Does anyone know how to pour a pint?

alphafemmefatal

I am starting a new job tonight behind a bar, I'm able to pull a pint of guiness but always seem to mess up the other pints anyone wanna give me a few tips!

Karl Hungus

alphafemmefatal wrote:

anyone wanna give me a few tips!

No.

garthv

yeh sure
when you pull the tap down to start the flow,have the glass tilted at 45 degrees(or so) and catch the flow with the glass,keep the glass pressed against the nozzle at a good angle,not too much coz you'll spill it all out....
One tip thats always been handy for me is always look at what your other hand is doing,if your pouring a pint you could be getting ice in another glass for the rest of the order and whathaveya
When it comes to bar work its a really "pick it up as you go along" kind of job,i worked in a bar for a year and,altho im pretty good,theres still lots left to learn.
Good luck anyway

ps. what bar? free drinks?:)

pwd

you posted the same thing on food and drink. I aswered you there

I'm very disappointed in you

alphafemmefatal

Sorry I was afraid no one would see it, and I'm startin in a few hours thanks for your advise thought and what do you suggest I do if I have to much of a head (like have the glass full of froat) or to no head at all?

alphafemmefatal

Do I have to have the nossle of the tap pressed up against the glass?

garthv

that all depends on the tilt of your glass,if the glass isnt tilted that much there will be more head and vice versa.What pub u workin in?

Wertz

alphafemmefatal wrote:

Sorry I was afraid no one would see it, and I'm startin in a few hours thanks for your advise thought and what do you suggest I do if I have to much of a head (like have the glass full of froat) or to no head at all?

Get someone who knows what they're doing

I kid. Usually frothing pints are caused by too much CO2 in the mixture. There should be a little knob to the front of the tap that you twist CCW to lower the gas.
Budweiser used to be a pain in the 4$$ for that, cos it's poured colder.
Anyway ask the guys[edit; or gals] there to adjust the gas for you and follow the advice of the 45 o angle of pour. If it keeps happening then panic and run out the door screaming never to return...

EKRIUQ

pwd wrote:

you posted the same thing on food and drink. I aswered you there

I'm very disappointed in you

Ahh... Another pupil lets him master down :rolleyes:

alphafemmefatal

Smyths in Limerick, just ak for jennifer and I'll give you a free pint

alphafemmefatal

Ive never noticed a knob on the front of the tap before, is that always there?

Blisterman

I think most people don't want head in their beer. Maybe just a bit at the top. You get more if there's no head.

alphafemmefatal

I thought the head was meant to last to the very end of the pint! Can anyone else inform me more about this co2 noddle, and can I blame it on the co2 if the pints **** up?

StupidLikeAFox

if its your first night wont ya be told what to do when ya get there?

paddy

alphafemmefatal wrote:

I thought the head was meant to last to the very end of the pint! Can anyone else inform me more about this co2 noddle, and can I blame it on the co2 if the pints **** up?

It's not a co2 nozzle, it's a valve for flow control.The co2 would be regulated else where, normally in a cellar or cold room.

Wertz

paddy wrote:

It's not a co2 nozzle, it's a valve for flow control.The co2 would be regulated else where, normally in a cellar or cold room.

yeah paddy's right. The tap knob controls the flow rate. Gas is in the keg room. Been over 10 years since I did bar
Low flow does mean lower gas though, but the pint will take longer to pour.



And a good head should start at the first pour. So often you see a flat piss poor pint pulled by some eejit that then pushes back the tap at the final pour to get a head.
The only heads that last to the bottom of the galss are stout and some ales; lagers don't normally, and cider never keeps a head...

spunkymunky

My advice is dont mess with that nozzle. Its more for when a new keg is put on the line. It changes the speed the beer flows out at. The slower it is the easier it is to pull a pint but it takes longer. If you find theres a big head forming on the pint, stop and let it settle for a second, pour a bit out if you want and then go again.
Always keep the pint up at the nozzle tip aswell. Lowering it to the tray (when you dont know what your doing) will give a huge head and probably mess it up royally.
If really in trouble just ask any barmen there.
Good luck

Third_Echelon

alphafemmefatal wrote:

Smyths in Limerick, just ak for jennifer and I'll give you a free pint

i'm guessing that you wont last too long in your job giving away free drink


Just watch your colleagues how they do it.. Copy them.. Easy.. Simple...

