Video: How to Pour Tap Beer

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In order to pour a tap beer, the first tip is to pull the handle forward quickly for a smooth pour. Learn about creating the proper amount of head when pouring a beer with help from the owner of a beer bottle shop in this free video on pouring tap beer.

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Video Transcript

Hi, my name is Sarah and I'm from Saraveza Bottle Shop in Pasty Tavern in Portland, Oregon, and I'm here to tell you how to pour a tap beer. First of all, you're going to need a tap system. Second of all, you're going to need a glass. When you pour your beer, you're going to need to make sure to take your handle and pull it forward quickly. The faster you pull it forward, the smoother pour you're going to get, which is going to produce less foam. If you pull it slowly, you're going to feather the beer and create more foam. This is a technique you would like to use when you are pouring the beer, but only when you're creating the head, not when you are beginning your pour. Depending on the type of beer you pour, you want to pour your beers differently. If you're going to pour a pint of beer that goes in a standard pint glass, you're going to be concentrating on getting a straight pour, so again, move the handle quickly forward and then you're going to tilt, tilt to the side. You want a sharp angle. That again will reduce the foam on top of the beer. Pour, angle, going to keep it at an angle and you're going to tilt the glass as it gets towards the top. Now, when you get to the top of the pint, you do want a little bit of head. That's an enjoyable part of a beer. So, you just lightly feather your beer forward with a slight pull, and you get a small head. When you're pouring a Pilsner, a beer that requires a larger head on top of the pour of beer, you're not going to need to pour at such a sharp angle. Instead, you can pour directly down into the beer. That's producing a head all the way through, let it sit and you can top it off at your leisure. I'm Sarah, and that's how to pour tap beer.