The most common mistakes made in drawing beer

Beer is too foamy

Excessive frothiness of beer during drawing may be caused by several factors. One is that the temperature of the beer on tap is too high or the tap system is at the incorrect pressure setting. Another reason may be that the flow of beer through the tap is too great. The barman should first check all these issues and make sure the settings follow Plzensky Prazdroj’s recommendations. If the excessive foam is still not eliminated, we advise contacting a competent member of the Plzensky Prazdroj Technical Services staff.

Beer has too little head

Insufficient foam can also have several causes. If a check of the pressure settings (or the entire tap system) shows no problems, we recommend checking the CO₂ content of the beer. In this case it is necessary to consult Technical Services, who are ready to provide helpful advice.

Pouring beer straight or along the glass wall

Plzensky Prazdroj recommends pouring along the glass wall to prevent the ‘breaking’ of the beer caused by the stream falling onto the bottom of the glass from a great height. If poured straight, the beer often suffers from a lack of sharpness and is characterised by a tall, unattractive head composed of dry foam that drops down very fast, leaving the beer looking very flat.

Head or ‘cauliflower’

Beer boasting a tall head is usually the result of a painter or other artist’s work. In reality, such beer is the result of the beer being drawn on several takes. Plzensky Prazdroj recommends ‘level drawing’ the beer, which the regulars of popular Pilsner beer houses value the most.

Beer is too warm or too cold

This is probably caused by the incorrect setting of the cooling capacity. We recommend discussing the quantity of beer drawn in the restaurant and the related performance of the cooling system with Technical Services.

Beer’s head collapses

This is usually the result of a combination of many factors, from wrong drawing method to insufficiently washed beer glasses. Or perhaps the barman left it standing – in no event, however, should such beer end up on a customer’s table.

Beer lacks sharpness

Beer that lacks the correct sharpness was most probably drawn in several takes, was poured straight down instead of along the glass wall, or came from a keg that had been tapped for some time already.

Level-drawn beer is below the measure mark

Level drawing is characterised by a mighty layer of foam that contains a great quantity of beer (‘wet foam’). This foam gradually releases more beer (the beer will ‘come to the mark’). This method of drawing obviously places a great deal of demand on the barman’s skill – the best ones can hit the level right on the mark at a single turn of the tap.

A piece of advice in conclusion

Plzensky Prazdroj grants quality certificates to restaurants that meet all the obligatory prerequisites for beer quality and serving. The standard of care for beer is regularly checked in such facilities and so the beer meets Plzensky Prazdroj’s quality standards. You will usually find restaurants’ quality certificates exhibited in places of honour.

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