Dispense
Keg, CO₂ dispense
Filtered or unfiltered beer force-carbonated and dispensed under CO₂ pressure — the standard modern draught format.
What it does to the beer
- The beer is force-carbonated and held under CO₂ pressure, giving consistent condition from first pour to last.
- Sealed and pressurised, so it is stable for weeks or months rather than days — the reason keg dominates commercially.
- Usually served colder than cask, which suppresses some aromatics but suits crisp and hop-forward styles.
How it is served
| Container | keg |
|---|---|
| Gas | Carbon dioxide |
| Temperature | 3–8°C |
| Carbonation | 2–3 vol CO₂ — volumes of CO₂ |
Temperatures are ranges with reasons, not targets. Cellar temperature in a British pub is a band that varies with the beer and the weather, and a degree either way is not a fault.
Styles served this way
- Alcohol-free pale lager
A pale lager produced at or near zero alcohol, now the largest and most refined part of the no-alcohol category.
- Altbier
Düsseldorf’s copper-coloured hybrid: ale-fermented and cold-conditioned, with firm bitterness over nutty, toasty malt.
- American stout
A bold, hop-forward stout combining strong espresso roast with American citrus and pine hop character.
- Czech amber lager
A Bohemian amber lager balancing caramel malt against Saaz hop character, sitting between the pale and dark Czech beers.
- Czech dark lager
A dark Bohemian lager richer and sweeter than its German counterparts, with caramel and light roast over a soft body.
- Czech pale lager
The Czech everyday lager: lower in strength than the premium version but keeping the soft bready malt and generous Saaz hopping.
- Czech premium pale lager
The original pale lager: rich bready malt, generous Saaz hopping and a rounded bitterness that soft Bohemian water makes possible.
- Dry stout
Sharp roasted-barley bitterness over a light body and a very dry finish — much lighter to drink than its colour suggests.
- Festbier
The golden, stronger lager actually served at modern Oktoberfest — malt-forward and smooth, but pale rather than amber.
- International pale lager
The global mainstream lager: pale, clean, lightly hopped and built for consistency and refreshment above flavour intensity.
- Kölsch
Cologne’s pale hybrid beer: ale-fermented then lagered, giving lager clarity and crispness with a whisper of fruit.
- Rauchbier
A Märzen-based lager brewed with beechwood-smoked malt — intensely smoky, often compared to bacon, over a clean malt base.
Other ways to serve beer
- Bottle conditioned — Beer refermented in the bottle with added yeast and sugar, producing natural carbonation and excellent ageing potential.
- Bottle, filtered — Filtered, force-carbonated bottled beer — bright and consistent, but less resilient with age.
- Cask, gravity-dispensed — Cask beer poured straight from the tap under gravity, with nothing between the cask and the glass.
- Cask, hand-pulled — Beer that completes fermentation in the cask and is drawn by hand pump without added gas, served at cellar temperature.
- Nitrogen dispense — Dispense with a nitrogen-CO₂ blend through a restrictor plate, giving a dense creamy head and a notably softer palate.
- Tank beer — Unpasteurised beer delivered fresh to venue tanks — the Czech format that shows a pale lager at its best.
Compare dispense methods directly on the comparison index, or read how packaging affects freshness.
Last reviewed 2026-08-15.