Czech Beer Pours
A perfectly poured pint can be a thing of simple joy. But what is a perfectly poured pint? In many parts of the world it looks like a beer with two fingers of foam sitting on top. Poured into a clean, style-appropriate glassware, the beer with a beautiful crown of foam on top is a thing of beauty.
There may be no place in the world where beer presentation is more appreciated, critiqued, and talked about than the Czech Republic. Here, there are three primary (and at least two more, less common) types of pours, each resulting in a different amount of foam atop the glass and resulting in differing flavors when the same beer is poured each way.
The key to pouring beer with varying and exacting levels of wet foam is the uniquely designed side-pull faucet. We will discuss the faucets more later, but the so-called “wet foam” is much more dense/frothy than traditional draft foam and looks like a steamed milk. In addition to creating a silky clean surface on top of the beer, the foam serves to keep the beer fresher for longer, protecting it from oxygen and keeping the CO2 in the beer. The pours are one of the key pillars of Czech beer culture.
Before we get into the specific beer pouring types, we should consider what beer foam is and why it matters. Carbon dioxide gas (CO2) is dissolved within the beer. The dissolved gas in the liquid beer is carbonic acid, and its low pH provides the bite and twang within all carbonated beverages. Flat beer tastes sweet because the acidic backbone that balances the malt sweetness is missing. Beer foam is CO2 gas that has made a temporary stop between being dissolved in liquid and being released into atmosphere. As the gas bubbles explode in the nose and on the tongue, we experience some of this acidity. Quality malt, quality brewing technique, and a little bit of protein and hop acid structure help to retain a tight foam. Brewers using low-quality ingredients can add foam stabilizers, but nobody is fooled. Let’s get on to these unique Czech pours:
Hladinka (smooth)
Roughly one-third foam and two-thirds beer. The foam is produced first, and the clear beer follows, being poured beneath the foam by submerging the extended faucet below the foam to the bottom of the glass. Foam floats and this sequence makes sense. It is said that the creamy head balances the bitterness and sweetness of the beer. This beer pour is essentially a typical North American pour, only with much more foam.
Šnyt (split)
Similar to the Hladinka but more foam — anywhere from half to two-thirds of the glass is foam (it’s split between beer and foam, hence the name). That’s a lot of foam. Czechs like this style as a less filling drink.
Mliko (milk)
Mliko is the word for milk in Czech, so you can see where this one goes. All foam, tight and intended to be consumed quickly. Sometimes as a dessert beer (because we are in the Czech Republic). This pour is so striking that it defies expectations and is worth the effort. Because the beer-to-foam ratio is slight, one serving is quite slim on actual liquid beer. This is not the worst thing after a long evening of indulgence.
Čochtan (neat)
Beer with no foam. No fun. The Czechs don’t particularly care for it either.
Nadvakrát (twice)
Similar to the Hladinka, only a short pause between the first foam pour and the subsequent beer pour. The pause is intended to let some of the gas escape, making for a less carbonated beverage and a little easier digestion. A niche within a niche, but a distinction with merit.
Side-Pull Faucets
OK, how do you produce these wonderful Czech-style pours at home? You’ll need the special Czech side-pull beer faucet on your home draft system. Bottle-conditioned beer or a normal faucet can’t be substituted, unfortunately.
There are some options for side-pull faucets. LUKR (all caps) is the go-to. This faucet has the specialized mechanism that allows for a forced, thick, creamy head. It works a bit like a dimmer switch and makes some spectacular wet foam, with an extended spout that gets to the bottom of the glass, allowing beer to be poured beneath the foam. It does come with a very steep $400 price, and homebrewers (or anyone using these faucets) must keep in mind that the cool side-pull handle demands a lot of real estate (though they do have an option that is designed to take up less space). The Euro-to-domestic shank adapter that puts an already long faucet towards 1976 Elvis Cadillac length will also demand a drip tray upgrade.
Beyond LUKR, other routes to go are a CBS Beverage or a Micromatic clone. Not quite as cool. Not quite authentic. But all the performance, with a domestic threaded shank, for about $300 less.
The Czech Republic produces lager beer almost exclusively, and it’s most often of the pale (světlé ležák) variety. That said, there is nothing stopping us homebrewers from experimenting with a variety of styles here, and I expect as more beer bars offer Czech pours, we will start to see the techniques applied to different styles.
So how do you perfect these pours? There are numerous videos online, but this is the part that you, the homebrewer, gets to discover. Open the faucet just so, control the flow exactly as needed to get the foam you’re looking for, and then adjust the faucet so the beer flows, raising the foam to the top of the glass. Get to be the resident expert, and then impart that wisdom to the next brewer in your circle. Enjoy the magic of homebrewed beer, personally served to friends and family.
