How Much Foam A Glass Of Beer Should Really Have

When you imagine a tall, frosty glass of beer, you probably imagine a drink consisting of two parts. The first is the beer itself, that cold amber liquid that probably goes ¾ of the way up the glass. The second is the foam: all that white, frothy, sudsy stuff that takes up the rest of the glass, maybe flowing over the top. You've seen it often enough that you're pretty sure it's supposed to be there, but you might not know what it is or how much you need. Well, not to worry: We talked to Stephen Alexander, director of operations at Tall City Brewing Company in Midland, Texas, and he told us everything we need to know about foam.

"A proper pour should leave about one to two fingers of foam (roughly 1 to 1 ½ inches) at the top of the glass," says Alexander. In case you were wondering, that layer of foam is technically called the "head," and it serves a valuable purpose in your beer drinking experience. "[It] traps aromas and slowly releases them, which enhances the beer's flavor and overall drinking experience," notes Alexander. "Without it, a beer can feel flat and lose its aromatic complexity." And whether you're drinking a fine Guinness (which doesn't actually taste different in America) or your own first batch of homebrew beer, a lack of complexity can be a real bummer.

Obviously, not all beers are the same, and different types have different needs. So which beers need more of a head, and which don't need quite so much foam? Stephen Alexander has us covered once again. "German wheat beers, Belgian ales, and highly carbonated craft IPAs are expected to carry a large, lasting head," he says, as those kinds are somewhat more carbonated. "Delicate styles like stouts, porters, heavily fruited beers or English bitters typically have less foam because they are lower in carbonation and often nitrogenated. A dense, creamy foam cap is fine here, but it won't be tall."

Well, all that is good to know, but how exactly do you pour that glass of beer to get the perfect head of foam? According to Alexander, it's not so hard. "Hold the glass at a 45-degree angle, pour gently down the side until the glass is about ⅔ full, then tilt upright and pour straight down the middle to form the foam head," he explains. It just goes to show that, for a drink that's often seen as simple and unpretentious, there's a whole lot going on inside every glass of beer.