Beer Glassware Care & Use

Beer Glass CareUse your beer glasses strictly for beer – never for soda, milk, iced tea, or other non-beer substances. Beer is an extremely sensitive beverage that reacts poorly with anything else. No matter how well you’ve washed your glasses, there is still a chance that residue will spoil the full flavour of the beer. Do not wash beer glasses with soap or detergent of any kind. Use a solution of baking soda or salt and very hot water; then rinse with clean, very hot water. Sponges and dishcloths should be avoided. Allow glasses to air dry. Do not dry with paper towels or dishtowels.

How to Pour the Perfect BeerThe glass:
Use the specially designed glass, specific to each beer, (see "the right glass") to maximize the experience in terms of taste, aroma and colour. Make sure the glass is clean (see Beer Glass Care) as residue can spoil the flavor of the beer and inhibit head creation.
Never chill your glassware, and decline if served a frosted glass. Why? As the beer hits the frosted glass condensation will occur and dilute your beer, while at the same time alter the serving temperature.
Beer temperature:
Beer temperature varies with personal taste and with the style of beer. The rule of the thumb is simple: the thicker and stronger the beer the closer the temperature should be to ambient temperature, ranging from 6º to 16ºC. So, generally speaking:
lagers and pilsner-type of beers – serve chilled from 6º - 8ºC
light-colored top-fermented beers – served chilled from 8º - 10ºC
amber-colored top fermentation beers – served at cellar temperature from 10º - 12ºC
complex Belgian ales – served at room temperature from 12º - 16ºC.
Also, chilling beer below 5ºC may be detrimental to the taste. There are exceptions however – Stella Artois and Hoegaarden Witbier recommend serving their beers at at 3ºC and Leffe Blond Abbey recommends 5ºC.
Although warm beer does not taste good it should not be served on the rocks, as it loses carbonation and taste immediately!
Pouring:
There are different ways to pour beer – depending who you ask. Guiness prefers a two-stage method that takes several minutes, and Leffe Blond Abbey suggest you pause after pouring half of the bottle, swirl the remaining beer to ensure have all the goodness and complete the pour.
This method is general purpose:
hold your glass at a 45° angle.
Pour the beer, targeting the middle of the slope of the glass. Don't be afraid to pour hard or add some air between the bottle and glass.
At the half-way point bring the glass at a 90° angle and continue to pour in the middle of the glass. This will induce the perfect foam head. And remember, having a head on a beer is a good thing. It releases the beer’s aromatics and adds to the overall presentation. You may also want to gradually add distance between the bottle and glass as you pour, to also inspire a good head. An ideal head should be about 3 cm (1" to 1-1/2") or simply two fingers thick.
Tip: The bitterness of the hops tends to be most concentrated in the foam of the head, so if you like a good hit of hops to jolt the tastebuds, give yourself a more generous head and sip the beer through it.
Savouring the beer:
Bring the glass to your lips and inhale gently to take in the aroma of the beer. This will awaken your tastebuds to the flavors that are to follow. Then sip, letting the beer flow over the tongue so you savour the full complexity of the flavor. Perfect!

The Right Glass

The Right Glass The Egyptians brewed beer for thousands of years – shown in hieroglyphs and murals from 5,000 years ago. The nobles consumed beer from a vat, using long straws to penetrate the surface of the scum. The very noble drank thru straws made of gold. We've come a long way since then and glassware has evolved to not just contain this wonderful beverage – but to allow us to enjoy the aroma, appearance and taste more fully. Wide openings: allow the beer to breathe allow the drinker to place his/her nose inside the glass to breathe the beer's perfume. Tall: the inverted-cone shape will focus the hop aroma the aroma rises to the nose allows for a good dislay Bell-shaped top: allows for zesty carbonation and a robust head Tulip (snifter shape): the beer and foam can be consumed simutaneously Thistle: the wide bulged in the center holds heavy aromatic beers the flared top allows the aroma to rise to the nose Handled mugs: Prevents you from warming up the beer with your hands. if you plan to join the singing at Octoberfest - grab hold of a mug or you'll be spilling all your beer. Stems or footed glasses: a touch of formality improves presentation Dimples, bulges: evolved to prevent a wet glass from slipping out of your hand

Nonic English Style

Slight tapered, with a ridge 3/4 the way up the glass, and wide-mouth. There are two standard sizes, the 16-ounce, or the 20-ounce Imperial, which has a slight ridge towards the top, a grip of sorts and helps in stacking them. The 20-ounce version is preferred to hold more beer, or beers with large heads.

