How to pour a beer properly
May 17, 2008
One of the cool things about working on The Brew Club site is that I’m getting to learn a lot of new stuff!
So I’ll admit it. I’ve been pouring beer the wrong way for years! There! I said it! I know I’m not the only one who pours beer wrong… pouring beer down the side of the glass while holding the glass at an extreme angle seems to make sense, right? For starters, this method prevents the beer foam from getting so crazy that it spills out of the glass, AND if you are using the proper sized glass and can manage the beer foam, a bottle of beer should fill up the glass in one smooth pour, AND, you can get to the business of actually drinking the beer quickly, which, is what it’s all about now isn’t it ?
But, from what I have been reading and seeing, 2 or 3 pours might be better than 1 straight pour! It seems it is better to pour the beer into the center area of the glass and allow the foamy head to form, stopping before it overflows. You then WAIT for it to settle down, and then pour in some more beer, wait, and then do it again until your bottle is fully poured into the glass.
The main reason for this is to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the beer, which can give some beers a sting when you drink them. By allowing the foamy head to form and subside, you are getting the CO2 out of the beer which reduces the sting, allowing the beer to taste better, and the subtle flavors in the beer can then be better experienced.
In addition, the not so subtle release of “other” gasses…from your body…from one end or another – should be reduced because the CO2 is released before the beer is consumed, and not after it is in your stomach! Now, I suppose some folks really enjoy beer belching or blasting out some beer-induced farts. If you’re into that scene, then you want to consume as much of the CO2 as possible and so you should probably just drink the beer as quickly as possible right out of the bottle, or can. Or maybe that funnel thing? Crazy kids.
Now, the only down side I can see by pouring beer this way, is that you’ll have to wait a little longer to actually drink your beer – which can be hard, I know – but I think that the rewards of a better beer tasting experience is worth the sacrifice.
The other big mistake I am guilty of, (maybe you are too?) is drinking beer at very cold temperatures. Allowing your tastebuds to develop frostbite from the cold, cold beer really doesn’t allow you to experience the beer as it was intended. But, for some reason we all think ice-cold beer is the way to go!
It’s actually recommended (by those who know) that leaving the beer out of the fridge to warm for about 10 minutes before drinking it, and then, using the proper pouring techniques, you should have a much richer beer-tasting experience! (Check out this post on ‘warm beer or cold?‘).
From now on, when pouring myself a beer to review or enjoy, I’m going to do it the right way!!!
But it might not be the only way! How do you pour a beer?
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May 20th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Dude, you might be right but I don’t think I can wait the 10 minutes to have my beer!
May 31st, 2008 at 7:01 pm
A frozen glass is always great to keep the beer cold….but causes extreme foam issues. I bartended at a “frozen glass” place, and we’d dip a portion of the glass in warm water to keep the foam down. (where we’d pour the beer from the tap)
July 30th, 2008 at 10:32 am
If I am going to enjoy one reaally good beer, and I have time, I’d definitely wait and do 2-3 pours, but most of the time, I’m with Hypocritical, I’m trying to down a few.
August 7th, 2008 at 1:01 am
Jeez, I’ve been doing it wrong too then. The top’s barely off the bottle and it’s in my mouth.
I like sparkling beer and knocking out the Co2 seems wrong (to me). Being Australian it’s seen as good manners to burp and fart so the people around you know what a good time you’re having.
We drink our beer straight from the freezer. O.1 degrees C is considered optimal.
10 minutes! Three blokes would down a sixpack in that time. If you’re still standing there looking at your beer you’ll miss all the fun of getting pissed and offend the host.
Thanks for the lesson anyway. Its always good to know how differently we do things over here.
February 7th, 2009 at 1:51 am
i have been pouring beer down my belly for years… i’ve just started this newly found procedure,, & i find it a good way to slowly enjoy a good beer. i have found that sam adams is a very good beer for this procedure. but for the majority of enjoying the way i have been consuming is old school. chug is my style, cause its fun for me! it helps me stay young in the mind. coors light is my usual beer, sam adams is my slow drinking beer, pacifico is my party beer, trout slayer is my microbrew beer, spatten brau is my european beer.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:25 pm
Thank you for this interesting article – I have recently gotten into beer, and before I stumbled upon this article I was just drinking straight from the bottle. Now I’ve invested in a couple of pint glasses and this is how I pour my beer. My brother-in-law and certain other beer snobs I know insist that I’m wrong to do it this way (and the whole angle-thing is how I learned to pull a beer on tap in bartending school) but it definitely works for me. Thanks!
