Proper Head Pours

It's spotty around here, some I've been to use large enough glassware to get a reasonable size head for the beer style being served. Others use the shaker pint with minimal head, I guess because it's cheaper and easier for them.

I don't see that changing very rapidly because there are still a lot of folks around here who think the head is for looks only and so don't care much. Since they don't realize what they are missing out on, that pretty much creates a situation where one of my choices as a customer is to mostly go to places where they understand the role of the head in influencing aromas/flavors and in producing a good tasting beer.

 

Go to Foam Brewing in Vermont! Hence the name of the brewery

 

Bacchus = good
Underground Coffee and Ales = good
Rushing Duck = good
Peekskill = good
Suarez = good
DeCicco's = good
Mill House = good
Schatzi's = fair to good

Good around here, excellent pours for sure!

 

You do realize Foam is name of a Phish song?

 

I actually did not. Never really listened to them haha. I just saw the information on their website, and visited the brewery last fall.

 

These types of pours are very common now. I refer to them as the "Boss Pour" i dont know where i heard from but its a reference to filling a beer to its rim with no head.

Just look on IG and other forms of social media for breweries. Just even scroll through the Thread on here what are you drinking.

 

I suppose that's a fitting name - we've all had bosses who are ignorant assholes who insist they're right even when they have no idea what they're doing.

Funny, too, 'cause the modern geekster has adopted the "you must pour beer in a glass" concept- why bother if they then pour a beer with no head, with no release of excess CO2, or of aroma? And that's not even considering the visual glory of a fine collar of foam on a glass of beer.

Hardly originated with Mosher - Proper Pouring.

 

Is that in fact what they're named after? The names of their beers make them sound more like indy rock nerds than jam band nerds (though I guess the Talking Heads beer bridges the gap).

I know Sierra Nevada has sold a pilsner named "Foam" at a number of Phish shows, so there's not much mystery about that one

 

I was told by one of the folks there that it is indeed part of the reason for the name.

 

After Googling Willy belcher, yes, those do look just like my glasses.

 

I had a Hodgons IPA at Fishtail Brewing in Olympia, and it had the best head I've ever had on a beer. Very dense opaque white foam, it kinda clumped up at the end, but it lasted to the bottom. Just a great glass of beer. I've had some German beers with that kinda head , but theyre really few and far between.

 

Wow! I had figured that pour style had some history, but I had no idea it went that far back. Have carbonation levels stayed fairly consistent over the decades?

 

As long as the beer is tasty, Idc about the head.

 

You can state it even more strongly. Some estimates are that 90% of flavors comes from the aromas.

http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/importance-of-aroma-jozef-youssef

 

There's a lot of beer no-nos I'm guilty of, or guilty of overlooking. I understand the pairing of beers with various foods but sometimes I feel like drinking a coffee porter with an order of buffalo wings, sometimes I don't care about matching glassware. I can overlook the intricases of a bad pour and imperfect beer to foam ratio, just keep your lines clean and serve me something relatively fresh.