We slip into the Beer Bar to savour the essence of Damm
El Nacional has a Bar of beers and preserves , an excellent beer bar to enjoy a pint of local beer, accompanied with delicious classic tapas of meats, cheeses, pâtés and delicatessen fish smoked. The menu consists of a wide variety of classic beers, artisan and import, and preserves, such as the special “El Nacional” seafood or the delicious artisan products.
Beer is, without any doubt, one of the most popular drinks in our country; therefore it should have its own space within El Nacional. And to give it form and content, the restaurant could only join up with a brewery with an extensive range, prestigious and with roots in Barcelona: Damm is the brewery used by El Nacional.
How To Serve A Beer
We have gone to the expert brewers at Damm to discover the secrets for pulling a good beer. In the first place, they recommend using glass containers to be able to better appreciate the colour and brightness of the beer. For lighter beers, in general narrower containers are better and as they become darker or have a higher alcohol content, wider mouthed glasses are recommended, for improved oxygenation of the liquid. The glass must be very clean to avoid remains of detergent or rinse aid, which could prevent the forming of the head. And very importantly, the cup must be cold but not frozen, because when a glass is too cold, it modifies the aroma and flavour of the beer and prevents the head from being formed. Flat bottomed mugs or glasses are also recommended for pulling beer, such as those used by the Beer Bar at El Nacional.
Draught Beer
1. We will wet the glass with water, to encourage the beer to slip over the inside when it is pulled and not come sharply up against the glass, which could mean the loss of some of the carbon dioxide.
2. We will slant the glass 45º whilst we open the tap completely, which should never touch the beer, neither during nor after filling the glass. It must remain at a distance of between 10 and 20 centimetres, to ensure the beer gently hits the walls and encourage the forming of the head.
3. When we have filled three quarters of the glass, we will straighten it and turn the tap off for the beer to stand for a few seconds.
4. Shortly afterwards, we will add two fingers of head. To obtain this, the tap must be kept open in an intermediate position.
And Bottled Beer
1. We will wet the glass or mug with water. We will slant the recipient around 45º with respect to the bottle.
2. We will maintain this slant until half the recipient has been filled.
3. To create a head, we will place the recipient vertically and finish filling it.
