If you think serving beer is as simple as pouring liquid in a cup, think again. How you pour and serve a beer can greatly affect its smell, color, taste and mouth-feel. That means a “pour” technique (get it?) can dramatically affect your customers’ enjoyment of their beer.

Craft beer is meant to be enjoyed out of a glass. While it’s not true that cans give off a metallic flavor (the aluminum cans used to package craft beer have a water-based polymer lining that protects the brew from any contamination), sipping beer directly from the can can affect its taste. Glassware affects foam and CO2 retention and how aroma is presented from a beer. You can find a guide on which glassware to use for each style here.

First and foremost, always make sure the glass is clean. Dirt and debris stuck to the inside of the glass causes nucleation points for bubbles to form, revealing the sordid quality of your glassware. There are instagram accounts and hashtags solely dedicated to dirty glassware and you do not want to end up on them The best way to pour most craft beers is to hold your glass at a 45° angle, while trickling the beer down the side. Never let the tap or bottle touch the edge of the glass where a customer would put their mouth, as this can contaminate the beer.

Most craft beers are poured in the manner described above. However, there are a few special types of beer that require a slightly different pour.

Wheat Beer – These craft beers are rich in protein, so they tend to have a larger head on them. They also contain yeast, which should be evenly distributed throughout the beer. You can do this by gently rolling the bottle/can back and forth before opening to pour.

Bottle-Conditioned Beers – These craft beers are called “bottle-conditioned” because they have natural CO2 built up from adding extra yeast. The opposite of wheat beer, these craft beers should be stored upright. The yeast settled at the bottom, should be kept out of the pour as much as possible. Stop pouring at the neck, and etiquette says to leave the remains with the customer, as some enjoy the taste, just aside from that of their beer.

Lagers and Session Ales (the Slow Pour) -  When pouring beer from a side pull faucet, many lager and session focused breweries and bars will do what is called a “slow pour.” This is a special way of pouring beer that promotes head retention and an amazing fluffy head of foam. In order to do this you will pour straight down to the bottom of the glass instead of tilting it at an angle, this should fill the beer with half beer half foam. After allowing some of the foam to settle out you continue the process of topping up the beer, each pour layering the foam with more tiny bubbles. This technique takes time and is typically only used at the most respected lager breweries like DSSOLVR and Zebulon in Asheville NC, and Bierstadt in Denver CO.

Keep all beer in the dark. Ultraviolet light can react with the compounds in the beer and produce a skunk flavor. The term “skunked” is derived from a process in which a beer becomes “light-struck.” When beer is exposed to light, it breaks down the hop molecules called isohalines, This process emits a chemical that is related to the same kind a skunk sprays on its victims.

Click here to learn more about Wilton and his work as craft beer buyer at Hotspot Convenience stores. You can also visit his personal website Wiltonjordan.com to learn more about beer, the appalachian outdoors, and contact him for beverage consulting.