Despite the prevalence of draft beer, it’s amazing how many venues still find it difficult to master the fundamentals. The way a beer is served can greatly influence the final taste experience, and can also have an economic impact on a bar, either by boosting revenues through sales or diminishing them through wastage.

Most major brewing companies even send their staff to bars to train the personnel there, as it’s the only way to ensure the beer tastes as it should after leaving the brewery in a keg. I am well-aware of this, having had a role as an on-trade sales rep for Heineken where testing and coaching bar staff was part of my job. The brewery spent considerable resources on training us in the science of beer and the art of the perfect pour. Later, I managed a 24-tap brewpub for BrewDog, where I had to be intimately acquainted with managing and troubleshooting draft beer systems while maintaining pouring standards across the team.

Over time, I’ve taken in the good and the bad, merging the wisdom of master brewers with hands-on trial-and-error to understand how to pour each style of beer as efficiently as possible ─ without compromising quality. This guide touches on the most important aspects of serving the perfect beer. While there’s no substitute for experience, the instructions provided here form a strong base for mastering the art of pouring.

For more info: 13 Liquors Your Home Bar Should Have

Before diving into the art of pouring beer, it’s of vital importance to start with a pure, clean glass. Using a dirty glass can lead to a series of problems, extending far beyond just sanitary concerns and aesthetics.

The remainders left inside an unclean glass can greatly affect the beer’s taste and fragrance. The beer, even though it’ll be drinkable, won’t have the flavor that the brewer originally intended. The role of beer’s proteins is significant as they are responsible for creating and preserving the frothy top, also known as the “head retention.” We’ll explore more about head retention later, but for now, just bear in mind that any leftover traces inside the glass can prevent these proteins from generating that tight, creamy head.

Even the most minuscule particles within a glass can influence the beer’s carbonation (its bubbliness). The interaction between carbon dioxide and glass imperfections leads to a phenomenon called nucleation, contributing to unwanted bubble formation. This results in an overly fizzy beer and an eventual loss of carbonation.

Fortunately, there are a few methods available for detecting an unclean glass. Apart from conducting a visual examination for noticeable residues like lipstick stains or fingerprints, you can pour some beer and observe if any bubbles are forming along the glass’s exterior. Another technique involves rinsing the glass using water and subsequently coating its inside with salt; the salt won’t stick to any places where leftover fats and oils exist.

Encountering dirty glassware isn’t out of the ordinary, but knowing how detect it prior to pouring can be beneficial. Frequently, if most of your glasses aren’t clean, your glasswasher might be the problem.

Firstly, it’s paramount to note that a glasswasher should exclusively wash glasses. Kitchenware that have been in direct contact with food should be cleaned separately, as oils and fats can build up, covering the glasses, and leftover food could introduce undesirable scents. The same principle applies to coffee and tea cups, as coffee oils and milk fats can also adulterate your beer glasses.

In the event your glassware isn’t wholly clean, ensure the right cleaning chemicals are being used and are adequately available. Although different glasswashers might have different requirements, the majority need some kind of detergent for the cleaning process, paired with a rinse aid for water spot-free drying. Refilling your machine with dishwasher salt to fend off limescale is equally vital, especially when your water source is hard water.

In conclusion, it’s considered best practice to employ a glass refresher ─ small fountains that rinses the internal part of a beer glass─ before pouring. This eradicates any left over residue from the glasswasher and also cleans dust from glasses that hasn’t been used for a while.

Ensuring all your glassware is “beer clean” is merely the first step in enhancing the beer drinking experience. The type of glass used to serve beer makes a significant difference, influencing more than just the visual appeal of the drink.

It’s common for popular beers to have their own personalized glasses. It’s advisable to use these specific glasses where available. Beyond just marketing reasons, they are meticulously designed by brewers to highlight unique aromas and manage carbonation levels. For instance, lager glasses often have enamel markings at the bottom, a strategic design to agitate carbon dioxide and create a consistent stream of bubbles, contrary to unwanted nucleation.

Standard pint glasses are suitable for most ales, whereas light lagers are best served in pilsner glasses. They encourage carbonation and enable a frothy head to form. Certain tasty beers such as Belgian ales, require a tulip or chalice-style glass. The bulbous form of these glasses helps trap complex scents, and the stem keeps the beer cool, preventing warming from the drinker’s hand. For tasting bold, intricate beers, a Teku glass- a wine glass-style container explicitly created for beer tasting, is the perfect pick.

