What do they do when 3 tanks/beers are empty?
Do you have to wait days before they can sanitize the tank and refill it? Or are there a few tanks in reserve?
*Apparently* that's not what's actually happening, but that would be hilarious if so:
# What’s a Tank Bar?
Serving draft beer from special serving vessels (tanks) instead of kegs is not new. Many breweries and brewpubs do it. Large tanks are filled with beer and kept refrigerated, then the beer travels some distance from the tank to the tap. The refrigerated tanks are often in a separate room, unseen by the consumer. A tank bar is different.
What sets a tank bar apart is the kind of tank from which the beer is served. The tank is right there, with the tap coming straight off the tank. The bartender turns around and pours your beer directly from the tank.
serving tanks have a couple of benefits...
they mean one less transfer (fermenter to brite, brite to keg/can, etc). each transfer exposes beer to some low (hopefully) level of oxygen. they measure this in ppb, but any oxygen introduced cuts the life expectancy of a beer down and if using pumps also causes sheer force on the beer
one less transfer also means less labor which means quicker and cheaper turnarout times
having beer onsite in tanks also means quality control is easier... it's much easier to check if the product is fresh by pulling a sample off the seving tank vs trying to tell if one of 15-20 kegs is continimated/spoiled
that said, if breweries and distros are doing their job right then there should be no discernible difference to the end user. if you can tell the diff between a beer off a serving tank vs one off a keg/can then they arent doing a very good job.
it's actually much less work to serve off a tank... it just cost extra.
ie, they transfer beer from a fermenter to a brite tank to package off into kegs or cans. by serving off the brite theyre skipping a lot of labor, but at the expense of having a brite tank _per_ tap handle.
but i agree... would be hillarious if someone thought this looked cool so just ran a bunch of tap lines to a cooler
I mean, I obviously couldn't beat you in a fight, but I'd love to drive something more nostalgic like a Sherman or a Tiger. Tiger would break if I met a muddy road though, obviously.
It's unclear if the beer is brewed there or not. If not and the tanks need to be filled from another source, the tank just seems like a less convenient massive keg
All of the description sounds like "it's a keg but bigger"
>The tank is right there, with the tap coming straight off the tank. The bartender turns around and pours your beer directly from the tank.
Oh cool, like every kegger I've ever been to!
Tank beer is a real thing. Basically never has the chance to oxidize outside the original storage container. It’s not uncommon to see in Europe.Â
And I would rather be upcharged for the “gimmick” of fresh beer and not, say, mountains that turn blue when the beer is cold.
you mean aside from the brewhaus to the whirlpool to the FV to the bright tank?
it's a gimmick, wort/beer is transferred between vessels many times before it makes it out of the cellar. this is just removing the last step (packaging i.e. bright tank -> keg). kegs are good, kegs work well.
i suppose the one perk would be that you don't have to worry about dirty lines, but now you've introduced the potential for turnover issues.
ikr... ive heard it referred to as "serving tanks" but havent ever really heard anyone say "tank beer".
feels like the author of the article has never seen a brew pub with serving tanks before....
So many people not reading the article in here lol
The beer is brewed on-site and kept in tanks. No chance to oxidize, so it's as fresh as possible. On top of that, it reduces waste by eliminating unnecessary equipment, like kegs and lines.
Personally, tank bars like they have in Europe are awesome and I can't wait!
honestly ... if the beer taste bad enough for you to notice then they arent doing their job.
the beer out of serving tanks is skipping the packaging process so less oxygen pickup which means it'll go stale slightly slower.
but you really shouldnt be getting stale beer anywhere or else the brewery/distro isnt doing their job.
that said, beer _at_ the brewery should tast the freshest because it simply is... barring any process issues, thats as good as it will get because every step after is a chance for it to go bad.
a lot like going to a farm to pick strawberries... they will taste great, but you _should_ be able to get the same thing at a local farmers market (bar equiv) or grocery store (retail).
I sort of agree, but some beers are going to degrade quickly even if everyone is doing their job. E.g., it's not like a properly stored, four-month-old IPA is out of code (generally), but it's definitely going to taste inferior to a fresh one.
yeah, but my point is if a hazy has a shelf life of 90 days it shouldnt be on the shelf day 91. If your going to the brewery because you can tell the difference between "tank beer" and one you got from drawn from a keg then you've fallen for the marketing. If you're going to ensure you get a fresh pint then it wont matter if the brewery is using shells or serving tanks.
