Pouring a beer is one of my favorite subjects. Nothing is more mouth watering than the sight of cold brew properly poured and awaiting consumption. Knowing some brewer put his heart and sweat into making this just for you. It's his personal gift to you one glass at a time. He certainly hopes you like it because if not he's out of a job. It's not just out necessity of feeding family though, it's also his dream create something wonderful.
The way it's poured influences the way it's tastes, smell's and looks upon presentation. Let's face it, one of the most wonderful things about beer is the way it looks presented to you in the glass. First impressions matter. Of course there is the classic image of a golden colored beer with the snow white head in a glass sweating from condensation.
Beer writers, geeks, pundits and so on do debate about this. So here in this throw my two cents into the debate. I recently came upon this subject in the book, "Tasting Beer" by Randy Mosher, which sparked my interest in this subject. I hadn't paid attention to this subject for quite awhile. In Randy's book he recommends a vigorous straight down the middle of the glass. Taking your time and letting the foam settle. This way it releases more of the carbonation trapped in the brew making it less gassy.
The late Michael Jackson recommends using more of tilted pour using more of side of the glass. He recommends a tiled glass at first and gradually bringing the glass to a straight up and down. Still coming up with a creamy long lasting head. It his book "Great Beer Guide" he show a few different methods for different styles , although from the pictures it looks all very similar. Some styles foam up quicker like a Hefeweizen verses a barleywine.
As an experiment I'll try the different type of pours on the same beer. All in the name of science of course. First will be a poured totally down the side of the glass. Second will start near the bottom near with the glass at a steep angle then gradually bringing straight. This will be the Jackson method(or close to it)Thirdly will the Mosher method which is straight down the middle. Here we go!
The late Michael Jackson recommends using more of tilted pour using more of side of the glass. He recommends a tiled glass at first and gradually bringing the glass to a straight up and down. Still coming up with a creamy long lasting head. It his book "Great Beer Guide" he show a few different methods for different styles , although from the pictures it looks all very similar. Some styles foam up quicker like a Hefeweizen verses a barleywine.
As an experiment I'll try the different type of pours on the same beer. All in the name of science of course. First will be a poured totally down the side of the glass. Second will start near the bottom near with the glass at a steep angle then gradually bringing straight. This will be the Jackson method(or close to it)Thirdly will the Mosher method which is straight down the middle. Here we go!
1. The down the side method
Pouring down the side of the glass is described as "for sissies" by beer writer Randy Mosher. The after the pour the beer has about a pinky finger thick head. It fades quick to a thin coating. The IPA looks and feels well carbonated. The brew is bitter and bubbly. When finished it it leaves little lacing at all on the glass..
2. The Jackson Method.
This way I started with the glass at slight 20 degree angle and pour down the side a little and quickly brought it vertical. At first glance the head was slightly bigger at about a full finger but still faded relatively quick. It did seem a little less carbonated while drinking. Didn't notice a lot differetn about taste. Bitterness was about the same. Bubbles weren't as active inside the beer.
3.The Mosher Method.
This way I started with the glass at slight 20 degree angle and pour down the side a little and quickly brought it vertical. At first glance the head was slightly bigger at about a full finger but still faded relatively quick. It did seem a little less carbonated while drinking. Didn't notice a lot differetn about taste. Bitterness was about the same. Bubbles weren't as active inside the beer.
3.The Mosher Method.
This is plain and simple. Pour straight down the middle and don't worry about being gentle. First you'll notice that it foams up quickly. It may take a few minutes to pour a full beer. Another thing is that the the brew is visibly less carbonated as less bubbles are noticed. The head is enormous and pillowy. When your consuming it's less fizzy feeling than you the other pours. It goes down smoother perhaps even less bitter. I didn't notice very much change in the taste or aroma.
Summary
I think many like myself grew up on the idea of fizzy cold beer. In the dark days before the craft beer revolution that's pretty much all their was. If you're happy with cold and fizzy then by all mean keep on with the first method. In the second pour a little less carbonation and more head(insert sexual innuendo here) this maybe the way to go. If you'd like a smoother less gassy experience then the third way is way to go. Doing this experiment has been an eye opener as far as what to expect in those tiny bubbles.
I think the edge goes to the Randy Mosher method. It's a smoother and perhaps more mature way of consuming brew. I didn't notice much of any difference in taste or aroma. The head was creamier and gave a nice appearnce upon presentation. Of course personal taste always prevails. I'd encourage others to experiment, which is always fun with beer.
Cheers!
Sources:
Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher
Great Beer Guide by Michael Jackson
Special thanks to Shiner Wicked Ram IPA
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