In conclusion, understanding which glasses complement specific beer types and possessing an adequate supply of them for the beers you plan to serve is beneficial.

Our dispense system, the equipment and setup that takes beer from keg to glass, is the next focus after sorting our glassware. Dispense systems, with the exception of cask ales’ hand pump formats, depend on either carbon dioxide alone or a blend of carbon dioxide and nitrogen to transport beer from the keg through the beer lines. The key here is finding the right pressure — if it’s too low, the beer will move too slowly, affecting service speed and making it difficult to pour properly. Conversely, too much pressure can cause ‘fobbing’, a term used to describe a beer that comes out as froth.

Most dispense systems allow pressure adjustments for each individual keg and beer line, a critical feature as different types of beer and kegs have different requirements. Certain beers, such as German Hefeweizens notorious for its more substantial heads and higher carbonation level, require more pressure than mellow ales.

The tried-and-tested stainless steel kegs, while still a common sight, fail to corner the market completely. An increasing number of places now feature key kegs, a pressurized plastic keg that houses a bag of beer, using the gas to squeeze the beer out from inside. This type, however, lacks the ability to endure the same pressure levels as its steel counterpart.

The final factor to consider before dispensing our beer is the cooling system’s temperature. Based on the type of beers being served, the system might have several stages engineered to achieve and maintain the right temperatures.

In general, most establishments serving draught beer will have a designated beer cellar maintained at around 11 to 13 degrees Celsius. This temperature is adequate for beers like Belgian or cask ales, where it’s important not to diminish their intricate aromas and flavors. But, most beers require further cooling. The beer lines for such beers run via a remote cooler unit that lowers the liquid’s temperature to about 3 to 7 degrees Celsius. And for beers that are almost ice-cold ─ generally mass-made lagers ─ the liquid receives another round of cooling from a unit situated beneath the bar taps.

Temperature is incredibly important for several reasons. Firstly, we don’t want to serve flavorful beers too cold as it can negatively affect their taste and aroma. Also, beer served too warm tends to produce more foam and may lose its carbonation, potentially resulting in a flat beer with an overpowering taste of alcohol. Additionally, if the cellar temperature is too high, it might speed up the beer’s aging process, leading to undesirable off-flavors.

Having covered temperature control, we can now move on to pouring the beer. But before opening the tap, considering the way we’re holding our glass is important.

One fundamental principle of providing drink service is that two-thirds of the topmost portion of a glass “belongs to the consumer.” As a bartender or server, this entails only touching the glass’s bottom third to avoid contact with the area near the customer’s mouth.

Once the glass has been held at its bottom third, it’s elevated to a 45-degree angle towards the tap. The goal here is to bring the nozzle close to the inside of the glass without it touching either the glass or the beer. Even though we’ll delve into the underlying reasons for this later, at this point, it’s essential for the beer to slide down the inside of the glass surface. As the glass becomes half-filled, it’s gradually brought upright. Once the glass is vertical, it should have a clear half-inch space which permits the beer head to form.

It’s not advised to raise the gap between the glass and the beer tap excessively, as it can result in too much air being introduced to the beer as it descends. This can lead to beer foaming and adversely influence the retention of the beer head.

With our glass at a 45-degree angle and placed close to the tap, it’s time to start the pouring process. However, it’s important to ensure the beer tap is completely open.

Envision a water hose. When you pinch a part of the hose, it slows down the water’s flow rate. But in doing so, the pressure increases to preserve a balance within this sealed system. Both the slow rate and heightened pressure impair our objective when dispensing beer. When the beer’s exit is too leisurely, time is wasted and the service becomes slack. The surged pressure and the constrained outflow will provoke the beer, triggering excessive foam – which leads not only to beer wastage but also eats into your time waiting for the beer to settle or the act of pouring fresh beer.

Maintaining an appropriate and consistent flow rate is crucial. It helps keep the beer’s aromatic compounds intact and ensures the correct level of carbonation depending on the style. If the tap is wholly open and beer is gushing out too rapidly, you may need to adjust the pressure and flow controls in the cellar until the beer starts pouring at the desired rate. It’s also recommended to examine the open line’s flow rate each time you swap kegs, particularly if you’re replacing with a beer with differing flow and pressure needs.

Most of us have observed a bar attendant pouring draft beer, typically swirling the glass or lifting and letting it drop under the tap, seemingly giving the beer its frothy head. While obtaining the perfect head is essential, this isn’t the correct way.

To comprehend why, we need to delve into the role that gases play in beer. Carbon dioxide, as we know, gives beer its carbonation and mouthfeel, enhances flavor and smell, and attributes to a good head retention. From a brewer’s standpoint, the carbon dioxide produced by yeast during fermentation helps balance the beer’s pH, preventing off-flavors. It also bars oxygen from entering the beer, thereby thwarting oxidation that can render the beer tasteless.

Manipulating the glass during the pour introduces undesired oxygen into the beer. Although this oxygen will not cause oxidation within such a short time frame, it contributes to depleted carbonation and altered mouthfeel, making the beer seem stale. Plus, this reduced carbonation can dull the beer’s flavors and aromas. When someone drinks a beer that contains too much air, they might experience bloating. This discomfort can cause a customer to forgo another round, adversely affecting business profits.

We previously highlighted that the beer tap’s spigot should not come into contact with either the glass or the beer during the pour. Understanding the reasoning for this advice is crucial, despite some people mistakenly advocating for such contact to promote a frothy head.

True, plunging the nozzle into the beer can generate more froth through surface agitation and a subsequent release of more carbon dioxide. However, this technique entails drawbacks. Besides inducing carbon dioxide release – often too much, causing excess frothing – this method can introduce unnecessary oxygen, a situation we already know to avoid. The nozzle’s direct interaction with the beer can also expose the drink to potential contamination. While beer taps should be cleaned regularly to ensure their internal cleanliness, external beer residue can provide a fertile environment for unwanted microorganisms.

An exception to the rule of preventing beer tap nozzle immersion into the beer only applies when using a cask ale beer engine with a swan-neck spigot. Unlike keg systems, cask ales undergo continued fermentation within the cask, relying on natural carbonation without needing external gas canisters. As cask ales require only slight pouring pressure, the risk of excessive carbonation is practically negligible compared to high-pressure keg systems. Just remember to clean the nozzle with a fresh cloth after each pour.

We’ve discussed head retention in beer quite a bit, so let’s delve deeper into why a beer’s head is crucial and how to achieve perfect head retention every time. The main purpose of the beer head is to serve as a shield that traps carbon dioxide in the beer while keeping oxygen out, thus preserving carbonation for a longer period.

In addition, the beer’s head helps keep the volatile compounds, which are responsible for the beer’s aroma. A lack of head or a weak one can lead to these compounds escaping too rapidly, preventing the aroma from being fully savoured. Furthermore, the tactile sensation of a dense, creamy head is a significant part of the beer drinking experience, balancing overly sweet or bitter flavours when it interacts with our taste receptors, thanks to the proteins contained in it. As a general guideline, the head should take up at least 5% of the glass’s volume. However, certain beers, such as Belgian ales or German wheat beers, traditionally have thicker heads.

We have talked about quite a few things you shouldn’t do to form a head on a beer. The reality is a clean glass and a correctly set up system, along with a proper pour, should naturally create the right head. If you need to increase the beer’s head, this is when a partially opened tap can be used to top up the foam. Some taps can also be pushed forward to achieve the same effect.

Once a beer is poured, it should be served to the customer as quickly as possible. The moment the beer leaves the chilled lines, it begins to warm, reducing its refreshing taste.

Beers of high quality that are properly poured into clean glassware typically have good head retention, which means the head remains for a longer duration. However, it won’t persist indefinitely. As the head fades, the aromas and carbonation start declining too, leading to a subpar drinking experience. If you observe this occurring, it’s a potent sign that the service is getting too slow to ensure that all patrons are satisfied.

Serving beer swiftly can be impeded by uncontrollable elements, like a client ordering a large round, or the necessity to alter a keg during service. However, certain strategies can be applied to ensure a steady flow of beer. For extensive orders, the round can either be divided into portions or pour the entire round and leave some space at the top for the head, facilitating quick topping up prior to serving. For busy, high-volume establishments, having a runner is crucial ─ a person who can deliver drinks as soon as they’re prepared, and manage tasks like keg changes or cellar troubleshooting, allowing bartenders to continue serving drinks.

Read the original article on Tasting Table.