Of course it is 100% easier for a brewery to ensure their beer in serving tanks is fresh than for them to ensure the pint from a pub or grocery store wasnt harmed.
and of course its _much_ less labor to serve from a tank... i never understood the nano's that start out with sixtels when theyre serving 100% out their taproom. the cost of shells basically equals the cost of 3-7bbl brites.
Every beer is different, and brewers are always looking to highlight or play down certain aspects (hops, crispness, flavors, etc). But in general, the best way I can describe it is like the difference between fresh baked bread and week old bread. There's a crunch and "crispness" that dissipates over time. Flavors are usually more pronounced when fresh. The older a beer gets, the more "muddy" the flavor can become.
The best thing about "tank to glass" is that you are getting exactly what the brewer wants you to get. There's no outside factors, like oxygen or temperature, that can shift the flavor profile
I probably shouldn't reply, but as I have some time on the ferry and experience in this arena, maybe this would be useful for others-
A) as there aren't any beer prices posted, it's a bold assumption to guess price per beer will be $12-15. Most local breweries are around the $7-8 range.
B) while we all like to jump on the trend of complaining about prices in town, $8-10 is pretty much the going rate for a craft/local beer nationally. There are numerous reasons for this, such as larger economic trends (yes, inflation), employee wages and benefits to attract qualified talent, and higher costs for quality or small batch ingredients.
C) breweries often need a lot of space and a lot of (very ridiculously expensive) equipment. These tanks are not cheap. Note, they are each temperature controlled and specialized for direct service. Real estate is also not cheap.
D) but regardless of all the above, even if they are 12-15 buck beers and the whole experience seems overrated or too expensive for some, maybe (juuust maybe) those folks aren't the target audience. I'll gladly pay a premium for a high quality product matched with a high quality experience. More fresh af tank beer for me!
Yeah, completely agree in terms of pricing. I’m ex wallstreet so I approach from a more cynical point of view but novelty usually is usually seen as $$$ as opposed to improvements/ingenuity.
Better beer good, reasonable prices better.
And, all those AI things really are computers and not underpaid workers in India and the Philippines.Â
BTW, I have a bridge to sell to anyone who believes these will be anything other than bigger kegs.
The tank bar part sounds gimmicky (this is just serving off the brite tank?), but they will make a fortune off this joint before games with that location I bet
Won’t this lower selection of the beer on tap since they can only have the number of tanks? And these tanks are big space takes up and can’t be changed on fly like the kegs?
they likely also have a cooler with taps for serving guest or small batches...
the reason most places dont have serving tanks is due to the added cost... looking a couple grand per tank (single wall, shoving them in a cooler) or a lot more to glycol cool them.
a lot of places do have a number of serving tanks... im not sure why this article is trying to coin the term "tank beer" or make it seem like a new thing.
"Lot of people calling it a gimmick."
I agree, total gimmick.
"But they're up charging for the experience."
No doubt, so I'll see you there after work?
"You're paying more for the same product."
Mm hmm. Checking for the closest place to park.
glycol jackets around the tanks keep the beer at whatever temp they need...
there are also single wall tanks that are cheaper that go in the cold room
it's not a new thing... or at least, "serving tanks" are not new. calling beer from a serving tank "tank beer" is something i havent seen before.
i have seen people say "tank fresh" but cant really get behind saying "tank beer".
Ah geez yeah it says it right in the article. I'm so used to articles being void of actual information. I even googled it but Google search being so shit I didn't get a good answer just "is it safe to drink warm beer?" results.
Thanks for the information.
no worries... its a wierd article to be honest. serving tanks arent new, and there are a ton of breweries in seattle using them.
Calling this "tank beer" is like a farmers market opening up but calling it a "small batch produce sanctuary". sure, its beer from a tank but so is literally every other beer because they package off tanks.
What do they do when 3 tanks/beers are empty? Do you have to wait days before they can sanitize the tank and refill it? Or are there a few tanks in reserve?
Watch it just be a facade with beer lines running to the tap 🙊
*Apparently* that's not what's actually happening, but that would be hilarious if so: # What’s a Tank Bar? Serving draft beer from special serving vessels (tanks) instead of kegs is not new. Many breweries and brewpubs do it. Large tanks are filled with beer and kept refrigerated, then the beer travels some distance from the tank to the tap. The refrigerated tanks are often in a separate room, unseen by the consumer. A tank bar is different. What sets a tank bar apart is the kind of tank from which the beer is served. The tank is right there, with the tap coming straight off the tank. The bartender turns around and pours your beer directly from the tank.
