Why You're Suddenly Seeing Beers That Are All Foam
A Mlíko pour is almost all foam, but that is what makes it delicious, according to enthusiasts.
John Robson
Emblazoned on the home page of Cohesion Beer's website are the words 'Foam is beautiful.' The Denver, Colorado brewery is focused on brewing Czech-style lagers, using traditional ingredients—their malt is custom-made for them by a local maltster to meet their unique needs—and methods, including fermenting in open vats and conditioning tanks that are horizontal, rather than vertical.
Cohesion is just one of a new wave of craft breweries embracing lager styles. The craft beer industry was largely built on ales, most notably hoppy IPAs showcasing a seemingly unending variety of hops. But new craft breweries, and some of the older ones, are now responding to a renewed thirst for lager.
In addition to making beers in various Czech styles—from Světlý Ležák (Pale Lager) to Speciální Tmavé Pivo (Special Dark Beer)—Cohesion serves all beers in three traditional Czech formats:
'From a sensory standpoint, the foam captures aromatics and keeps them available for the drinker,' said Eric Larkin, brewer and co-owner at Cohesion during a telephone interview. 'It helps the drinker use all of their olfactory senses and helps everything come together. And it looks beautiful.'
Foam on top of any beer is a protective barrier, keeping the beer from oxygen, which harms the flavor of beer in subtle ways. But Czech beer foam is special.
Unlike usual beer foam, which forms atop a beer as carbonation settles, foam created in the Czech fashion is wet—if allowed to settle, that foam will settle into much more liquid beer than regular beer foam does. Usual beer foam is a byproduct of pouring the beer, while in the Czech tradition, foam is the point.
Because the foam is wet, it has flavor. In a Šnyt or Mlíko, drinking the foam is the point. 'Obviously, the foam comes from the beer,' said Larkin. 'But it is made up differently at a molecular level. It has more protein separated out of the beer which gives it texture like a milkshake, or milk, I guess, which is where the name comes from.'
The side pull beer tap is designed to let the bartender change the flavor and texture of beer.
Courtesy of LUKR CZ a.s.
The taps used to create the foam are different. Commonly referred to as a 'side pull' tap, the lever swings side to side, rather than tipping forward as with the more ubiquitous draft tap. While there are now 'side pull' taps that swing up and down, rather than side to side, the mechanism inside is what allows the bartender to control the amount of foam. And in a Czech-style pour, the bartender always makes the foam first, throttling the tap differently to allow liquid beer to flow only when the perfect foam has already been created, and that beer is only allowed to flow under the foam, so it is never exposed to ambient air and does not disturb the foam.
'There are three, most important parts which make the magic,' said Jan Havránek, international sales manager of LUKR, which makes side pull taps, in a video interview. 'Inside, there is a compensator, which regulates the speed of flow of beer through the tap. The tap handle moves a ball valve inside. This is where the foam is created. A smaller opening results in more foam. And the third thing is a special screen in the nozzle of the tap.'
Havránek says LUKR currently sells about 2,000 taps per year. Ten years ago, they sold about 25.
Use of the special taps and knowledge of the Czech-pouring tradition, which includes ensuring the glassware is kept wet and at the same temperature as the beer that will eventually fill it, requires specific training. There are even certifications available in Czech pouring.
'It can make your beer taste and feel better in the hands of a trained tapster,' said Havránek. 'On a violin, you need to hear and feel the tone. It's not about set positions. In the hands of a skilled bartender, the tap creates wet and dense foam that is full of beer. It creates amazing mouthfeel; it is not just good taste.'
'We treat the foam and the different pouring styles the same way a barista creates different coffee drinks which all contain the same liquids, but in different proportions and formats to create drinks that taste different,' said Larkin.
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