Blisterman

Why would anyone want a head on their pint? I mean it's taking up valuble beer space. I understand Guinness, because that's got a creamy head.

RE*AC*TOR

Blisterman wrote:

Why would anyone want a head on their pint? I mean it's taking up valuble beer space. I understand Guinness, because that's got a creamy head.

A good head is the sign of a good pint. Now perhaps if all you drink is Heineken?Carlsberg/Bud then you never drink good pints, but it does matter.

tman

alphafemmefatal wrote:

anyone wanna give me a few tips!

don't eat yellow snow.

kaimera

well...I think it's been well answered already.

covered the knob for the flow...empty out some if it's pulling high...

imo, the tilt of the glass doesn't matter much. These days in work we pull guinness with the glass sitting beneath it. any bubbles we knock off with the spout. no compaints yet then again, i'm doing this nigh on 10 years

on the lagers, the head rarely last long. idiots complaining cos the heads gone down some : dont leave it so long fs.

if you dont want a lot of head on the pint and are confident you can put one on towards the end...pull the handle down on say Bud, let it run for a sec and then put the glass under it. about 10-15 mm from the top, let the handle back but not all the way, just enough to give it a blast of gas and you *should* get a perfect head

you dont need the spout against the glass, no difference.

Budweiser used to be a pain in the 4$$ for that, cos it's poured colder.

ehhh...thats Carlsberg youre thinking of. double chilled.

_blank_

alphafemmefatal wrote:

Smyths in Limerick, just ak for jennifer and I'll give you a free pint

:rolleyes:
Jesus, do not give out free gargle.

I was a barman in a previous incarnation and I gave out free drinks.

They caught me on a camera, and sacked my ass.

Naos

*not a barman*

curious, although I have poured a pint(from a keg at a staff party) im curious(as i forget..) is it in anyway the same as pouring a can into a pint glass? I get it right everytime from a can, so would like to know is there much difference?

Oriel

Simple - think of it as the difference between pouring a can of Coke from 12 inches into an upright glass, and pouring it from 1 inch into a tilted glass.

Main things to remember:
Pull back the tap and let the beer flow for about 1 second before putting the glass under. This lessens the chance of pouring a really floamy pint. For Guinness, this is good for getting the old warm, stale stuff from out of the pipes. For larger, the same stuff gets poured away.

If the pints have too much head then close the valve until you're happy with it, and vice vesa if you're not getting enough. All this does it control the speed at which the beer comes out at.

Holding the glass against the pipe will reducing the risk of having too large a head - holding it too far away (too low) will make result in the head being too bubbly rather and think smooth. If the head is too foamy and you serve it to a customer, it'll bubble - out like foam on coke, and leave no head at all.

Main thing is - have fun.

S.

Slutmonkey57b

Seeing as you're working in a bar in Limerick, I'd say the obvious advice is not to look anyone in the eye and learn to duck quickly.

Bicky

Pouring a pint without head will come to you naturally with a bit of practice so dont worry too much about it on your first night.
Some other advice.
When asked for an ale with a drop of guinness put literally a few drops or you will create a huge head on your pint.
If serving brandy or whiskey ask the person if they want ice. Especially the older crowd.

I'd say the obvious advice is not to look anyone in the eye and learn to duck quickly.

