Don't like to read? Below the text you will find a nice video in which Koen Naulaerts demonstrates it.
- Store your beer cool and in a dry, dark place (in the fridge or cellar). Always keep your Trappist upright (only bottles with a cork, like wine, are best stored lying down), because in this way any yeast residue can attach itself to the bottom of the bottle and will not end up in your glass. If you can, let your Trappist rest for at least a week before pouring. This way the yeast settles to the bottom and you get a nice, clear beer in the glass. Serve the beer at the right temperature, as indicated on the label.
- Make sure the glasses are 100% clean and dry: grease, dust and other impurities are detrimental to the head, the aroma and the taste. Never clean beer glasses in the dishwasher. Soap residues from dishwasher products put a film on your glass that destroys the head of foam. Always rinse the glasses well and wash them by hand. Moistening the glass before pouring is not necessary. Cold water brings your glass up to the right temperature, but causes a less stable head of foam.
- Hold the beer glass at an angle of approximately 45° and pour the beer carefully from the side. Try not to touch the glass with the beer bottle. The bottle may be dirty and you have just cleaned the glass. Pouring a Trappist correctly takes some practice. The beer must be poured gently into the glass, while you still want to create a solid head of 3 to 4 cm. Each beer reacts differently in the glass.
- Keep pouring the beer into the glass in a calm, flowing manner, otherwise the beer and yeast sediment will mix together. Carefully tilt the glass until it is upright. Slightly tilt the glass again if there is too much foam. It is important that you have enough foam on your beer after pouring. It is normal that a Trappist does not go completely into a glass the first time.
- If you want more foam, try to pour more slowly and higher up in the centre of the glass. If you already have a lot of foam, then try to pour more at the side of the glass, not too high and a little faster. Tip: The slower and higher you pour, the more foam you will get.
- Almost finished pouring? Then keep an eye on the neck of your beer. Make sure the yeast residue does not enter the glass with it. The sediment takes up at least 1 cm at the bottom of the bottle.
- A beer can completely change its taste if you mix the sediment with it. Stir your bottle halfway before continuing to pour. Your beer will look misty to cloudy and should taste slightly fuller and more bitter.
Last but not least: do not let your glass foam over, so that no precious beer is lost. Cheers!
The video is in Dutch.
Koen Naulaerts shows you in a few steps how best to pour a Trappist.
