An Ode to Foam

Beer foam has always been a bit of a mystery to us. In fact it was one of the major attributes drawing the ancients to fall in love with this flavorful beverage and has been prized ever since. Foam can tell you many things about the beverage you are about to drink. It can tell you if your glass is clean while enhancing the flavor and aroma of your beer but the truth about is we really don't know much about where it comes from or how it is formed.

Small nucleation sites of foam can form where microscopic rough patches created by dirt and scratches and can help determine a poor glass cleanin regimen by the pubster. However, sometimes these nucleation sites are created on purpose to form the perfect foam or "head" at the top of your suds. Many breweries place their logo lazer etched into the bottom of their glassware to create these bublle factories.

With extra hop forward beers foam has an especially dramatic effect on the beer. No only does the additional hops play an important roller help head and head retention attributes, hop bittering compounds preferentially migrate to the head of your beer. As a result of these electrical and chemical compounds the head is usually quite a bit more bitter than the beer itself.

So how much is enough?  Industry standard is about an inch of foam on top of be beer. The British tend to disagree and to maximize the amount of beer in their glass Brits ask for flat beer all the way to the rim of the glass. Different beers call for different amounts foam. As a result to the Briton's habits English ales have less carbonation and demand less foam. Belgian beers with their high carbonation have much more foam and German ales tend to vary based on the style of beer.

The proper poor to get the right amount of head. In order to get the proper head from your beer one must like with the proper technique. To do this, pour the beer directly down the middle of the glass into a straight-up glass. Looting the beer down the side of the glass is an insult to you and the brewmaster. This will result in an over gassy brew with little aroma and a disgraceful head that quickly disappears. A wild pour is necessary to creat that creamy head that will last until the last drop lacing the glass and the beer empties out. It is also helpful to bottled beer to release excess carbonation that can cover up hop aoma and fills you up quickly not allowing you to drink more. So pour and let the beer settle properly before adding the next bit. This may take awhile but will give you an experience that is well worth the wait. There are pubs in Europe that this ritual may take up to 15 minutes and if the beer shows up to soon the patron could get weary about what might be wrong with their drink.

So next to drink pour your beer remember... pour responsibly and don't fear the foam.