How To: Pour a Beer the Right Way

Pouring a beer seems very simple, but it is an important part of how your beer will taste. If you’re at a kegger, it probably doesn’t matter to you how the hell you get it in your cup as long as it’s in there and not on the floor. But if you are just kickin’ back to enjoy a few, a good job pouring will lead to a much better experience. For a good beer, it is a shame to drink it right out of the bottle. Pouring it into a glass will allow the beer to breathe which brings out the taste and gives you a better opportunity to experience all of its aromas.

The main idea when pouring is to try to get the right amount of head. Now, in other situations more head = more better, but when pouring a beer too little head takes away from the full tasting experience, and too much head leaves you with a mouth-full of foam when you go to drink.

The proper amount of head for a beer in a glass is 1 - 1 1/2 inches.

Here’s how to make sure you get that:

1. Start with the glass at a 45-degree angle.
2. Aim for the middle of the side of the glass when beginning.
3. Try to make the pour in one continuous motion. (No stopping and starting again)
4. Slowly tilt the glass upright as you pour.
5. At the end, the glass should be upright and you should be hitting the bottom with the stream.

The size of the glass will factor in. The wider the mouth of the glass, the more head you will need to make.

• To get more head: Move the bottle up and away from the glass as you pour.

• To get less head: Just move the bottle closer to the glass.

Pretty simple. Do this and you can maximize the tase of that delicious brew with a picture-perfect inch or so of creamy foam at the top of the glass.

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