Pouring the perfect Stella Artois pint

Last week I received an invitation to the Stella Artois' Masterclass evening event in London. I thought hmm, am I now a real boozer? I was planning on quitting alcohol for one month before my birthday, but then thought the better of it. Free food and booze - sign me up!

The event was held at the swanky The Cuckoo Club yesterday evening (so exclusive the bar did not have a sign outside!) near Soho, London, and was attended by a couple of London bloggers. Some I've met before (like Andy), but many I have not - so it was good to be able to talk around. It was also great to meet @cowfish there. The last time we spoke in person was at the Tube Relief after party, more than five years ago! Billy has a booze blog as well, make sure to check it out.

The purpose of the event was to allow us to witness and learn about art of pouring a pint and to publicised the Stella Artois World Draught Masters finals event in Old Billingsgate Walk, London on 28 October, where bartenders from across the world compete the pour the perfect pint. Stella Artois also showed us the new glasses that will be making their way to pubs and bars across the country.

Out tutor was Marc Stroobandt, a master beer sommelier, who demonstrated the pouring ritual that would result in a perfect pint of Stella Artois. These steps are easy enough in theory, but requires plenty of practice to perfect.

A clean glass is important. If the glass has a logo on it, make sure if faces forward towards the customer. Then tilt the glass 45 degrees forward and pull the tap open quickly and fully. Once the glass is 3/4 filled, tilt it back upright but do not allow the spout to touch the lather. This will create a nice 1 1/2 inch foam. Allow it to overflow a bit, before turning off the tap quickly, before skimming the top lather off.

Each of guests were given a one-on-one workshop by Marc himself, and I am proud to say I thought I did good (I am pretty sure @cowfish had video evidence of it).

Finally, here's a video of Marc pouring two perfect Stella Artois pints: