Pouring beer

[stronk]

I know this is considered by some to be a high art, but recently I have just started upending the bottle over an oversize glass and waiting for it all to glug out. IMO, this gets rid of plenty of the excess CO2 that pasteurised bottled beer seems always to have and gives it a nice head, immediately releasing the aroma, so that I don't have to wait around. It also seems to warm the beer slightly, when the liquid in the head comes into contact with the surrounding air.

I wouldn't do it to a BC beer (unless it was a hefeweizen), of course; and I know there is actually some skill in pouring a BC beer or a nitro-kegged beer, but it has often puzzled me why many people seem to make such a big deal of slowly pouring a pasteurised beer down the side of the glass so carefully that it ends up without a single bubble of head.

For the record, I also wash my glass just before I pour the beer in, mostly to get rid of the dishwasher film, but also to allow me to pour violently without ending up with a glass of thick foam.

[haaseg]

I usually try to pour a 12oz bottle into a pint glass (16oz). I'll dump it in pretty fast until the head gets to a certain point. I've gotten pretty good so that all 12oz go into the glass, and the head is just peaking over the rim without spilling over.

[danno]

I do it the opposite way as haaseg... I tend to start them with the gentle pour down the side of the glass, gauge how the head is coming along, then adjust the "violence" of the pour as to end up with around a 3/4" head...

[stronk]

It's the first couple of glugs which are easiest to get to form into a head. I'll also adjust slightly, depending on how much dextrin (or equivalent) I think is in the style of beer.

[HogieWan]

This is how I do it (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/101/pour.php), but I tend to pour a bit more aggressively. Works with BC beer, also.

[HarkJohnny]

a recent pour of a dogfish aprihop.... every single bottle in this 4 pack poured like this... and this was a S-L-OOOOOOO-W pour!

[noby]

Originally posted by HogieWan
This is how I do it (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/101/pour.php), but I tend to pour a bit more aggressively. Works with BC beer, also.

Pretty much how I do it, adjusting according to the liveliness of the beer.
In fairness, he's pouring into a pint glass in the clip, so he has left plenty of room for a more aggressive pour.

With stouts, I use a half pint glass, and the 'constant top-up' method.


HarkJohnny, I've had a couple of my own like that, but never commercial beers.

[haaseg]

I watched the video, and I tried it on a Hoegaarden and two Anchor Steams last night, and I'll have to say, this is my new way to pour beer.

[HogieWan]

Originally posted by haaseg
I watched the video, and I tried it on a Hoegaarden and two Anchor Steams last night, and I'll have to say, this is my new way to pour beer.

While pouring down the side of the glass, you can see if any head is building. If it is, continue to pour down the side. If there no action, start pouring down the middle. Just remember that after you're done pouring the head will continue to rise a bit.