OnTap Magazine

B eer is one of the few alcoholic beverages that’s socially acceptable to drink straight from the bottle (or can – although maybe not straight from the keg…). It’s one of the reasons that we love beer, right? Grab a sixer, take it to a braai or the game, crack one open and drink. No hassles, no fuss, no dishes later. Clearly there’s a strong case to be made here in terms of the simplicity of consuming this salt-of-the-earth beverage. But, maybe all those fancy-pants wine and cocktail drinkers are onto something with the whole notion of glassware. Maybe beer is even better when wemake the effort to pour it into a glass. As it turns out, glassware offers several advantages of its own in terms of improving one’s enjoyment of a beer. Simply put, a beer glass amplifies the whole experience. Despite being rightfully regarded as one of the most smashable of all drinks, beer is actually a very complex product, and glassware allows us to truly appreciate a beer in all its glory. APPEARANCE MATTERS The very first impression of a beer when poured into a glass is its visual appeal. Before you’ve even had a chance to smell or taste it, a poured beer is giving us a wealth of information, heightening the anticipation of that first sip. The colour jumps out immediately. Is it the clear straw yellow of a crisp pilsner? Is it a rich, sanguine Irish red? Or maybe it’s the stygian black of a bold imperial stout. Colour is the first impression of any beer, the opening salvo in its sensory assault – and you just can’t see that through a bottle or can. Yet there’s more to a beer’s visual arsenal than just colour. Pouring a beer allows us to literally see the carbonation of the beer. As CO2 bubbles form in a poured beer, they bind with certain proteins to create the foamy head that’s typical of a pint. The head itself might be white, tan or even brown. The size of the bubbles in the head might be relatively large and well defined or they may be tiny and foamy. All of these visual clues tell us a little bit about what’s to come. As these bubbles pop, they release aroma - the second sensory sortie. It’s true that you can still experience a beer’s aroma from a bottle or can, but when poured into a glass, the extra foaming and the wide mouth of the glass itself results in a much more intense olfactory experience. Depending on the beer style, you’ll get to enjoy more of the myriad beer aromas: biscuit, citrus, clove, pine, coffee, toffee, floral, earthy, resinous and so many more. Aroma, in turn, is inextricably linked to taste; even to the point that many qualities that a drinker may describe as flavour are actually detected in the nasal passage. Glasswareenablesus topour abeer, causing foam which releases more aroma which is then more easily able to escape through the glass’s wide mouth which results in even more aroma. And then all that aroma results in more perceived flavour. THE PERFECT POUR We’ve clearly established that if there’s a beer glass at hand, it’s probably better to use it. Now let’s look at some beer glass basics. First and foremost, make sure your glass is clean. And when I say clean, I mean beer clean. A dirty glass may have oily residue on its surface that inhibits the formation of a foamy head, with all the attendant benefits discussed above. Dishwashing detergent also needs to be thoroughly rinsed off the glass for this too will kill foam and with it, your deserved enjoyment of your chosen beer. You’ll know that your glass is properly clean if you fill it with beer and there are no small bubbles clinging to the side of the glass. Bubbles on the inside of the glass indicate little areas of dirt that have created nucleation points where bubbles form. This is a great way to know if the glassware at your local drinking hole is properly clean. (And if it’s not, send it back) Next, perform a perfect pour. You want to aim for about 2cm of head at the top of your beer – more for some Belgian and German styles. For most beers, you’ll gain best results by tilting your glass to about 45 degrees and pouring your beer in at a moderate rate. Keep an eye on the pour as you go. If there’s hardly any head forming as you pour, try increasing the rate of pouring and/or hold the glass vertically; if your beer is foaming too much as you pour, slow it down. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule: the most obvious are for nitrogen beers like Guinness, where the beer is poured rapidly into the glass, forming a large, dense head. If you want to be really fancy with a Hefeweizen - which is very highly carbonated - put your beer glass upside down right over the bottle, then slowly turn the glass and bottle over, slowly pulling the bottle out as the glass fills with the mouth of the bottle just below the level of beer in the glass. This way you reduce foaming and, more importantly, you look like you know what you’re doing. Finally, enjoy the beer with all its glassware benefits. Take in the majestic beauty of its colour and carbonation. Sniff your beer and allow the aroma to share with you the secrets of the flavour that is to come. Finally, take a long sip and savour all the pieces coming together in perfect synergy. Optional (but recommended): repeat.. A GLASS FOR EVERY BEER, AND EVERY BEER IN ITS GLASS The beer glass, like beer itself, comes in a multitude of different styles. These not only have an effect on the appearance of the beer, but different shaped glasses will have varying impacts on head retention and aroma as well. Check out some of these special glasses tailored to a specific style: PILSNER Tall and narrow to showcase colour and clarity WEISS Tapered top helps sustain big fluffy head GOBLET Usually used for big Belgian beers. Helps with head retention. TULIP Flared lip helps maintain head and concentrate aromas. IPA Ridges promote aeration and along with tapered top help deliver big hoppy aromas. 54 | Winter 2022 | ontapmag.co.za