---
slug: how_to_pour_a_beer
category_path: home_kitchen/kitchen_dining/dining_entertaining/glassware_drinkware/beer_glasses
title: "How to Pour a Beer"
lead: "Hold a clean glass at 45°, pour onto the inside wall until it's about half full, then straighten the glass and pour into the middle to raise a one-to-two-finger head. The tilt controls foam, and finishing straight builds just enough head to release aroma without overflowing."
recommendation:
  name: "Tilt to 45°, pour down the side, straighten at the halfway mark for a one-to-two-finger head"
  reason: "Foam (the head) comes out of the beer's dissolved CO2, and how you angle the glass decides how much escapes. Start with a clean, room-cool-to-cold glass — not frozen, which frosts and over-foams — held at about 45°, and pour steadily onto the inside wall so the beer slides down instead of crashing and foaming up. When it's roughly half full, tilt the glass upright and keep pouring into the center; the splashing now builds a firm one-to-two-finger head that traps aroma and softens the carbonation. From a bottle or can, keep the lip close to the glass at the start and lift as the head forms; from a tap, open the faucet fully and quickly rather than cracking it part-way, which makes flat foam. Want less foam? Keep the glass tilted longer and pour gently down the side; want more head? Straighten sooner and pour into the middle. Highly carbonated styles like wheat beer need extra tilt; let a too-big head settle a moment before topping up."
published: 2026-07-09
updated: 2026-07-09
---


<ComparisonTable
  columns={["Step", "Do", "Why"]}
  rows={[
    ["Glass", "Clean, cool — not frozen", "Frost over-foams and dulls flavor"],
    ["Start", "45° tilt, pour down the wall", "Beer slides instead of foaming up"],
    ["Halfway", "Straighten, pour into the center", "Builds a 1–2 finger head"],
    ["Less / more foam", "Stay tilted / straighten sooner", "Angle controls the head"],
  ]}
/>