I know this may sound crazy but pouring Guinness Draught properly is hard work. This iconic Irish stout has an acquired taste, but its resurgence in popularity is a welcome change of pace. Some have realized that it is even available year round, not just during St. Patrick’s season.  In the past I have had the pleasure of attending a friendly Guinness pouring competition in which competitors were judged on there ability to follow the stringent rules required to pour the perfect pint of Guinness.

Here are the basics:

• Use a clean, dry glass -- preferably an Imperial 20-ounce pint with branded logo
• Hold the glass at a 45-degree angle and never allow the spout to touch the beer or glass
• The Pour: Pull faucet down and allow beer to fill glass. You will see the surge commence
• The Settle: Allow the nitrogen bubbles create the theater and wonderful surge event, creating the beautiful creamy head
• The Top Up: The beer has settled (there is a distinct gap between dark liquid and head) and the glass is topped up slowly to create a domed effect with the head proud of the glass
• The Presentation: Give the creation of the perfect pint to the adoring customer

Bonus points were awarded for any coherent artwork displayed in the head of the beer. It is not as easy as it looks here. Since I am usually only pouring my own pint, from a bottle or can, I had never had the opportunity to try my hand at the tap. So in this case even the Beer Snob was a newb. It was going pretty well, butI got cocky and attempted the shamrock, which was a rookie mistake. I still received a 9.5/10, which was good enough to take home 1st place, a branded bag, and more importantly a self poured pint.

Cheers!