March 9th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
Thanks for the instruction.
“… and then, using the proper pouring techniques, you should have a much richer beer-tasting experience!” indicates that the beer is kept in the bottle for the ten minute warming period.
You need to mention though, whether or not the beer bottle is opened and allowed to breathe for the ten minutes like a bottle of wine.
Or is it kept closed and opened at the end of the ten minute warming period?
Thanks again.
March 17th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
I would have to agree, drinking straight from a bottle really is frustrating, I have never been able to belch the extra carbonation you induce when consuming beer. With every beer, the carbonation builds up with every beer and this is quite uncomfortable for someone who can’t belch. I always ask for a mug, and pour the beer myself, letting the beer fizzle out a bit, then pour the rest. This not only lets me taste the beer, but also prevents the carbonation pressure from building up in my stomach and ruining my night, also preventing me from getting drunk…any helpful hints.
August 11th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
There are plenty of objectively wrong ways to drink a beer (eg, drinking a bottle conditioned ale straight from the bottle), but I do not agree that there is anything wrong with the pour at an angle method (and then straighten out at the end to achieve proper head for the style).
Your main reasoning seems to be for CO2 release, but that’s kind of silly because the carbonation of the beer is an important part of the mouthfeel and style of the beer. Some beers, particularly low quality beers like BMC (bud/miller/coors), are over-carbonated and so that may be where you got the idea of a carbonation “sting” from. Everyone has different preferences about carbonation so if you prefer lower carb you should just buy beer styles that have lower carbonation.
Regarding carbonation producing belchs / gas, I’m pretty sure it can only produce burping. Gas is produced by the indigestable fibers and grains in beer.
You’re right that drinking beer at very cold temps is a big mistake if you want to pick up the subtle flavors in the brew. Unless of course it’s BMC, which doesn’t have subtle flavors.
July 9th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
I’m glad someone did a write-up on this, as this is one of the “industry secrets” that has yet to catch on with the general public. However, if you’re pouring correctly there are very few beers which should require 2 or 3 pours due to a massive head.
You do want to pour down the middle, but you should not allow the pour to “glug” out of the bottle or can – it should pour smooth as silk. That being said, you want to pour the beer as fast as you can (without the glug) and power through the end of the pour. It may look like the head is going to overflow but if you’ve done it correctly it will always stop right at the top of the glass. Of course, each style of beer will have its own size head. The pour itself is beautiful, and moments after the beer will look picture-perfect in the glass. Impresses at parties.
July 9th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
@Norman, thanks for revisiting this post! I can’t believe I didn’t respond to any of the previous comments over the years. How rude of me!!!!
I really need to revisit what I wrote – while it works, what you say I have learned is correct and a beer rarely needs more than one pour, let alone 3. Others have mentioned that carbonation isn’t always a bad thing in beer, and the goal should not be a nice flat beer!
I do think that a good pour can be fun to look at, and it can certainly enhance the beer drinking experience. Have fun with it, and thanks for all the suggestions!
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..Sea Dog Blueberry Beer =-.
July 11th, 2010 at 1:06 pm
As it happened, I was reading an interesting article about Ray Daniels (the guy who started the Cicerone program) and he feels that it takes two hands to pour a beer. In his mind, the proper procedure is to “hold the glass at a 45 degree angle, pour along the side, then about halfway through, tilt both glass and bottle vertical. You want an inch or so of head. If you want to be a Cicerone, you’d better know that.”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/ct-sun-0711-cicerone-20100711,0,7352555.story?page=2
.-= Scott-TheBrewClub´s last blog ..What’s Your Favorite Summer Beer =-.
September 16th, 2011 at 8:01 pm
To resurrect an old thread…
Coming from a heritage of good beer in Milwaukee I’ve learned a better way to pour beer from a bottle. This is an old Bohemian secret methos
Put the glass over the top of the bottle. Flip 180° so that the bottle is over the beer. Pull the bottle out of the glass slowly to release, or pull, the beer into the glass. This, of course assumes you are using a proper beer glass that has an etched bottom and can take the whole contents of the bottle. I don’t find carbon dioxide to be an issue with quality beers and ales. Of course, if you’re drinking Bud, Coors Miller, etc., all bets are off. That stuff wouldn’t taste good in a 24 k gold goblet and isn’t worth drinking, IMO.
September 17th, 2011 at 12:10 am
@jfelbab – Cool! I think I’ll give that a try! Thanks!