If you are like me, you would agree that craft beer tastes better straight from the tap at a brewery. A large part of that is the friendly beertenders, buzzing atmosphere, and ability to taste anything on the tap list – but some of that flavor explosion comes from how the beer is presented.

As mentioned before, the glass shape can enhance certain elements of your beer (read Glass Class here) – but what about the pour?

Today I’m going to share a few tips on how to get the perfect craft beer pour at home.

1. Don’t frost your glass

   The most common at-home-beer mistake that I see is people keeping their beer mugs in the freezer. KNOCK IT OFF! Not only will the condensation from the glass water down your craft beverage of choice, but also many beers taste BETTER when they are not ice cold. Much like their red wine counterparts, craft beers open up as they warm up just a touch. Don’t short change yourself on flavor – starting with a room temperature glass will serve you  just fine.

2. Give your glass a quick rinse

   Dust or soap residue in your glass leads to friction and friction leads to more foam. Now don’t get me wrong, foam is a good thing, but too much can lead to a foam over or that awkward ‘settle down’ period where you have to briefly halt your pour while you wait for your beer to chill out. In order to be the master of your beer, rinse your glass with a quick splash of water, swish it around, and then pour it out. This quick action will clear out any unwanted particles that are found on the inside of your glass.

   Ideally we want the glass to act as a slip’n’slide for the beer to settle into.

3. Pour mechanics

   At this point you should have a clean, room temperature glass and are ready to start the cascade. Start by tilting your glass about 45 degrees and aim your beer waterfall about half way down the side of the glass. Once the rising beer level reaches your pour point, start to level the glass out until it is straight up and down.

   When poured correctly, your craft beer should have one to two finger widths of foam at the top and no bubbles on the sides of the glass (sometimes glasses have shapes etched in their base to encourage some pretty bubbles, but this won’t always be the case).

Give these tips a go and let me know if you can achieve the perfect craft beer pour at home! Are you already pouring like this? If you are changing up your pour, can you notice a difference in the aroma or taste of the beer?

Cheers!