If your freshly poured glass of beer is half foam and half beer, you could either take a deep sip that covers your face in beer bubbles or wait for the froth to settle down. The latter option could have you waiting for a while, since the bubbles are quite sturdy and persist for longer than the ones in soda. Excessive beer foam can be more of a menace than you realize. The phenomenon of foam gushing out of a beer bottle when it’s opened baffled the beer industry, and scientists have come up with the novel idea of using magnets during the brewing process to curtail the potential messy opening of a bottle or can. Fortunately, getting rid of excess foam in a beer glass is much simpler. In fact, the solution is on the tip of your nose.
A small amount of oil from your nose is all you need to compress the frothy layer floating atop beer in a matter of seconds. While sourcing oil from your face may be a good party trick, we wouldn’t recommend using it on someone else’s beer. Instead, look for any sort of greasy food, lightly rub your finger on its surface to pick up some oil, and then swizzle your finger in the beer foam. You’ll see it start to go down instantly, and you’ll soon be able to take a mess-free swig.
What foam does for your beer
Beer bubbles are supported by the proteins and carbohydrates that are naturally present in the brew. The surface tension resulting from the interaction of these compounds holds the bubbles together. However, a bit of oil breaks the surface tension, bursting the bubbles and dissipating the foam. Any sort of oil works, so you don’t need to source it from a nose or a plate of bar snacks — a dab of olive oil does the job, too. You can also use a foam scraper to remove any excess head.
It took over a hundred years to finally put beer in a can, and foam plays a crucial role in the beer-drinking experience. It provides a creamy mouthfeel and lets you taste the beer better. It is also a sign that the beer is releasing its dissolved carbon dioxide, which would otherwise be ingested and cause bloating. If your poured beer has just a thin sliver of foam, you’ve poured it wrong. Knowing how to pour a beer will get you the perfect amount of head every time.
