Pouring Guinness…..how to get Guinness Pouring Right!

Think you know how to pour the perfect Guinness?

Let’s find out….

Another day, another Guinness headline or trend. Before Christmas it was the chance of shortages one day, a new London-based visitor centre and microbrewery (visited by the King, no less) the next. Come the New Year licensees and drinkers get the bad news of a price rise putting 4p on a pint of the Black Stuff – with some saying it could become the first £10 pint.

But will the increased cost spell the end of the social media trend of ‘splitting the G’?! (Meaning someone’s first mouthful of Guinness leaves the level of their pint in the middle of the G of a branded glass).

Whether the publicity is planned, organic, good or bad, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Guinness is on everyone’s lips – metaphorically and in reality. Yet while nearly two thousand drinkers are searching for how to pour a Guinness can, in preparation for pouring Guinness at home, it is of course Guinness pouring in the pub that concerns us.

Pouring Guinness perfectly is so important that Avani Solutions has decided to make it the subject of its next pint pouring challenge – which is part of the WasteWatchers!® campaign to save venues operators money by stopping beer waste. Find out about WasteWatchers!® HERE

Guinness pouring is prime example of ‘what’s worth having is worth waiting for’ and that the traditional two-part serve is how to properly pour a Guinness.

Pouring Guinness to the brewery’s standard means it is dispensed with a blend of gas made up of 70% nitrogen and 30% CO2. This is what gives the Black Stuff its characteristic head formation and height.

According to the brewer the ideal head height is 12 – 18 mm and it should have a tight, uniform texture that lasts until the end of the pint.

Guinness rules – and warning signs

● Never put the nozzle into the Guinness – not even to draw a shamrock. (There is NO EXCEPTION to this rule, not even on St Patrick’s Day!) [Sophie At1]

● Don’t let the stout overflow. The outside of the glass should be dry.

● Never use a spatula to level the head. The slight dome is part of the perfect Guinness pour.

● The head should be a crisp white colour. Any discolouration suggests the Guinness is in poor condition, which is a warning flag to check line hygiene and ensure beer is sold within 5-8 days of opening the keg.

● Discolouration in the head of the Guinness may also indicate that glassware is not clean.

A step-by-step guide to the perfect Guinness pour

Guinness has managed to make the pouring ritual inseparable from the experience of enjoying a pint of its stout. It’s fair to say that you ignore this at your own risk. Here’s how to pour a perfect Guinness.

1. Select a cool, clean and dry branded Guinness glass – and make sure it’s the most current, up-to-date version!

2. At the Guinness tap, tilt the glass to a 45 degree angle under the nozzle, ensuring the nozzle doesn’t touch the glass.

3. Pull the tap fully forward and fill the glass about three quarters full, so the beer comes to the top of the harp, straightening the glass as it fills.

4. Leave the beer to settle until the head has formed – which takes a little under two minutes.

5. Top up the beer, by pushing the tap handle away from you, and fill till the head is just proud of the top of the glass.

6. Present the perfectly poured Guinness to the customer with the branding facing towards them.

Avani Solutions perfect Guinness pour challenge

In common with other beers perfectly pouring Guinness results in satisfied customers. An added bonus is it also means less beer waste.

Our next WasteWatchers!® pouring challenge is all about Guinness. Look out for our pint pour challenge videos on our social media channels.