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BEER The Perfect P ur T aking a clue from the wine and spirits industries' emphasis on train- ing, Heineken has launched Passion Once a draught beer is drawn, the excess foam is skimmed off and slides down the glass. This technique helps ensure perfect flavor. 4 Beer, an educational campaign for the U.S. trade that delivers hands-on train- ing and teaches fundamentals about the company’s products. What originated as an internal program that was completed by every Heineken employee, Passion 4 Beer is now being presented to the trade to create awareness and fuel growth of Heineken’s draught program. “Heineken is the number- one premium draught beer in the world,” states Patrick Libonate, who is the compa- ny’s Director of On-Premise and Draught strategy. “We believe that our Passion 4 Beer campaign will further appreciation for Heineken draught here in the U.S.” At a recent Passion 4 Beer training held in San Francisco, experts from company headquarters in Amsterdam and the U.K. offered three different seminars that covered HEINEKEN’S PASSION 4 BEER CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES DRAUGHT story and photos by Deborah Parker Wong ingredients and brewing, a sensory evalu- ation that included tasting and describing and, lastly, proper pouring and service techniques for draught beer. Master Pourer Franck Evers trained attendees in the four- step ritual that guarantees a perfect pour of Heineken draught while quality and sensory expert Rachel Sutherland led a compara- tive tasting of bottled beers that illustrated differences in several popular brands. Proper evaluation of beer differs from wine in that tasters must swallow the prod- uct to fully assess its quality. On-Premise Draught Managers Peter Camps and Sinead Carey presented an in-depth look at ingredients and brewing methods including differences in the long, cool fermentations used to brew lager versus the short, hot fermentations required for ale. Passion 4 Beer seminars will be held in 11 markets across the U.S. throughout 2011. C M Y CM MY CY CMY K Master Pourer Franck Evers (left) keeps a close eye on his students at Heineken’s Passion 4 Beer pouring seminar. 56 / the tasting panel / july 201 1