March 29th 2014 at day one of Taste WA. http://tastewashington.org/
Experiencing a proper beer service is rare even in great craft beer bars. The Stella Artois bar at Taste WA however exemplified proper beer service.
Pouring a proper beer takes time and skill. Notice how wet the bartender's hand is. This is not going to be your typical beer pour.
Step 1, approach your friendly bartender. Notice the Belgian style long nozzle taps
Make your selection. At this event we had a selection of three beers.
Not sure what you want? Go ahead and ask questions.
Good bartenders can explain the flavor profile, ingredients and history of their beers.
Once you've made your selection, the bartender will select the beer appropriate glass. Then it is dipped in ice water to make sure it's clean and the glass has no flaws. It also cools the glass in case it's still hot from the dishwasher.
Fun Fact: In Belgium every beer has it's own glassware tailored to beer or brewery
Let the pouring begin.
I chose to do these photos in black and white so you can focus more on the glass and process rather than the color of beer.
The glass is tipped on the side in order to prevent from too head forming at once.
The glass is slowly raised upright the closer to the end of the pour to create more head on the beer. Notice the hands are still wet having dipped the glass before pouring.
Pouring a proper beer is hands on process.
Almost there....
Unlike most pours, the glass is filled over the top to make sure that there is about 1 inch of head on the beer.
Once filled, the bartender cuts the extra head off the top to even its size.
The result is beer poured perfectly to the top with exactly the right amount of head.
The glass is dipped once again, in a separate pool of ice water, to rinse off the beer on the glass. The bartenders hands are always wet from the constantly cleaning process.
Get ready....
Here it comes.
Look, smell, and taste the beer as soon as you get it. In this case we have Leffe Brown.
9 out of 10 sommeliers approve of beer mustaches. Pictured here: Sommelier Yashar Shayan
Drink up and enjoy.
Leffe Brown like Stella, follows the same process.
Hmmmmm beer.
Perfect service from keg to glass.
A glass is sometimes put to the side to allow the head to subside before cutting it.
Can't forget the Hoegaarden.
I tried the Cidre for the first time as well.
I was surprised to find out it's all made from handpicked WA apples.
Maybe that's the secret to it's taste?
It was sweet but nicely balanced.
Fresh apples and great service made it fun to drink.
Then of course, you have a dance party after drinking cidre
Scroll down further more pictures from Taste WA. I hope enjoyed the journey!
Although there are bottles on display, today I will illustrate a proper Stella Artois service from a tap pour.
All of the brought to you by your professional, dance party inclined Stella Artois event crew.
