Beer Saint

For all of you foul Hethens who drink cheap beer… this post is not for you. Because when you choose to take the time to pour your beer properly, odds are you are concerned with the taste as well.

First, depending on what style of beer it is, will determine how the proper pour is done.

Pouring an ale

1. Gentle, steady pour down the side of the tilted glass will stop the beer from foaming excessively.
2. Steepen the angle and pour more directly to avoid the beer being too flat. Aim for one “finger” of foam.
3. Too much creaminess will rob the beer of its appetizingly bitter character. The hop oils will migrate from the beer itself and hide in the head.

Pouring a stout

1. Pour stout slowly, to allow the head to develop. If it grows too quickly, stop for moment.
2. A two-staged pour will make for a denser, creamier, more solid head, which will suit the coffeeish flavors of the stout.
3. A bottled stout will have a rockier, less rich head and a more natural flavor than the “draft” versions containing a “widget” (nitrogen capsule).

Pouring a Pilsner

1. Bottles may take less than seven minutes prescribed for a draft, but a real pilsner must have a blossoming head.
2. A soft, sustained carbonation further enlivens the golden color with a consistent rise of small bubbles (known as the “bead”).
3. The head should rise, almost like a soft ice cream, above the rim of the glass. This brings forward the hop aroma and holds back bitterness to the finish.

Pouring a Wheat Beer

1. Beers containing yeast have high carbonation, so an especially gentle pour is required. The Belgians wet the glass to control the head.
2. In Bavaria, wheat beer is typically served with a huge head, especially if it is a bottle-conditioned example. Some yeast is included in the pour.
3. If the beer is deemed insufficiently cloudy, the last few drops may be rolled in the bottle to loosen the remaining yeast sediment. This is then added to the glass.

hattip: http://www.realbeer.com

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Tagged as Beer, Draft, Pouring+ Categorized as Spirits, Beer