I think The Session snuck up on me this month, or January just flew by way too fast! This month’s topic comes from the Reluctant Scooper, and he’s asking the question, Does dispense matter?

The method of beer dispense often raises the hackles of even the most seasoned beer drinker. Some evangilise about living, breathing cask as being the one true way. Others heartily support the pressurised keg. The humble tinny has its fans. Lovers of bottled beer, either conditioned or pasturised, can be equally vociferous.

Perhaps you think that one method magnifies a beer’s impact. Perhaps you won’t try a beer if it’s dispensed in a way you don’t agree with. Perhaps you’ve tried one beer that’s been dispensed every which way.

The question is simple but your answer may not be: Cask, Keg, Can, Bottle: Does dispense matter?

At the risk of brevity and possibly my shortest Session post ever, my answer to that question is: if the beer is good, how it is dispensed shouldn’t matter.

I’ve advocated the canning of craft beer, I love good a good cask beer, and kegged and bottled beer can both be amazing. I think I’ve even pointed out before that bottle-conditioned beer and cask beer are essentially the same thing in different containers. As far as I’m concerned, there is no inherently superior method of dispensing beer.

As long as the beer is good. That’s the key.