I want to find out how food stylists make beer look perfect in print
advertisements. Is there something they add to it? Is it a special
mixture to make the perfect head? Do they use beer at all, or is it a
different recipe?

Greetings Millhauser:

I didn't find a beer reference but I can tell you three advertising
"product presentation" stories.  I once worked for a popular actor and
he related the first two to me.

In print and TV advertising, lard is used in place of ice cream
because it will not melt as quickly under the lights.

This actor also starred in a pizza commercial and told me that the
pizza slice he held in front of his face on the TV spot had been
sprayed with WD-40 to achieve that slick out-of-the-oven shine.  He
said the combination of the warm pizza and WD-40 smells made him
nauseous but got through the commercial with a smile.

Also, the milk moustache in the "Got Milk" ads is actually melted ice
cream because it photographs better/thicker than milk.  This was told
to me by a person who had posed for one of the ads.

Sorry I couldn't find a beer reference for you but I hope you find
these interesting.  :)

Best regards,
journalist-ga

ADDENDUM:

I did find these beer foam references (I recalled from my college days
that a dash of salt would cause beer to foam):
"Pour 1 Tbsp of each spice in to beer can (Garlic Salt, Lemon Pepper
and Rosemary.) WARNING - beer will foam when salt is added."
From a recipe at http://theredkitchen.net/oldrecipes/2002/07/005475.php

"Foam preserving agents: Essentially a variation on the same alginates
from seaweed that are used in pretty much every non-organic ice cream.
In beer they do exactly the same job - to thicken the foam and make it
last longer."
From http://www.organicfood.co.uk/inspiration/beer.html

However, I still haven't located references from advertising sources.

Best regards,
journalist-ga


SEARCH STRATEGY

beer foam salt
"head on beer" salt

I remember reading in some photographic literature that the perfect
beer for photographing consists of tea and dish detergent. Never tried
it however.

Hello millhauser

I don't think this one quote is worthy of an answer so here it is as a comment:

""INSIDER TRADING - SECRETS IN PRODUCTION DESIGN AND ART DIRECTION"

"11. how to make beer look nice and frosty? how to maintain a good
head on a glass of beer?

Soap. In many beer commercials, you will notice the absence of a
reaction shot, after an actor or actress has taken a sip of beer. This
is because the beer used for the purpose of the shot, in all
liklihood, tastes awful. To maintain a frothy head on a glass of beer,
under the hot lights of a shooting set, and for the duration of many
minutes while the shot is being set-up and / or delayed - one either
coats the inside of the glass with a thin layer of liquid soap -
brushed on, then lightly polished off; or one mixes a soapy compound
into the beer. Obviously, it does not make for a delicious beverage,
especially when one considers that the beer used for the shot is most
likely a thin, non-alcoholic variation of the beer that is being
marketed, and probably has food coloring added to it.

*As an alternative, though less reliable, one can use sugar or salt -
by placing a pinch of either at the bottom of the glass - it will
cause the beer to carbonate, though there are a lot of variables in
this method that will determine its reliability: is the glass
completely clean? are there any by-products in the beer that will
cause the reaction to either decrease or increase? Nothing worse than
a flat head of beer, or one that overflows uncontrollably. Sugar,
obviously tastes better, but I believe salt is the superior option,
after soap.

*There are some who swear by beating the beer - or whipping it. I have
been on commercials where there's a guy in the back, with an egg
beater in hand, whipping up the beer before trying to pour it back
into a bottle, so that the actor or actress can pour from the bottle
during the shot. To each their own, but I swear by soap."
http://productiondesigner.farmfreshfilms.com/secrets.html

Best regards

THX1138

The comments about soap are interesting, as soap is one thing that is
usually mentioned as quickly killing the head on a beer, even if it is
only the residue from an incompletely rinsed glass.

"And the white, foamy head on that sparkling glass of beer? Don?t jump
too fast ? it could very well be made of egg whites."

http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/journalism/magazine/biteonline/subpages/stylist.htm

Millhauser:

I don't make commercials, but I know a little bit about beer.  Your
question reminded me of one of my favorite beers.  So, here's another
option to consider:

There is a Belgian ale, called Duvel.  It is light colored and quite
effervescent (don't try drinking it out of the bottle as it will
quickly expand in your mouth).  It naturally has a thick foamy head
that can last a long time (30 minutes).  Should you try it, I'd
recommend carefully pouring it into a room temp glass.  Pouring it
carelessly or into a cold glass will yield far too much foam (think
90% foam/10% beer and will take forever to settle).  You may want to
practice at home first :-)

Due to it's high alcohol content (8.8 abv, if memory serves), some
states in the U.S. sell it in liquor stores vs beer stores).  It may
or may not be distributed where you live.

It's kind of pricey - but it's delicious - so, you could even get a
natural reaction shot!

Good Luck.

In the book "Lighting Secrets for the Professional Photographer (by
Alan Brown, Joe Braun, and Tim Grondin, Writer's Digest Books, 1990,
pgs. 66-69), they give tips on styling beer in a bottle.  Acrylic ice
is used (since real ice would melt quickly under photographer's
lights) and "condensation" is created by spraying the bottle with
water just before each shot.

The "ice cubes" must be backlit, so they don't look dark and ucky.
Backlighting also helped the dark brown bottle look a pleasant shade
of brown, instead of black. The photographer also taped a piece of
frosted acetate under a piece of glass and put it under the ice cubes
and bottle, to add diffusion of the light. They also used a very light
blue gel on the "ice cubes" to get that "refreshing," cool look.

Kriswrite