Quality foam neither begins nor ends with side-pull faucets, nitro dispense, or staff who have mastered the “flashy nightclub bartender’s pour” for German wheat beer. It needs to stick around long enough for drinkers to enjoy benefits that extend beyond those that are apparent on Instagram.
That’s a job for brewers.
“A fine, creamy, persistent head on a good beer is such an appealing, pleasurable sight that it seems almost irreverent to inquire into its nature and origin,” writes Morris Pozen in his book Successful Brewing—published 90 years ago. “It is like one of those wonders of nature which we accept without questioning the why or wherefore, being grateful for its mere existence.”
Instead, Pozen makes the proper inquiries and summarizes what was known in 1935 about foam stability. For most brewers, most of the time, that may be all the knowledge needed to deliver quality foam.
At other times, however, you may find you need to understand more—for example, about hop products that aren’t necessarily foam-friendly, or about others specifically designed to promote it.