Ever wondered how to pour a beer? You’re not alone.
Whether you’re a new bartender, a bar owner hoping to educate your staff or a home enthusiast looking to make a good pour out of a can – Barons has you covered. More than 3 million beers have been poured from our state-of-the-art keg to tap systems in the last two years alone, so we know how it’s done.
Check out these tips for the perfect pour, every time:
How to Pour a Beer from a Tap
To make the perfect pour from a tap, you’ll need to start with a clean, room-temperature glass. It really makes a difference! A glass that has been ‘decorated’ with oil residue, dust or other impurities will impact the flavour of the beer. Rinsing the glass with cold water first means less friction when the beer is poured – and less friction means a more fragrant head at the end.
Clean glass at the ready, have your glass in hand at a 45° angle. This is perhaps the most important aspect of a good clean pour. Aim the stream from the beer tap so that it’s meeting the middle of the glass. When it’s about half-full, tilt your glass up to 90° slowly. Similar to making a high-quality coffee, the tilt will cause head (foam) to appear on the top. Stop when the foam reaches the rim.
Now, the amount of foam is up to you – that’s a debate for the ages! For those who just aren’t fussed, the standard head is about an inch. Foam helps to spread the aromatics in the beer, so you get a more full-bodied taste. It prevents oxygen from turning your beer stale too quickly, and also triggers the release of C02, so you don’t feel too bloated at the end of a cold one.
How to Pour a Beer from a Can or Bottle
From a can or bottle, the pouring process is pretty similar. Starting with a clean, room-temperature, cold-water rinsed glass, open your beer. Tilt the glass to a 45-degree angle and allow the stream to gently hit the middle of the inner side of the glass. This time, at about the three-quarter mark, begin tipping the glass upward. Finish the pour straight down the middle to create a fragrant 1-inch collar of foam.
What to avoid when pouring beer
If you’re following these steps, your pour should be perfect. But if you’re still finding it’s not quite right, here are some things to avoid.
- Don’t let the glass touch the tap or bottle
- Don’t let the tap go too far into the glass
- Don’t open the tap partially (full open only)
- If beer foam overflows the glass, just let it rest until the head disappears and then finish the pour. Never pour foam OFF the beer.
So, there you have it – the perfect pour.
With Barons Beverage Services, you can have the perfect beer, the perfect pour, and the perfect beer dispensing system too!