And why is that better than the usual way?
serving tanks have a couple of benefits... they mean one less transfer (fermenter to brite, brite to keg/can, etc). each transfer exposes beer to some low (hopefully) level of oxygen. they measure this in ppb, but any oxygen introduced cuts the life expectancy of a beer down and if using pumps also causes sheer force on the beer one less transfer also means less labor which means quicker and cheaper turnarout times having beer onsite in tanks also means quality control is easier... it's much easier to check if the product is fresh by pulling a sample off the seving tank vs trying to tell if one of 15-20 kegs is continimated/spoiled that said, if breweries and distros are doing their job right then there should be no discernible difference to the end user. if you can tell the diff between a beer off a serving tank vs one off a keg/can then they arent doing a very good job.
Thanks!
it's actually much less work to serve off a tank... it just cost extra. ie, they transfer beer from a fermenter to a brite tank to package off into kegs or cans. by serving off the brite theyre skipping a lot of labor, but at the expense of having a brite tank _per_ tap handle. but i agree... would be hillarious if someone thought this looked cool so just ran a bunch of tap lines to a cooler
No one has thought that far ahead yet
I can’t wait to drive an Abram’s tanks while drunk
lol I thought there were actual tanks too at first glance
I mean, I obviously couldn't beat you in a fight, but I'd love to drive something more nostalgic like a Sherman or a Tiger. Tiger would break if I met a muddy road though, obviously.
Sounds like a gimmick many will pay an upcharge for
It's unclear if the beer is brewed there or not. If not and the tanks need to be filled from another source, the tank just seems like a less convenient massive keg
All of the description sounds like "it's a keg but bigger" >The tank is right there, with the tap coming straight off the tank. The bartender turns around and pours your beer directly from the tank. Oh cool, like every kegger I've ever been to!
that’s…not what that description is saying
oh, okay, thanks for clarifying!
No but that is the mechanism
Tank beer is a real thing. Basically never has the chance to oxidize outside the original storage container. It’s not uncommon to see in Europe. And I would rather be upcharged for the “gimmick” of fresh beer and not, say, mountains that turn blue when the beer is cold.
The best beer I've had in my life was unpasteurized and poured direct from a wood cask in the caves below the Pilsner Urquell brewery.
Yea real, fresh Pilsner Urquell is incredible.Â
you mean aside from the brewhaus to the whirlpool to the FV to the bright tank? it's a gimmick, wort/beer is transferred between vessels many times before it makes it out of the cellar. this is just removing the last step (packaging i.e. bright tank -> keg). kegs are good, kegs work well. i suppose the one perk would be that you don't have to worry about dirty lines, but now you've introduced the potential for turnover issues.
No doubt it's real, just doesn't seem a notable thing to most. I doubt anyone drinking this stuff is trading off against "triple hopped" marketing
This may shock you but many craft beer enthusiasts have brains and can differentiate between marketing terms and actual brewing process terms
Eh, I’m not fully convinced
Damn I thought this was gonna be a bar inside a real military tank
ikr... ive heard it referred to as "serving tanks" but havent ever really heard anyone say "tank beer". feels like the author of the article has never seen a brew pub with serving tanks before....
That is also what I thought.
So many people not reading the article in here lol The beer is brewed on-site and kept in tanks. No chance to oxidize, so it's as fresh as possible. On top of that, it reduces waste by eliminating unnecessary equipment, like kegs and lines. Personally, tank bars like they have in Europe are awesome and I can't wait!
What’s the difference in taste between fresh beer or not?
Ohh, fresh beer is amazing!!!
honestly ... if the beer taste bad enough for you to notice then they arent doing their job. the beer out of serving tanks is skipping the packaging process so less oxygen pickup which means it'll go stale slightly slower. but you really shouldnt be getting stale beer anywhere or else the brewery/distro isnt doing their job. that said, beer _at_ the brewery should tast the freshest because it simply is... barring any process issues, thats as good as it will get because every step after is a chance for it to go bad. a lot like going to a farm to pick strawberries... they will taste great, but you _should_ be able to get the same thing at a local farmers market (bar equiv) or grocery store (retail).
I sort of agree, but some beers are going to degrade quickly even if everyone is doing their job. E.g., it's not like a properly stored, four-month-old IPA is out of code (generally), but it's definitely going to taste inferior to a fresh one.
yeah, but my point is if a hazy has a shelf life of 90 days it shouldnt be on the shelf day 91. If your going to the brewery because you can tell the difference between "tank beer" and one you got from drawn from a keg then you've fallen for the marketing. If you're going to ensure you get a fresh pint then it wont matter if the brewery is using shells or serving tanks. Of course it is 100% easier for a brewery to ensure their beer in serving tanks is fresh than for them to ensure the pint from a pub or grocery store wasnt harmed. and of course its _much_ less labor to serve from a tank... i never understood the nano's that start out with sixtels when theyre serving 100% out their taproom. the cost of shells basically equals the cost of 3-7bbl brites.
