I just had an epiphany towards pouring beer. Normally I would angle the glass before straightening it out for my pours, even though I knew the experts such as Randy Mosher's Tasting Beer highlighted simply pouring the beer straight down into the glass for the best beer tasting experience. I recently tasted Moosehead Lager poured with both methods, but everything else equal. The skinny; I noticed enough of a different between the look, small, taste, all leaning in favor of the straight down pour, but especially the mouthfeel. In the angle poured sample, the carbonation was more harsh, while the straight down sample was softer. I plan to stick with pouring my beer straight down. I even filmed a short of it on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/shorts/S1A7MQ2pHlg How do you pour your beer? Have you compared the qualities of beer poured these two ways?
The US brewing industry's been trying to promote that method long before Mosher - PROPER POURING. 50 years ago, the Olympia Brewing Co. claimed in ads that: Since the dawn of organized brewing back in 800 A.D., brewmasters have urged discriminating drinker to pour straight into the head, and into a tilted receptacle. Which, I agree, might just be a bit hyperbolic but, OTOH, it could be that there were a lot of non-discriminating drinkers around.
A lot of people like to dismiss the pour but this is part of the experience to me. Now, I admit to at times not having the patience to wait, but generally I go hard pour. It releases the carbonation and helps prevent that bloated feeling. Same reason I don't drink directly from the bottle or can. I also like to use a glass that accommodates a big fluffy head on my beer. Well done @DoubleJ!
Why is he yelling? He has a microphone, right? Damn. Quit Hollerin' at Me. Also a good reminder that, no matter how long it's taking to get your food, DON'T eat the napkins!
I typically use an aggressively fast straight-down pour, for maximum head. I go with a slow pour for Orval to avoid too much head. This thread should be a poll.
Don't you have to wait anyway for the head to settle with a hard pour? I'm not a fan of a big mouthful of foam.
In terms of releasing carbonation something I've started doing recently is periodically giving the glass a swirl once I can do so without spilling anything. Along with removing those bubbles, it also releases additional aroma.
My method is to go hybrid. I start out down the middle to see how alive the beer is (many high abv stouts are dead, or nearly so). If a good amount of foam is evident, then I go to pouring down the side. If I'm satisfied with how much foam I'm getting I'll stay with pouring down the side. If not, I go back to down the middle. I'm looking for about an inch of foam in the end. It's all about a couple of quick management decisions.
I long for the day when I finally find someplace that does a good mliko pour. And the foam on a poked bock? Pure delight.
My belief and experience re pours is that they are dependent upon the type of beer and the type of glass. OP, have you ever poured a Duvel vigorously straight down into a glass? Big no no unless you want a violent milko pour. If I buy some beer that needs "a lift" in its mouthfeel I'll bust out a nucleated glass (real good for Lagers). I do agree that vigorous vs gentle pour makes a difference. No question about it. Keep experimenting!
I couldn't find the exact one I wanted (where Ed instructs us to pour it down the middle), but at least Ed shows us how to do it in this one:
