How to Pour the Perfect Pint

Although some people might think it is easy to pour beer, the reality of how to pour the perfect pint is somewhat different. While some people drink any beer put in front of him, correct presentation is still vital. The most common error made by inexperienced bartenders is to fill the glass to the top, leaving the patron with half a pint of beer and half a pint of head. Here are the steps to do it correctly.

1. First: Fill the pint glass slowly

   Take a pint glass and hold it at a forty-five degree angle (measured from the floor) with the beer label on the top. Do not jam or force down the handle of the beer tap; pull it down gently. Keep the glass at the same angle, and lower it slowly as necessary until the pint glass fills.

2. Second: Let the head settle

   Fill the glass to about an inch below the rim, and then set it down to let the head settle. The settling process can take up to two minutes, with official Guinness protocol stating the correct settling time at 119.5 seconds. The carbon dioxide used to pressurize the beer escapes to let the beer settle into the glass.

3. Third: Top it off

   Once the beer has settled, top off the pint very carefully. The head should just touch or peek over the rim without spilling over onto the counter. While some bars let the surplus head fall into a drain, this wasteful practice is incorrect.