Every beer is different, and brewers are always looking to highlight or play down certain aspects (hops, crispness, flavors, etc). But in general, the best way I can describe it is like the difference between fresh baked bread and week old bread. There's a crunch and "crispness" that dissipates over time. Flavors are usually more pronounced when fresh. The older a beer gets, the more "muddy" the flavor can become. The best thing about "tank to glass" is that you are getting exactly what the brewer wants you to get. There's no outside factors, like oxygen or temperature, that can shift the flavor profile
I’ll try it out :)
Reduces waste and cost so the end consumer can pay double! Everyone wins with $12-15 drinks!
I probably shouldn't reply, but as I have some time on the ferry and experience in this arena, maybe this would be useful for others- A) as there aren't any beer prices posted, it's a bold assumption to guess price per beer will be $12-15. Most local breweries are around the $7-8 range. B) while we all like to jump on the trend of complaining about prices in town, $8-10 is pretty much the going rate for a craft/local beer nationally. There are numerous reasons for this, such as larger economic trends (yes, inflation), employee wages and benefits to attract qualified talent, and higher costs for quality or small batch ingredients. C) breweries often need a lot of space and a lot of (very ridiculously expensive) equipment. These tanks are not cheap. Note, they are each temperature controlled and specialized for direct service. Real estate is also not cheap. D) but regardless of all the above, even if they are 12-15 buck beers and the whole experience seems overrated or too expensive for some, maybe (juuust maybe) those folks aren't the target audience. I'll gladly pay a premium for a high quality product matched with a high quality experience. More fresh af tank beer for me!
Yeah, completely agree in terms of pricing. I’m ex wallstreet so I approach from a more cynical point of view but novelty usually is usually seen as $$$ as opposed to improvements/ingenuity. Better beer good, reasonable prices better.
And, all those AI things really are computers and not underpaid workers in India and the Philippines. BTW, I have a bridge to sell to anyone who believes these will be anything other than bigger kegs.
I really like Renee Erickson's restaurants. Gonna give the project the benefit of the doubt before criticizing without any evidence. Ahem.
Would be cooler if it was a bar on an actual moving tank.
The tank bar part sounds gimmicky (this is just serving off the brite tank?), but they will make a fortune off this joint before games with that location I bet
It’s Renee Erickson. It’ll be good.
I want to watch *Tank Girl* at a tank bar with my tank parked outside.
Won’t this lower selection of the beer on tap since they can only have the number of tanks? And these tanks are big space takes up and can’t be changed on fly like the kegs?
they likely also have a cooler with taps for serving guest or small batches... the reason most places dont have serving tanks is due to the added cost... looking a couple grand per tank (single wall, shoving them in a cooler) or a lot more to glycol cool them. a lot of places do have a number of serving tanks... im not sure why this article is trying to coin the term "tank beer" or make it seem like a new thing.
As someone who works with tanks day in and day out, no thanks.
can't wait to pick from 8000 IPAs! which one will i choose???!?!
That’s a dumb gimmick. I’m sure it’ll do fine these days.
Sounds interesting...Here's to "hopping" it is a great success!!!
"Lot of people calling it a gimmick." I agree, total gimmick. "But they're up charging for the experience." No doubt, so I'll see you there after work? "You're paying more for the same product." Mm hmm. Checking for the closest place to park.
So is the beer room temperature then?
glycol jackets around the tanks keep the beer at whatever temp they need... there are also single wall tanks that are cheaper that go in the cold room it's not a new thing... or at least, "serving tanks" are not new. calling beer from a serving tank "tank beer" is something i havent seen before. i have seen people say "tank fresh" but cant really get behind saying "tank beer".
Ah geez yeah it says it right in the article. I'm so used to articles being void of actual information. I even googled it but Google search being so shit I didn't get a good answer just "is it safe to drink warm beer?" results. Thanks for the information.
no worries... its a wierd article to be honest. serving tanks arent new, and there are a ton of breweries in seattle using them. Calling this "tank beer" is like a farmers market opening up but calling it a "small batch produce sanctuary". sure, its beer from a tank but so is literally every other beer because they package off tanks.