Sacrifices & Beheadings Ensure The Perfect Beer

Sacrifices & Beheadings Ensure The Perfect Beer
At the national Stella Artois Draught Masters competition

What do purification, sacrifices and beheadings have to do with pouring the best tasting beer in the country? Quite a lot as it happens.

They are all important parts of the 9-step Stella Artois Pouring Ritual, designed to provide the best possible taste experience, and a crucial part of the judging process of the 13th Stella Artois World Draught Masters competition.

This month the annual New Zealand Stella Artois Draught Masters will be held, where bartenders from around the country will put their pouring skills to the test, competing for the national titles and the right to compete on the world stage later in the year.

New Zealand already boasts two World Draught Master champions and last year’s New Zealand winner, Kirsty McLean was in the top four in the world.

Stella Artois has 600 years of brewing expertise and the World Draught Masters is based on the philosophy that a beer that receives so much care during the brewing process deserves the same amount of attention while it is served and enjoyed.

This insistence on quality that led to the creation of the World Draught Masters 12 years ago, and now 36 countries compete from around the world.

The fiercely competitive awards require contestants to perfect each step in the pouring ritual in precisely seven minutes. Bartenders around the country begin training months in advance, with the best from each bar being put forward for the competition. Each finalist will be judged on strict criteria for their precision, technique and presentation skills.

Regional finals will be held in Christchurch (8th July) and Auckland (14th July), with the national finals being held at the Food Show Auckland on Friday 31st July.

The winner of the New Zealand title will fly to New York City to compete in the World Draught Masters in October.

Last year’s New Zealand winner, Kirsty McLean comments: “People come into a bar and order a Stella Artois without realising the skill it takes to pour it so it tastes as good as possible. So much of bartending focuses on flare and having the ability to wow and amaze spectators, but the Stella Artois Draught Masters is all about providing a superior quality drink and acknowledging the skill that goes into it.”

The 9-step pouring ritual is largely based on the science behind pouring an optimum quality beer. Starting from the shape of the chalise glass to release the beer’s aroma and flavour, through to sacrificing some beer from the tap before beginning to pour, and ensuring the perfect 2cm thick foam head, to protect the beer from oxygen, which can make the beer stale.

Visitors to the Food Show Auckland will be able to put their skills to the test, by having a go at pouring their own Stella Artois to enjoy.

ENDS

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