You don’t need me to tell you that craft beer has arrived. In many fine restaurants, it now sits alongside excellent bottles of wine where servers are educated equally between the two beverages. As “sommelier” is a well known title designating an expert in wine, beer experts now have a choice of designations such as a certified Cicerone or Beer Steward. In one day recently, I had both an extra pale bock and a sour, barrel aged ale brewed with apricots. The variety of choices available even in Montana for a hosted tasting event or just some great backyard drinking are astounding.
As with any perishable product, proper handling is critical. So is presentation. Even the casual craft beer fan knows heat and light are enemies to beer. Brown glass is better than clear. Cans are even better. Some beers age nicely. Some are meant to be consumed quickly. Brewers cringe when they see a six pack of 2 year old pale ale suddenly appear on a store shelf. It simply isn’t going to taste as they intended.
The Brewers Association has a great draught quality manual covering topics like line cleaning, draught system design, gas dispense and balance, and proper pouring and sanitation. Let’s face it, dirty beer lines, crummy glass cleaning and poor sanitation wreak havoc. Unfortunately, most of us simply think it’s the beer. And don’t forget those ice cold, frosted beer glasses. They’re terrible for craft beer, instantly creating an icy sludge and ruining any chance your taste buds have to pick out wonderful hop and malt aromas and flavors.
Where I live there’s an excellent wine bar with an adjacent full service restaurant. Think dimly lit, award winning, popular fine dining. The food in the wine bar section is a great mixture of artisan sandwiches, cheese plates, small entrees and more. The wine list is wide ranging and the bartenders and servers are knowledgeable in the wines and service. The place also caters to craft beer enthusiasts with six frequently rotating taps featuring less common local brews and fine regional selections. For instance, they’ve had The Abyss and Ivan the Terrible along with Blackfoot River’s Kolsch and Full Sail’s Elevation IPA. We’ve been there many times. The crab cakes are a favorite and we’ve always been impressed.
Which is why our recent experience was rather bizarre. We settled into a couple of seats at the bar and ordered Blacksmith Brewing Co.’s Black Iron Black IPA. It’s an excellent beer from the brewery in Stevensville, MT. I’ve enjoyed it from the very first batch. We noticed the bartender’s first attempt to pour the beer in the tulip-like glass resulted in a half inch of beer and three inches of thick foam. I figured it was no big deal and assumed the keg had just been tapped. We then proceeded to watch as the bartender poured six identical glasses of foam rich beer and began ladling out the foam using a soup spoon. She then worked to combine the liquid and repeat the process to create full glasses of beer.
We pondered for a moment whether we should say anything as we’re not the types to complain much. Yet, this was odd, so we spoke up before she was done and asked what was wrong with the beer or their system. A second bartender spoke up and said he’d adjusted the system as much as he could and that was the best they could do. Huh? We told him we weren’t happy with the pour or the presentation and suggested they adjust the system. His response? “We take pride in the presentation of our beer.” Hmm . . . so ladling out the foam of six tulip glasses to make something resembling a good pour is a technique to be proud of? Odd.
The conversation degenerated from there. The first bartender finished her foam excavation and slid the beer in front of us. We were not offered some other selection. There was no “I’m sorry this isn’t to your liking, what else can we get you?” Instead, we were told it’s impossible for them to get the CO2 right because they serve a variety of beers with widely varying carbonation levels. Huh? That’s easily solved with the right equipment. It’s also clearly contrary to our prior experience there. Ultimately, we were told they knew what they were doing and we should stop talking and drink our beer. We left when the second bartender told us he “was not enjoying talking to us about this.”
I don’t know what the beer tasted like; we left without taking a sip. We weren’t afraid of it, but the atmosphere wasn’t going to improve. We assume the second bartender was having a really bad day. It’s also possible we came on a little strong. Whatever the case, I’m certain of two things. First, Mike, the brewer at Blacksmith, probably wouldn’t be happy to see his beer being served by ladling out the foam from multiple partial pours. It probably isn’t going to taste as expected and the presentation was . . . well . . . lacking. Second, that beer should not have been served until the delivery equipment could be properly adjusted. Aside from the ridiculous amount of staff time it would take to “pour” a beer like this, there’s no reason anyone should have to watch while the foam is ladled off and the beer is assembled from multiple glasses. Bad form. We’d have fully understood if we’d been told the beer wasn’t available because they were having trouble with the CO2.
I’ve experimented enough with glassware to know that different glasses do have an effect on the tasting experience. That said, I’m not picky. At home, my favorite glass is the Imperial Pint glass. I like how it looks and how it feels in my hand. I like that I can pour in a 12 oz bottle or split a 22 oz bomber and have plenty of room for a nice head. It’s good for allowing the aromas to develop. For higher gravity beers and tasting events, I’ve got some snifter glasses. When I’m out and about it’s nice to see a joint fit the style of beer with the recommended glass, but I’m just as happy with a standard American shaker pint glass.
What also has an effect on the tasting experience? Proper handling and presentation. They’re far more important than glassware. Honestly, I don’t much care what my beer is served in, so long as it’s glass, clean, and somewhere in the family of beer related items. I care plenty about proper handling and good presentation. I care even more about respect. For the brewers, for their great craft beer, and for those like me, who just might know something about it. What do you think?
