Pour Down CENTER!

I always found it ironic that A-B, a macro in the greatest sense, produced (and seems to continue to produce) some advertisements that actually teach people the correct way to pour beer...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0kGxYMJLy4


This is, at least to my tastes, the proper way to pour beer. Pour the beer down the center to start the production of foam, release excess carbonation, and to enhance the aroma of the brew. Some will say, "this method takes too long -- all that foam" or "you'll get flat beer..." Knock the excess foam off with a knife and re-pour. Flat? Sorry, but some fizzy bloat-fest is not my idea of a good time. If I want my stomach to swell to 300% of its normal size, I'll eat Mentos washed down with Diet Coke...

I cannot even begin to compute the number of times I've had a perfectly good beer (draught and bottled) ruined by a lousy pour. Some bars feel that a "side glass drizzle" somehow will make me think I'm getting more beer for my money. No thanks -- all I'm getting is more bloat for my money. Memo to bars: if you bloat me with your lousy pours, I won't be buying as much beer! I won't have room for it thanks to all the damn Carbon Dioxide you handed me. How's that for simple economic theory. I've actually had to stop well-meaning servers (who bring me a bottled beer w/glass) from pouring for me. Inevitably... the glass goes sideways and out comes the bloat-fest. I can usually get them stopped before the damage is permanent...

This is how I like my beer poured. However, the opinion is certainly not universal. Even the esteemed folks at the Samuel Adams Brewing Company recommend a side-pour followed by a "froth pour" at the end to produce an inch or so of foam. As much as I like most of your beers, SA, I prefer them poured my way.

I could also see the pour technique being related to the relative carbonation of the beer. I suppose for an ultra-low carbonation beer, one might want to preserve as much as possible -- if one likes the snap of carbonation on the tongue... I guess I'm not one of those people. To me, carbonation beyond a certain point has crossed a threshold wherein "more" becomes meaningless; it was "too much" when it crossed to begin with.

A proper pour also allows the beer's foam to form strongly. The foam can sign the glass with rings of awesomeness if it is given a chance to properly form. Again, a by-product of a proper pour.

Damn... all this talk of pouring beer is making me thirsty! Unfortunately, no beer for the Dog until later. I've got things to do today, places to go, people to meet, etc. The beer will keep...
If properly stored...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdNzPHgRKSg

Ponder these words, my friends... I will ponder what brew to obtain next.