HOW TO POUR A PINT WITH BLADE
The last thing any beer lover needs is the delicious flavours of their favourite brews jeopardised by a lack of foam, or indeed a glass full of it. All it takes, however, is a few tips and a bit of practice to learn how to pour like a pro with BLADE. By the end of this article, you'll be pouring pub-worthy pints at home in no time.
You can use these steps as a guideline for any beer, although they are specifically designed for tapping lager.
STEP #1: THE OPTIMUM DRINKING TEMPERATURE
Before doing anything, we need to ensure the beer is at optimum drinking temperature. As BLADE is not necessarily designed to cool down kegs, it’s important to always chill your BLADE kegs in the fridge for at least 16 - 24 hours before using. After you’ve inserted the keg, BLADE will maintain the temperature at a fresh 2ºC, so that when the beer touches your lips, it’s around 3ºC.
As soon as the dial on BLADE’s thermometer points to the blue end, you’re ready to pour.
Check out this article to find out more about the best beer serving temperatures.
STEP #2: THE GLASS
For the perfect draught pint, you need your glass to be “beer clean”. The glass should always be devoid of any impurities that may affect how easily C02 can bind to it. This can compromise the quality of the drinking experience either by altering the mouthfeel or tainting the flavours.
First things first, take your beer glass and rinse it thoroughly using a BLADE Glass Brush. This makes your glass slippery, eliminating friction and creating a uniform head. It’s best to just use lukewarm water here, without any washing up liquid. Using everyday dish soaps containing lipids (oils and fats) on beer glasses isn’t ideal for foam retention.
When you want to clean your beer glass after use, avoid using washing up liquid or putting it in the dishwasher. This affects the protective layer of the glass. Just give it another rinse with the BLADE Glass Brush and some lukewarm water.
Did you know there are different kinds of glasses for different kinds of beer? From the classic pint glass to the tulip, chalice and more, you can find out all about them in our detailed article on beer glasses.
STEP #3: THE 45° ANGLE
Hold your clean glass at a 45° angle, keeping it close to the tap, without letting the tap touch the glass (or the beer). You want the beer to pour onto the inside surface.
STEP #4: THE POUR
Open the BLADE tap fully, all the way, in one fluid motion. When the glass is about 3/4 full, gradually and smoothly straighten it until the head reaches the top of the glass.
Note: if you have a Belgian beer or German beer, take a little extra care. If you straighten the glass up prematurely, the foam will flow over the sides. Try to tilt the glass upright only when it’s almost entirely full.
Then, place your glass on the drip tray and skim the beer head using a Heineken skimmer (available in The Heineken Skimmer Kit or The Complete BLADE Bar Kit).
Why skim a beer?
A beer skimmer is used to scrape away the excess head from your beer, creating a tight seal and trapping the carbon dioxide while keeping excess oxygen out. The perfect head is widely considered to be around 2cm, or two fingers of foam. If you’re using a Heineken beer glass, this means that the foam should rest roughly on the shoulders of the red Heineken star.
Now, all that’s left to do is take that first fresh sip and enjoy!
Check more BLADE articles, like how to set up BLADE and how to change a BLADE keg, to make sure you get the most out of the ultimate home draught experience.