Anyone can serve beer. That is true. It’s not hard is it to open a bottle/can or pull a draft. What sets Gotahold Brewing apart is that our beertender team is Cicerone Level 1 certified. They know the importance of a beer clean glass, what temperature a beer should be served, proper pouring technique, the difference in styles of beers, the nuances of pairing beer with food, and the how beer can be ruined after it leaves the brewery (and how to prevent it from happening).
Dave Hartmann is a Master Brewer who graduated from UC Davis with over 30 years commercial brewing experience. Dave has a unique way to merging science with art to craft well balanced, interesting, easy to drink beers.
When a guest walks up to the bar and orders something “light”, our team knows what questions to find out what they are truly looking for or trying to avoid. Often, we are able to make suggestions that leads them to unexpected experiences that often enough will surprise and delight them. We have heard a guest say they don’t like beer or a specific style of beer only to order what they thought they didn’t like too many times for us to count.
Over the past six years, Dave has brewed a number of beer styles that were unaware or unfamiliar to many of our guests. For the first two years, guests would ask, “What’s a märzen?” when we released our Oktoberfest. Now, people actively seek out that style and are very excited when we release it each year.
Guests often ask about the glass rinser we use before pouring beers. We use it to remove any residual sanitizer or dust. We want to serve our brews in a “beer clean glass”:
- no leftover soap scum, oils, or particles that could alter the flavor profile of the beer;
- no “ghost lips” from lipstick or lip balm;
- the carbonation to release evenly, creating a perfect head of foam that enhances the aroma and taste of the beer;
- a 1/2″ to 1″ inch head;
- the beer retains its head creating a lacing effect on the glass as the beer is consumed.
One fun thing out team is able to do is pair the beer with food ordered from the food truck or suggest what style to take to a dinner party. The teams Cicerone certification allows us to provide the beer education and customer experience that matches the quality and caliber of the beers Dave produces.
Next time you visit the taproom, ask your server how many lagers are on tap or what’s the difference between a hazy and American IPA verses a double IPA. They’ll be able to tell you.