Like any meal the dishes you serve your food on should
be clean. However with a liquid such as beer you must
ensure that the glass is ‘beer clean’
to avoid any off taste or strange characteristics.
For instance, using petroleum based detergents to
clean glassware will leave a film on the glass that
will cause the Co2 to break out of the beer; and this
is not what the brewery intended. Using the wrong
detergents will result in foamy, flat tasting beer
with little or no head retention. You will also notice
a difference in the kinds of small head that is produced;
the foam will look 
atypical
of regular fluffy / symmetrical bubbles. You will
also notice that bubbles will cling to the inside
of the glass
Another important aspect of serving draught beer into
glassware is never to freeze the glasses for several
reasons. The condensation inside of the glass will
water down the beer when removed from the freezer
and will also cause a lot of foam. Most beers were
intended to be served between 38 and 50 degrees. Serving
the beer from a frozen mug could also numb the your
palate and remove much of the beer's intended flavor.
However, keep in mind that like any dish
or meal personal preference is important. If you like
a cold frosty mug of beer; then by all means have
one. The descriptions here are for reference only.
If
you are interested in a kegerator conversion kit please
click here.
