What's In A Glass (Other Than Beer)?

Most of you have heard me rail on for hours regarding glassware, and most of you have written it off as typical sous-brewer snobbery. For many uninformed folks out there, beer glassware is an exercise in who cares, or at the very least, a matter of something to put my beer in. For the extremely unenlightened, the simple act of drinking beer out of a glass as opposed to the bottle/can it came in is a complete waste of time. The truth is that there are a lot of dumb reasons to obsess over glassware, but there are also some very important ones that vastly outweigh the dumb ones, and hopefully after reading this, you’ll be convinced once and for all.

Proper glassware equals happy beer.

The majority of beer drinkers on the planet think of the different types of beer glasses as a marketing ploy, or as something the beer snobs do to distance themselves from the beer plebes. Obviously, when a company emblazons their logo onto a glass, that is marketing, but that’s really where the marketing stops. The fact is that the proper beer glass will completely change how you experience a beer. As soon as beer leaves the can, bottle, or tap, everything about it begins to change. What you pour that beer into affects how it changes, both when you drink it and when it is waiting to be drank. The glass can change the smell, look, and overall impression of the beer.

Picture perfect.

The shape of the glass directly affects how “good” the head is, and since the styles of beer are different, they all have different properties that effect the way their head behaves after being poured, and therefor require different glasses to ensure the best head possible. If you don’t already know, head in beer is a good thing, as it traps the volatiles, or the things in beer that evaporate to give it it’s smell, in the beer until you’re ready to drink it. In other words, head keeps the good stuff in the glass until you’re ready to enjoy it. This is called head development and retention.

Some breweries, like Sam Adams, Dogfish Head, Sierra Nevada, and many Belgian breweries, make their own custom glasses to serve their beer in. It is always a good idea to use a brewery-created glass that corresponds to one or more of their beers, but that’s not always an option. Most bars, for example, don’t carry the brewery created glassware to accompany the beer they’re serving. Below is a list of the more common glasses available and what styles of beer they are used best with.

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Goblet (aka Chalice): Grandiose pieces of glassware, ranging from delicate and long stemmed (Goblet) to heavy and thick walled (Chalice). The more delicate ones may also have their rims laced with silver or gold, while the heavy boast sculpture-like stems. Some are designed to maintain a two centimeter head. This is achieved by scoring the inside bottom of the glass, which creates a CO2 nucleation point, and a stream of eternal bubbles and perfect head retention as a result. They’re also nice to look at and have a wide-mouth for deep sips.

Goblets are used with Belgian IPA, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Berliner Weissbier, Dubbel, Quadrupel (Quad), and Tripel.

Mug (aka Stein; Seidel): Sturdy, large, with a handle; the mug is a fun and serious piece of glassware that comes in many sizes and shapes. The best part of using a mug is that you can clink them together with more confidence than other types of glassware, and they hold loads of beer. Think German Oktoberfest. Seidel is a German mug, while a Stein is the stone equivalent that traditionally features a flip-top metal lid, the use of which dates back to the Black Plague to prevent flies from falling in between drinks.

Mugs are used with Amber/Red Ale, Black Ale, Blonde Ale, Brown Ale, IPA, American Pale Ale (APA), Porter, Stout, Strong Ale, Baltic Porter, Bock, Cream Ale, Czech Pilsener, Doppelbock, English Bitter, Euro Dark Lager, Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), German Pilsener, Irish Dry Stout, Irish Red Ale, Keller Bier/Zwickel Bier, Maibock/Helles Bock, Märzen/Oktoberfest, Milk Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Scottish Ale, Vienna Lager, and Witbier.

Pint Glass (aka Shaker, Tumbler): The Pint Glass is the quintessential beer drinker’s glass. This is by far the most common glass you will find in a bar because it is cheap to make, easy to store, and easy to drink out of. Generally the Shaker style is found most, also called the poor man’s pint glass. I do not personally endorse shaker pints as they do absolutely nothing for head retention. The glass pictured to the left is technically called a 20 oz. Imperial. This type has extra room for the head to collect in a 1 pint pour. Notice the ridge near the top.

