If you don’t want to invest in foaming technology, there’s always the manual method. McCracken explains:
Slowly pour beer into a glass at a 45° angle. Pour the beer, against the middle of the slope of the glass and at the half-way point bring the glass at a 90° angle and continue to pour in the middle of the glass, pulling away near the end if needed to get the requisite inch to inch and a half height.
Do not use spotty or dirty glassware that might have detergent oils built up on them as these substances will destroy the structure of the foam. There are glasses (like the Boston Lager Perfect Pint) that keep the foam tighter to the top of the glass by using a rounded middle and narrow top. Nucleation sites on the bottom of a glass also continually release more CO2, thereby replenishing the aromatic foam at the top.
There are some styles that benefit from a fluffy thick head, and McCracken says having that atop a beer “provides a thicker, smoother contrasting texture, enhancing the overall mouthfeel.
“In many ways, it gives the beer an almost dessert-like quality. Another not-so-apparent benefit of foam is that it’s alluring from a visual perspective,” he said. “It provides some contrast in the appearance in color and texture, enhancing the general appeal of the drinking experience.”
However, if appearance and flavor are not your thing, and you just want to “chug a few beers and chill,” well the creator of the Gravity Gulp is here to help.
According to a press release, the device “facilitates a quick, steady flow of a beverage into the user’s mouth and with less foam. In doing so, it allows an individual to consume beer faster. As a result, it helps prevent wastage and it could help reduce bloating.”
Less foam is acceptable, says McCracken, with certain styles like strong barrel-aged beers, braggots, and, of course, cask-conditioned ales. Something tells me however that the Gravity Gulp guys didn’t have those styles in mind when coming up with the idea.
MORE: Researchers Discover Secrets to Optimal Beer Foam
John Holl is the editor of All About Beer Magazine. He may be reached at [email protected] or via Twitter @John_Holl.
As a brewer, these gadgets are infuriating. If you can’t get a good, persistent head from your beer when poured properly into the correct glassware, the problem lies in your brewhouse. And if your taproom staff or wholesale accounts aren’t presenting your beer correctly, fix it through training, not geegaws. The alternative is just lazy.
Yummm! Flat beer!
more foam , less gas you drink , more room for beer !
As a certified cicerone I completely agree with Scott Petrovitz. A properly balanced draft system and a beer brewed half way decently will have and retain head just fine. These are nifty novelty items, no more.
This whole article is a joke, right?
The one approach you didn’t address is nitrogenation. A nitro head retains its form longer, and the small, uniform bubbles do delightful things on the palate. It used to only be available via special taps or cans (like Guinness), but a new product called NitroBrew can turn any beer into nitro beer at the point of service. nitrobrew.com