When you’re pouring a pint of beer at a bar, what does that process generally look like? If you’re in the United States, odds are good that it involves pulling down a tap and then raising it back into position to complete the process. It’s a pretty standard procedure, and while there are some alternatives — bottom-filling beer taps, for instance — it’s something of an industry standard.
But what if there was something more precise out there — something which also yielded a better pint of beer at that? That’s the gist of a new story at VinePair, which explores the rise in popularity of slide-top pull handles in bars across the country.
As the article points out, this style of tap is popular in the Czech Republic, and allows a bartender a lot more control over the beer that they’re pouring. The handle allows for a heightened degree of control, and a screen offers the possibility of increased aeration.
It’s a bit more complicated than the standard tap, but it can — in theory — make for something closer to the Platonic ideal of a glass of beer. It can also allow for the same beer to be poured in different ways — with different ratios of foam to beer in each one.
It’s not something a lot of beer drinkers in the U.S. might be experienced with yet — but if it makes for a better-tasting pint, we’re all for it.
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