Dan wrote:

The best lager IMO was PBR on tap or case bottles (which were only
slightly pasteurized)


I assume by "case bottles" your talking about the classic longnecked
re-usable, returnable, opener needed, deposit bottle ("returnable" and
"deposit" meaning different things post-deposit law), aka "export
bottle" or "longneck" "tall neck" (man, them things had lots of names,
some regional, didn't they)?

I never heard of them being "slightly pasteurized" - since bottled beer
usually went through a hot water bath after capping to pasteurize them,
I can't imagine that brewers turned down the heat/sped up the line for a
different bottle (but, with brewing, anything can happen I suppose). I
was interested to read that one of the advantages of the new canning
lines some micros are adding is FASTER pasteurization is possible with
cans, since they heat up and cool down faster.

I do know that, for me, despite all logic, I always found some beers
just tasted "better" out of that bottle (Ballantine Ale & Chesterfield
Ale two of the most noted) but I always chalked it up to better
protection from the light (thicker glass, stayed in the case), better
seal on the cap, less handling and back and forth between refrigerator
and room temperature.

It's funny, I miss both the classic deposit bottle AND the stubby
throw-away- go figure. (Also, the steinie quart and steinie 12 oz
deposit...) I think I'm just getting old and overly nostalgic.