Robin Shepard
The American preference for as little foam as possible may be changing.
Working Draft Beer Company brewer Clint Lohman believes in the foam.
“Foam contributes to mouthfeel, the way it smells adds to the taste, and the way it looks — with that dense white head — also adds to perceived enjoyment,” says Lohman, who has been carving out a specialty with his Czech pilsners.
The most common beer taps found in American restaurants and bars are made to pour beer fast, with minimal foam. Most have no flow control; the tap is either on or off. But what’s called a “side pull” tap gives the server greater control. The tap’s wooden handle is mounted to the side of the nozzle’s valve, and the more it’s opened, the faster the beer pours. With practice a server can alter the flow to affect the amount of foam. Side pulls create a soft, creamy, smooth head, without large bubbles.
Lohman recently installed three side pull taps imported from the Czech Republic. He plans to keep at least three European-style lagers on side pull most of the time. His Czech pilsner To Those Who Wait is an ideal experience from the side pull; the soft herbal, earthy, spicy notes from Saaz hops dance above the head.
The Czechs have even classified foam: the standard pour’s foam is roughly three fingers above the top of the beer; in a šnyt, foam makes up half to two-thirds of the glass; and the mlíko (“milk”) is a whole glass of white froth.
The slow pour is another heady experience — the practice is now a big thing at Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver. The slow pour is more technique than technology. The bartender pours the beer to create a thick, layered head of foam, then waits several minutes for the foam to settle and condense. Before it dissipates completely, more beer is poured and more foam created. This continues until the foam is layered in the glass, with the head extending well above the rim of the glass. Dense wet foam the consistency of whipped cream is quite sippable. Recently Working Draft offered A Pils is a Pils is a Pils (a collaboration with Minnesota’s Fair State Brewing) as a slow pour — that took 10-15 minutes. If you want a second, order it when the first arrives.
