Glassware: Snifter

The snifter glass is one I commonly associated with nice whisky and brandy until I became interested in beer.  Now the snifter glass is my go to glass for many of the barrel-aged beers I enjoy drinking.  Most stem ware is designed to minimize heat transfer, but not in the case of the snifter.  When drinking from a snifter you should hold the glass with the stem protruding between your fingers and the glass resting in your palm.  The heat transfer will warm the beer and cause the beer to release more aromas.  The inward turn of the glass concentrates the aromas to hit your nose.

Snifters are appropriate for beers over 8% ABV, Imperial IPAs, Barleywines, and Russian Imperial Stout.

Glassware: The Weissbier "Vase"

Hey you!  See that glass to the right?  You do?  Good!  That is not a stinking pilsner glass!  Got it?  Good!

Sorry for being aggresive, but I can not tell you how often people mistake a Vase a.k.a Weissbier glass as an appropriate vessel for pilsners.  The wide mouth allows for plenty of foam and thus aroma to hit the nose enhancing flavor.  As you raise this glass to drink the surface area further increases allowing for even more aromas.  The style has been around for sometime, but the flowing curve more than likely did not originate until the 1900's.

This glass is appropriate for wheat beers and wheat beers not pilsners.

Glassware: Stemmed Tulips

Stemmed Tulips are a fancy little glass.  Like  other specialty glassware they typically look more expensive than they really are.  The name is based on the silhouette of a tulip and is evident when you look at the glass in profile.  The glass has a wider bottom allowing beer to spread out and have more surface area to release aromas.  The middle of the glass curves in concentrating the aromas.  Finally, although I have yet to find someone else to say this, I think the the curved out rim on tulips actually bends your lip down and changes the way the beer hits your tongue.

Tulips are usually appropriate for Belgian and French beers especially Lambic, Gueze and Saison.

Glassware: Size Matters

Recently I noticed a disturbing trend.  Bars giving small glasses.  It is one thing to order a draft beer and it be given in a smaller glass assuming the price is right.  It is totally another to be served a beer with a glass that can not hold a standard bottle of beer.  Beer as we all know is a complex beverage.  If the beer I ordered has sediment maybe I want that.  Nothing is more annoying than having to constantly tell a busboy to not take the half-empty bottle.  Besides bars have lots of options for glassware besides using a juice glass.

As for 22 oz and other large bottles.  Those get a pass on my glass must fit the beer rule.  So remember if your in a bar and beer is not being served right speak up.  Make the request for the right size glass!

Glassware: The Tapered Pilsner

Of the glasses in my collection the Tapered Pilsner makes me feel the most sophisticated and the most clumsy.  The first one I owned promptly broke in 24 hrs.  Just the other day Beer Bitch wanted to sit with me on the couch, but upon seeing this glass ran away.  The Tapered Pilsner has been around since the Middle Ages, but did not take root until the Art Deco age of the 1930's.  The "V" shape supports a head which will keep aromas wafting to your nose.  Additionally the tall slender shape will showcase the color of the beer and you will likely see the bubbles floating to the top.

I recommend using the Tapered Pilsner with almost any Pilsner, Bock, Doppelbock or other Lager.

Glassware: The Shaker Pint

Almost every home has a shaker pint.  The glass was originally designed for use with a metal cup  to act as a cocktail shaker.  You can see the shaker pint in use as it was originally designed at any bar featuring one of those pesky mixologists.  The shaker pint does little for beer.  The glass dissipates rather than concentrates aromas.  However, I will say it is better to get the beer in this glass than stay in a bottle which is a fact often overlooked.

The shaker pint has become the herpes of beer glasses because they are cheap.  They are easy to produce, stack well, clean well and easy to drink from.  This glass was adopted by craft brewers at some point in the 1980's and just stuck.  Many breweries sell souvenir versions of shaker pints, and collecting them can become quite a hobby.  I have an every growing collection of these that has taken over the dining room.

I recommend using a shaker pint for the following beers:

• Anytime all you have is this glass
• American Light Lager
• American Amber Ale
• American Red Ale
• American Wheat Ale
• American Amber Lager

Glassware: Nucleation Points

Laser Etched AB Logo

A growing number of glassware have a etching in the bottom of the glass.  These etchings provide a nucleation point.  A nucleation point creates a spot where bubbles can form.  Once these bubbles form they rise to the surface and break.  The process can be beneficial to beer because the bubbles breaking release more aroma.  If given the option to purchase a glass with a nucleation point I would recommend it.

Nucleation etchings come in a variety of shapes from simple to fun.  The bottom of the Samuel Adams new glass has a simple ring while New Belgium has a Bicycle and Anheuser-Busch (AB) has their logo in a tasting glass.  Many people get to the bottom of the glass and comment on how cool it looks but have no idea what that is doing for their beer.

You can tell if the mark on the bottom of the glass is just decoration or beneficial relatively easily.  All you need to do is pour a lighter colored beer and look for a stream of bubbles.  The stream will be pretty obvious and should last until the beer is gone or flat.  Why you would leave a beer out so long it ended up flat is beyond me!

Glassware: The Basic Rules

The most basic rule to drinking beer is get it out of the bottle.  I do not care if you drink beer from a mason jar, a shaker pint or martini glass.  Pouring beer will create a head.  Even if this head vanishes instantly it creates aromas.  The majority of taste is derived from aroma.  Now if you do not care to taste your beer I recommend buying Natty Light; it is much cheaper and can be drank from the can.  The only exception to this is outdoor activities that may not permit drinking from a glass, but I do have a plastic pint glass if I need one.

Rinser Tray

The second rule is that the glass must be beer clean.  I think if you are intelligent enough to read this then you understand the hygiene requirements.  What you likely do not understand is how your dishwasher is ruining your beer.  Never ever put beer glasses in a dishwasher.  It is evil.  A dishwasher will leave a thin film on the glass and inhibit the head from forming.  I know you are all thinking about those bar dishwashing machines.  These machines are designed for a bar setting and in a good beer bar there is almost always a rinser tray.  This rinse will remove what film is left and properly condition the glass.

Glassware: It's Important

Glasses From My Collection

All too often people drink beer from a can, bottle or wrong glass.  By having the proper glass you will reward yourself with a much better beer experience.

Glassware has a variety of implications in drinking beer. First, is smell. You taste more with your nose than your tongue, and you can't smell from a bottle. Second, a visual inspection of the beer lets you know what your drinking.  You can see the color, head carbonation etc.  If there is something wrong with the beer here is where you get your first clue.  Finally, a glass can make you feel special.  Look at some of the above glasses.  Do they not look like fun to drink from?