Although the slutty monkey is joking here he has actually highlighted a very good point. One of the skills of a good barperson is to be very wary of who you serve especially if you are working at a time when no bouncer is at the door. Travellers are an obvious nono for most pubs. Always size up a stranger. Are they already intoxicated? Be it drink or otherwise. Are they under age?
Dont ever feel embaressed to ask for id. Often the types of people you dont want to serve wont have, or wont show id. The perfect excuse to refuse them.
If someone you are unsure of comes to the bar let a more experienced bar person deal with them.
If you are on your own then say that you are just watching the place and were told not to serve anyone until your boss comes back. Always put the blame on your boss. Saying "sorry lads, but im not serving you" is far more confrontational than saying "sorry lads, but the boss said i cant serve you".
Best of luck with the job
jp.

nanook

ok, i am dying to know.

How did it fair out. How was your first night in the bar.

Third_Echelon

kaimera wrote:

imo, the tilt of the glass doesn't matter much. These days in work we pull guinness with the glass sitting beneath it. any bubbles we knock off with the spout. no compaints yet then again, i'm doing this nigh on 10 years

sacreligious.... my blood is boiling at the thought of guinness being treated in such a manner :eek:

kaimera

rofl. trust me, if you tried it there would be no complaints. guaranteed.

steveland?

Some are harder to pour than others.

If the heineken taps aren't cold when you touch the metal parts it probably means they haven't been used in a little while. This means when you go to pour from them it'll kind of splutter a little after a second and you'll be left with a huge glass of head.

Let the heineken flow for a second into the slop tray and then put the glass under it. You only need to do this the once though until the tap has some flow on it. Otherwise you'll be fired for wasting the precious alcamahol.

If you're getting too much head (is there such thing ) then turn the flow knob clock-wise to turn the tap down. If you're not getting enough head (welcome to my world ) then knock the tap off and then on again. Or when you get to the top of the pint put the tap back up and then ease it back just a tiny bit for a second so the head will come up on it.

In general though:
NB Make sure the glass is completely dry and not warm. I know this sounds obvious but if the glass is just out of the wash it'll possibly be warm and wet which means the Guinness will be kind of softer than it should be and you might get complaints. The warm part kind of explains itself.

Just keep the nozzle pushed up to just under the rim of the glass and keep it there throughout the whole pouring process until you get a hang of it.

Start it at an angle. Most people say 45 degrees but if the head's going big lift it up even further and then start letting it down as the pint fills up.


It's hard to explain cos you just get the hang of it.

Relax and don't worry about it. You'll have it all explained and if you **** up don't worry there'll be someone there to explain what you're doing and how to fix it.

It's actually a very easy job to do. The hard part is actually dealing with customers..... I Hate them sooooo!!!

_blank_

SteveD wrote:

It's actually a very easy job to do. The hard part is actually dealing with customers..... I Hate them sooooo!!!

:eek:

alphafemmefatal wrote:

anyone wanna give me a few tips!

Don't drink in SteveD's place.

steveland?

It's just cos I hate customers... They're ignorant gits...


ALL OF THEM!

I'll be out of the trade altogether on the 18th of December though so no more customers for SteveD

Spalk0

alphafemmefatal wrote:

Do I have to have the nossle of the tap pressed up against the glass?

Not nescessarily!but it does help you get less of a head on the pint!wouldnt worry about it!After a few of them you get the hang of it straight away!pulling pints aint the hard part really!Wait till you have to change a heineken keg! :eek: could get a lot of spray in your face if you aint carefull!hehe

Slutmonkey57b

Guinness drinkers are full of **** about what makes a "good" pint. The truth of the matter is that guinness tastes like soap and anyone that drinks it has no taste buds left. The reason kaimera isn't getting complaints is that nobody is actually watching him do it. I've done it myself - pour two pints for the same guy in completely opposite ways and get no reaction.

Travellers are vicious fighters, but remember that they only fight between themselves 90% of the time. They'll wreck the place doing it, but it's rare for the fight to involve outsiders. Also remember you can refuse whoever you want but you have to have a valid reason for doing it. Traveller isn't a valid reason but Traveller + abusive to staff is.