" Anchor. Go figure- Fritz apparently researched the technique at LS.)

I do admit to still having some "prejudices" from my early beer schoolin' (circa 1970's) and one is that draught beer should be unpasteurized and should be consumed "fresh"- brewers back then said within a week IIRC. That's why I still cringe when I see 30-and-up taps in a bar that seats a dozen. "How can this stuff be fresh?", and, I'm usually correct from what I've tasted. (I used to ignore Brooklyn Lager on tap because it was so dull. UNTIL, I was sitting at a bar when they tapped a fresh keg. Wow- I could finally smell and taste the hops!)

So, getting back to the OP's question- WHY do you want "keg" beer to begin with? I think it's safe to say that you've come to a corner of the beer world where the preferences are the reverse of what they are out in the real world (where craft beers make up 4% of the market in the US- less in Canada I have to imagine) so those prejudices HAVE to creep into our answers here. Sorry, but I've been buying Pennsylvanian beer for 3 decades and it always amazes me to shop there and see locals walking out with Genesee, Heineken or Budweiser (back then) or, today, with craft beers from New England or California or, in this case, Canadian macro brews.

Still, if someone has a draught beer kegerator set-up at home, my supposition is always- they want the freshest, unpasteurized beer possible. Otherwise, it's just a big CAN of beer, slowly consumed over a period of weeks, with only CO2 and refrigeration to preserve the beer. I've never read or heard any suggestion that pasteurized kegs, once tapped, "last" longer (since kegs are traditionally always kept refrigerated once tapped anyway)- pasteurization is only to extend the shelf life of untapped kegs, and to make them less likely to spoil due to temperature variations during shipping and warehousing.

Seems to me, if a 1/2 barrel is too much beer to drink "fresh", that's what the sixtel was created for- a bit over 5 gallons of draught beer. Sure, the prices are outrageous usually on a "dollar per gallon" comparison with 1/2's or 1/4's, but that's, um, the price one pays ;) for fresh beer.

As a result, in many cases, keg buyers either order beer ahead of time from their local retailer (often giving them a list of several possiblities) OR are willing to buy any number of different beers if they're shopping at a retailer with a known good selection of kegs, choosing a keg based on what is freshest/currently in season/new to the market, etc.

[East Coaster]

I've had several local bartenders/managers/owners tell me they won't carry craft beer because it is unpasteurized and thus spoils quickly. I try to explain this is not true of unpasteurized beer, and that even the swill is unpastuerized, but they just look at me like I'm an idiot customer trying to feed the "expert" a load of BS... which explains why I spend very little time in their establishments.

Yeah the Local brewer was telling me a story where he was dropping off a keg of IPA and the bartender sasid that the beer was to hoppy for the style, when asked what he would compare it to the response was alexander keiths which is a macro and similar to a bland lager. You will find a hard time depicting the hops in that one.

[East Coaster]

Good info


So, getting back to the OP's question- WHY do you want "keg" beer to begin with? I think it's safe to say that you've come to a corner of the beer world where the preferences are the reverse of what they are out in the real world (where craft beers make up 4% of the market in the US- less in Canada I have to imagine) so those prejudices HAVE to creep into our answers here. Sorry, but I've been buying Pennsylvanian beer for 3 decades and it always amazes me to shop there and see locals walking out with Genesee, Heineken or Budweiser (back then) or, today, with craft beers from New England or California or, in this case, Canadian macro brews.



Canada Is unfortunately run for the most part by the giants, however in B.C. there is a decent little craft brewing scene and the best province for a beer is in Quebec where a lot of belgian styles are imitated by a flurry of little breweries. The biggest problem is the big boys tend to promote their beer on tap by spending money on the bar and thus impose restictions on what other beers are available.

Moosehead would be considered macro however they are better than their competition as they remain family run and will continue to do so. In fact the Guiness you buy in boston was brewed in SJ New Brunswick.

Back to the keg setup it would also be nice to have something similar to what this man has. http://blog.stonebrew.com/?p=706

Enjoy the pursuit of the golden nectar.

[MeridianFC]

Edited because I'm just quoting to make a comment


Jesskidden, as far as I'm concerned you are the realbeer.com resident Ph.D. Good stuff doctor.

[markaberrant]

Moosehead would be considered macro however they are better than their competition as they remain family run and will continue to do so. In fact the Guiness you buy in boston was brewed in SJ New Brunswick.

And now Moosehead is brewing commie suds for the province of New Brunswick... makes me wonder what connections their family has.

[unkle bik]

And now Moosehead is brewing commie suds for the province of New Brunswick... makes me wonder what connections their family has.
What I want to know is what:
"commie suds"
are...:eek:

[markaberrant]

The province of New Brunswick has decided to enter the beer market. Moosehead is contract brewing some crap beers for them to sell at the legal minimum price (and I don't believe the contract was tendered, just awarded to Moosehead). The idea is that their cheap commie beer will discourage the people of NB from heading over to Quebec to buy cheap beer.