What should I look for on a beer's hand pump?

What should I look for on a beer's hand pump?

Jeff Evans (Freelance beer Writer) gives expert video advice on: Can I get a taster before committing to a beer?; What should I look for on a bottled beers label?; What should I look for on a beer's hand pump? and more...

The problem about finding information about beer in a pump is that the pump clip and the hand-pump have very little space to provide that information. There may be words or there may be a description. There may be the strength of the beer, but there's not an awful lot of room there for the brewer to tell you much more. In a pub where the publican knows his beer and is keen to promote his beers, there are very often supplementary blackboards with information about the beers, descriptions of flavor, and a bit more background about the beer. Sometimes, the pub staff themselves are well trained and if you ask them, “Is this a golden beer? Is this a dark beer? What sort of beer would you recommend to me?”, they can quite often come up with a good answer for you.