Pint Glasses are used with Adjunct Lager, Amber/Red Ale, Amber/Red Lager, Black Ale, Blonde Ale, Brown Ale, Dark Wheat Ale, Double/Imperial Stout, IPA, American Pale Ale (APA), Porter, Stout, Strong Ale, Baltic Porter, Black & Tan, California Common/Steam Beer, Cream Ale, English Bitter, English India Pale Ale (IPA), English Pale Ale, Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB), Irish Dry Stout, Irish Red Ale, Milk Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Old Ale, Pumpkin Ale, Russian Imperial Stout, Rye Beer, Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy, Winter Warmer, and Witbier.

Weizen Glass: The best possible way to drink a true Weizenbier (Wheat Beer) is in an authentic and traditional Bavarian Weizen Glass. These tall, unique glasses have a thin wall that, along with their height, help to show off the beautiful color of the Weizenbier. The large opening that is flared at the top helps to contain the foamy head on most wheat beers. They are specifically produced to take on volume and head, while locking in the aromas associated with the wheat style. Don’t listen to what the bartender tells you and forgo the lemon or orange slice in this, as it will destroy the head.

Weizen Glasses are used with American Dark Wheat Ale, American Pale Wheat Ale, Dunkelweizen, Gose, Hefeweizen, Kristalweizen, and Weizenbock.

Pilsner Glass (aka Pokul): Typically a tall, slender and tapered 12-ounce glass, possibly shaped like a trumpet, that captures the sparkling bubbles and colors of a Pils while retaining the head. A Pokal is a European Pilsner glass that has a stem.

Pilsner Glasses are used with American Lager, Amber/Red Lager, Double/Imperial Pilsner, American Pale Lager, Doppelbock, Dortmunder/Export Lager, Dark Lager, Pale Lager, German Pilsener, Happoshu, Japanese Rice Lager, Light Lager, Maibock/Helles Bock, Munich Dunkel Lager, Munich Helles Lager, and Vienna Lager.

Snifter: This style of glass is used primarily for brandy and cognac. These wide-bowled and stemmed glasses with their tapered mouths are perfect for capturing the aromas of strong ales. The snifter lends itself to beers that are high in alcohol, as these generally have the most volatiles to smell, and the glass allows for the beer to be warmed by the hand, as most higher alcohol beers are served colder than they should be. The snifter gets a bad rep for being the “beer snob” glass, but used with the right beer it will enhance that expensive beverage you just purchased.

Snifters are used with American Barleywine, Double/Imperial IPA, Double/Imperial Stout, Strong Ale, Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Barleywine, Red Ale, Gueuze, Lambic – Fruit, Old Ale, Quadrupel (Quad), Russian Imperial Stout, Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy, Tripel, and Wheatwine.

Tulip: A stemmed glass, with a…you guessed it… tulip-shape, where the top of the glass flares out to form a lip in order to capture the head, with the body being bulbous. This glass captures and enhances volatiles, while it induces and supports large foamy heads.

Tulips are used with Double/Imperial IPA, Wild Ale, Belgian Dark Ale, Belgian IPA, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, Bière de Garde, Flanders Oud Bruin, Flanders Red Ale, Gueuze, Lambic – Fruit, Belgian Quad, Saison, Farmhouse Ale, and Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy.

Stange Glass: A traditional German style glass, the word stange literally means “stick” and these tall, slender cylinders create a tighter concentration of volatiles and are used to serve more delicate beers, amplifying malt and hop nuances.

Stange Glasses are used with Altbier, Bock, Czech Pilsener, Gose, Gueuze, Kölsch, and Lambic.

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Not recommended behavior. 

So now you have a glimpse into the world of glassware, the science behind it, and the importance of serving your beer in the correct vessel. It’s not just marketing, and it certainly isn't snobbery. If you’re taking the time to be picky with beer, and paying for the better flavor, why wouldn't you want the flavor and aroma to be as enhanced as possible? I honestly can’t think of a single reason. I recommend printing this blog post out and taking it with you to a bar… wait, no… on second thought… memorize these words of wisdom, or go all 21st century and just bookmark this page so you can quickly access on your smartie phone – yeah, that’s the ticket. Either way, take pride, and take care of your beer. It deserves it; so do you.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness… Cheers!