TOPIC:

According to the monks of Scourmont (Chimay) it is to do with the larger volume of beer going through secondary fermentation in the bottle which they say gives a softer fuller character. I would also think that the slight porosity of the cork is a contributor though, just like when aging a good bordeaux red wine or the like.
They do definitely taste better though , particularly if you can keep your hands off them for a few years <!-- s:shock: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" /><!-- s:shock: -->

if the cork was a factor in improving a beers flavour, then wouldn't breweries use corks for their 33cl bottles too?

&amp;quot;delzep&amp;quot;:3nzqodxc wrote: if the cork was a factor in improving a beers flavour, then wouldn't breweries use corks for their 33cl bottles too?[/quote:3nzqodxc]

well many of the lambic beers do, but I think in general it's too expensive both in materials and process to bother corking and caging 33cl b ottles

I have seen a slight difference with large and small bottles of the several well known beers such as westmelle rochefort and various Dutch beers.

Westmelle advise that the larger bottles are not the best way to serve the beer.

I have asked several of the small Dutch micros and they cannot really see any reason for such advice (except for see below). I would suggest that the variety between batches would be more significant than variation in bottle sizes.

My preference is to buy 33cl bottles for sweeter and lighter coloured beers e.g. triple. For Stouts I always buy quantity.

The only possible reason is that the beer does age in the bottle and a lot of sunlight is not good; it could be that the difference is due to poor storage. However for a beer less than a year old in a brown bottle I doubt it from a chemical perspective.

Possibly it has to do with the percentage of possible oxygen in the top of the bottle ( Headspace ) to the volume of beer ,

This would be slightly greater in a 33 cl bottle , leading ot more oxidised flavours in the small bottle .

Just a theory though