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How to pour Beers (REVIEW)

On this page, we will teach you everything about drafting beer. This can be handy when you have never drafted a beer before as it is way different then pouring cola in a glass. The wrong technique can result in a beer with too much foam or a beer with too little foam which will effect the overall taste and experience of drinking the beer.

  • Automatic tap
    • Eendje
  • Beer drafting technique for other beers on the draft
  • Repairing a beer
  • How to draft Guinness

To know what beer or other drink goes in what glass, we would like to ask you to go to the glasses page.

Automatic draft

Standard Bavaria pils in Hubble is poured using standard draft systems that function normally.
The Bavaria draft, however, is automated. When you pull the handle down, the system automatically pours one glass of beer (0.25 L). If you keep the handle down, the draft will pause for one second. This pause allows the bartender to remove the filled glass and place an empty one underneath, making it possible to draft multiple beers in one go.

When you are drafting your last beer of the sequence of beers, you can put the draft handle back to the middle stand

The automated system is also used for larger servings such as 0.5 L glasses, pitchers, and 1 L glasses. For example, when pouring a 0.5 L glass, the system will pause briefly halfway through before continuing with the second half of the pour.

  • 0.5 L Bavaria beer = 2 x 0.25 L pours

  • Pitcher Bavaria = 6 x 0.25 L pours

  • 1 L Bavaria beer = 4 x 0.25 L pours

Eendje

An eendje is our 10 beers and get 1 free special. Guests pay for for 10 beers and get 11. Guests can choose if they want to to 

Beer drafting technique

The perfect beer on paper is a beer drawn from a cold keg and served with about two fingers of foam. Too much foam reduces the amount of liquid beer the guest actually receives. A beer that is mostly foam also tastes different, as the drinker is mostly consuming foam rather than liquid. In some circles, a beer with excessive foam is jokingly called an “ice cream.”

A beer with too little foam also affects the taste. Foam contributes to the creamy texture and mouthfeel of the beer, and too little foam can make it feel flat or thin.

How to draft a standard beer

Watch our YouTube video to learn how to draft normal bavaria beer, 0.5 liter beers,  

  1. Hold the glass correctly

    1. Hold the glass at a 45° angle under the tap spout.

    2. Keep the spout just above the liquid surface in the glass, not touching it, to allow a smooth pour and prevent splashing or excess foam.

  2. Start pouring

    1. Open the tap fully. Always open the tap completely. Partially opening it can cause turbulence, which leads to excessive foaming.

    2. Discard the first small portion. The very first bit of beer from the tap is often mostly foam or sediment. Let it flow briefly into a sink or drip tray before filling the glass.

    3. Hold the glass at a 45° angle and pour gently down the side. This minimizes initial foaming and helps create a smooth, controlled head.

  3. Adjust angle glass
    1. When the glass is over half full, gradually gradually tilt it upright to allow foam to form naturally.

    2. This creates a head of about 2 fingers (roughly 4–5 cm / 1.5–2 inches).

    3. Once the pour is complete, shut the tap off fully and immediately to avoid extra splashes or unwanted foam.

Be aware that the draft needs to be fully open or closed when drafting beer. Partly opening the draft will only give you foam (see picture). Opening the draft needs to be done quickly otherwise the beer will get a lot of foam.

  

Common mistakes made by beginner bartenders:

  • Not opening the handle all the way
    As you can see in the picture, opening the handle half way, will give you foam only
  • Opening the handle slowly
    Opening it slowly will also mean a lot of your drink will contain foam
  • Keeping the glass straight
    Keep it at 45 degrees or it will foam like crazy
  • Keeping the glass for away from the spout
    The distance will create more pressure and will create more foam. If it foams a lot, keep it closer to the glass
  • Not adjusting the beer glass when the beer has very little foam
    You want to aim for a layer of foam that is as thick as 2 fingers but some drafts have little pressure and create less foam then other drafts. When you see the beer is not getting any foam, adjust your glass to create more distance from your glass to the spout or keep the glass more straight.
 Draft closed No drink.png

Repairing a beer

It sometimes happens that you closed the draft too early or the beer has too much foam to serve.  

This is certainly fixable.

For Bavaria from the autotap:

  • Push the tap handle backwards. The tap will "spit out" some beer, which if you catch it with the glass, can fix the big foam layer. This can also be used if you have too little foam.

For all other beers:

  • If you have a lot of foam, you can pour some out (onto the draft surface) to "make space"   for new beer. If you skip this step the beer will overflow heavily in the next step, which is okay but your hands might get very wet.
  • Fully open the draft, and shortly hold the beer under it. Make sure to move the beer away from the draft before closing.  
  • DO NOT put the tip of the draft into the beer. This has no benefits and is not hygienic.

Draft a Guinness

(Only for Hubble)

The Guinness has a special way of drafting and according to Guinness drinkers, you can tell the difference between a good and badly drafted Guinness. See the instructions of how to draft a good Guinness way.

pintofguinness.jpg

Or watch this video on how to draft one

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