Preferred by the English for their substantial beer.

Standard Pint Pounder

Suitable for lambics as well as the altbier and steam beer. Also great for Belgian Witbier. Thicker the glass, the colder it keeps the beer.

Stout Style

This style glass is perferred by the Irish for their dry, creamy stout. Narrower opening allows a thick creamy white head to develop.

Wiess

A bell shaped top makes for zesty carbonation, and a robust head of beer. Nothing beats serving your Wheat beer in an authentic Bavarian Weizen Glass. These classy glasses, with their curves and length, show the beer's color and allows for much headspace to contain the fluffy heads association with the style. Most are 0.5L in size, with slight variations curviture and in sizes.

Boots
The story goes that during a grueling siege on a town, a Persian general promised his troops he would drink his beer from his boot if they could finally take the town. The troops took the town and the general had to deliver on his promise. Fearing what lurked in his boot (nothing like toe-jam floating in your beer), he had a friend, who just happened to be a glassmaker, fashion him a new boot made out of glass.

Chalices
The wide mouth of this type of glass allows for deep inhalation of the bouquet of beers with subtle aromas. The wide shape also encourages a well-carbonated ale to fully develop its head without giving the drinker a face full of foam. The rounded shape also allows quick warming of the beer if held in the drinker's hands, or more slowly if held by the stem.

Flutes
Champagne flutes are the ideal serving vessel for lambics. The tall narrow design helps preserve the delicate bubbles of an effervescent lambic and concentrates the bouquet of aromatic beers, channeling it directly to the nose.

Mugs
The dimpled sides make it easier to handle, especially if your hands become slippery. The large, open mouth releases the floral, herbal bouquet as well the malty aroma of the beer.

Pilsners
Pilsner glasses come in a variety shapes and sizes, but they all are designed to channel the floral hop aroma to the drinker's nose. The clear class showcases the brilliant golden color and lively stream of bubbles.

Thistles
Thistles are very similar to tulips and snifters, but the bowed shaped is considerably more evident. These glasses are designed to accent the malty aromas of Scottish ales while allowing for the beer to slip underneath the gargantuan head.

Imperial Pints
Imperial pints are simple pint glasses which have a bit different shape then shaker or nonick pints. Traditionally marked with the seal of the crown to signify that the glass meets royal standards for volume.

Nonick Pints
This style of pint is bulged near the rim for easier handling, as well as to capture the fresh, earthy bouquet of English hops and fruity fermented esters.

Shaker Pints
Originally designed as a bartender's mixing tool, these pints are becoming very common in brewpubs and microbreweries. A very versatile beer glass well suited a variety of beer styles.

Snifters and Tulips
Tulips, and snifters are considered to be the perfect vessels to "nose" an especially aromatic beer. A snifter has a somewhat smaller opening and taller cup. The design is perfect for aromatic Belgian ales.

Steins and Krugs
Steins with pewter tops where originally designed to keep flies out of the beer. With or with a top, the stein is considered by many to be the perfect vessel for consumption of bock beer. The heavy stoneware material helps insulate the beer.

Tumblers
Tumblers can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. This diversity makes it hard to classify such a broad range of glass styles. Typically, the straight-side variety of tumblers are great for sampling a wide range of beers while the more curved tumblers are generally better suited for lagers.

Weizen
Weizen glasses are some of the best balanced and designed glasses made. They are rugged yet look delicate. The tall and slightly bowed-out shape make this glass perfect for retaining just the right amount of aroma from this distinctive beer style.

The Right Glass

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