Beer School: Glassware
I regularly get asked by people interested in drinking better beer about where to start. Obviously, the first thing to do is to just get out there and drink better beer. If you’re at a pub or bar, you simply order the beer and go about your drinking. At home, you have a little more freedom. The right glass can bring out the flavors of a beer and really add to the whole experience.
We’re going to focus on 3 types of glasses today that should act as a suitable starting point for any beer drinker. These glasses should handle everything from a crisp pilsner to a rich barleywine.
The first glass we’ll look at is a lager glass. This is a useful glass in that it is versatile and can handle most of your lighter beers. The narrow shape does an excellent job of concentrating the subtle aromas of lighter beers as well as retaining the head that many of these beers are famous for. Since you’re starting off with your glassware collection, feel free to use your laer glass for lagers, light ales and wheat beers/hefeweizens.
The second glass is probably the most famous beer glass in the world, the pint glass. While most people already have a collection of shaker pints, these glasses really don’t do much for the beer and are more popular for their durability and stack-ability. The English (or imperial) pint glass is slightly larger than a shaker pint to allow for a full 16 oz pour as well as leave room for a proper head. Additionally, the curvature of the glass allows for the glass to capture a bit more aroma. This can be seen as an all-purpose ale glass, as everything from a pale ale, to a stout work well in this glass.
The last glass of the day will be the tulip glass. This glass is named for its shape as it resembles a tulip. While you may see countless variations on this glass, the basic shape is simple: rounded bulbous bottom that narrows towards the top and flares out at the rim. This glass is perfect for Belgian ales, but is versatile enough to handle your imperial stouts, IPA, barleywines, basically anything. Additionally, it gives a great presentation as a proper pour in a tulip glass is a pretty sight.
From the top down, this glass is designed to heighten the drinkers experience. The flare at the top allows the beer to pour over the entire palate, encouraging the drinker to taste the beer from the front to the back of their mouth. The narrowing of the glass helps retain the head of a beer while the bowl shape below can allow bigger beers to decant.
The stemmed base gives the drinker some control of the temperature of the beer. Many bigger beers should be served at warmer temperatures. If the beer is too cold, cup the glass with your hand to warm it up. When the desired temperature is reached, hold the glass by the stem.
Now that you have three glasses to start with just remember to keep them clean. It’s advisable to wash these glasses by hand. A baby bottle brush set aside only for beer glasses is a great way to keep food and unwanted residue from spoiling your glassware. Use a small amount of dish soap and plenty of hot water and your glasses will be kept in perfect condition for serving beer.
One last note on glassware. Glass is not a diamond and definitely not forever. Scartches are difficult to clean and can be homes for nasty things that can affect the flavor of your beer. If your glassware is looking beat up, don’t be afraid to throw it out. This can be tough if you have some collector pieces, but the three glasses shown here today were all purchased at Cost Plus for no more than $3 each.
I hope this helps shed some light on the topic of glassware. Look for a more in-depth look at glassware down the road and have fun drinking.
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