How to Properly Pour Different Beers

with Brendan Hartranft

Transcript: How to Properly Pour Different Beers

Hi, I'm Brendan Hartranft at the Nodding Head Brewery and restaurant in Philadelphia for About.com Food.

Today we're going to talk about how to pour a specific beer into its specific glassware.

Select an Amber or Pilsner Beer

We're going to start with a beer that you might find in your refrigerator. This is a beer that might have the carbonation of any other type of beer, be it a darker beer, an amber beer, a lighter pilsner, whatever.

And we're going to use a regular pint glass for this. It's what most people are accustomed to.

Pour the Amber or Pilsner Beer

Open it up, throw the cap down. We're going to hold it at a 45 degree angle. Let it slide down the glass sexy-like.

And then to create that nice fluffy head we like, we're going to straighten out, pour right in the center. And that looks really nice - ready to go and enjoy.

Select a Hefeweizen

So now we're going to mix it up a bit. We're going to pour different beers that have very different glasses to go with that beer.

We're going to start with the Hefeweizen. It's a style that originated in Bavaria, and the glass that goes with it is a big boy.

It's about a half liter. This glass is specifically used to showcase the color of the beer, but also allows room for a nice, dense head.

Place the Hefeweizen Bottle in the Glass

We're just going to pop it open, grab the bottle, grab the glass, and dunk it right in there. Don't get nervous at home, because once you flip it over you can meter it out exactly how you want.

Take your time with it, it's not going anywhere. About here you want to stop.

Swirl Then Pour the Hefeweizen

This is where you take the time. You want to swirl the bottle around a little bit and get all the yeast up that's at the bottom of the bottle. That's the really important part with this style.

Just flip it over, and top it off there, and take your time. There's the room we were talking about for that nice, dense head.

Get every drop out because, well, you paid for it. And you're ready to go.

Select a Belgian Golden Ale

We're going to finish with a Belgian golden ale. For this we're going to use the quintessential Belgian beer Duvel.

This beer goes in its own glass. It's a very popular custom in Belgium for every beer to get its own glass with the name of the brewery on it. The style of this glass is used so it really captures the aroma of this beer and showcases the clarity.

Pour the Belgian Golden Ale

Pop it open, and this is a little different. We're going to let it slide down the side here. This is a very volatile beer, so you want to take it slow so it doesn't get away from you.

We're going to top it off there, and we have all that space to go so, you know, don't be bashful with it. You're going to want a nice, dense head with that, too.

Drink the Belgian Golden Ale

The way this glass is designed, with the tulip there, when you tip it to your lips that beer is going to come right up, so don't worry about it. And it's delicious.

So today is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of different beers out there, and there are a whole lot of glasses.

Thanks for joining us. Make sure to visit us on the Web at food.about.com. Cheers!

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