While it may feel like trends in craft beer have been focused on haze over the last decade, more and more old-world styles of beer pouring are beginning to emerge. An example of one becoming more prevalent in Pennsylvania has been the side pull tap. If you’re not familiar, you can read more about them here.

Another trend that is starting to emerge? The “Milk Pour”. What is the milk pour? Well, we are glad you asked. The easiest way to sum it up is through the picture below from Philadelphia based brewery, Human Robot.

What looks like a draft beer line that needs fixing, is actually a very specific kind of pour. The “Mliko” or “Milk Pour” as it is commonly referred to, originated in the Czech Republic and is regularly viewed as a strongly desired treat in their country.

A milk pour isn’t a traditional “heady pour”. Instead, the foam is poured to be sweet and creamy, and resembling a glass of milk (hence the name). These beers are typically poured from special faucets which create a cloud-like consistency within the glass. The faucets are designed to produce this style, unlike traditional beer tap handles which force more air into the beer, and as such cannot capture this effect.

Rather than drinking the beer, the goal behind one of these beers is to enjoy the foam on top. While traditional beer foam is packed full of air pockets, foam from a milk pour is much denser. As a result, you experience less air and instead are swallowing more creamy flavor.

The topic of this style of pour was recently discussed in our Facebook group where a user purchased a Milk Pour from Human Robot which prompted a discussion of the style. It’s no secret that pouring “too much head” in the American beer drinking community is seen as a mistake. Which lead many in that discussion to suggest a pour like this was wrong or a mistake.

However, that is just not true. Human Robot even chimed in themselves to clear up the confusion a bit. Saying the following about not just the pour style, but also the tube-like glasses they offer them in:

“Milk Tubes are Mlìkos for chugging. While we were hanging out with 20 or so brewers after Logjammin [their recent festival] filling 20 Mlìkos in traditional mugs Mugs took a long time and the foam was converting to liquid so the Milk Tube was born fast efficient and oh so delightful. We prefer our Polotmavy but most side pour Czechs will do”

Even after reading this, you still may be skeptical and/or angry about the lack of beer you are purchasing. But don’t fear, these sorts of styles are priced accordingly. For example, at Human Robot a pour like this will cost less than half the amount of a regular beer pour.

The style is not widely found in Pennsylvania yet, but as more breweries start to embrace traditional old-world beer serving techniques, we may start seeing them pop up more frequently.