Five Basic Beer Glasses
Greetings,
There are basically five styles of glasses. Each type of glass allows the particular nuance of the particular style of beer to be enjoyed at its best advantage. Once you understand the particular characteristics of a particular beer style choosing the proper glass is easy.
The Pilsener Glass
The most popular beer in the world today is lager beer. This is a golden straw colored beer, effervescent, and capped with a rich white head of foam. Here in the United States the most popular brand is Budweiser. The perfect glass for serving this beer is called a pilsener glass. It holds 12 ounces, is a relatively tall, un-stemmed, flute shaped glass that shows off both the color and the effervescence of this beer. Note that the top of the pilsener glass is not very wide. This is because the aroma the pilsener gives off is not as intense as ale and the visual treat watching the bubbles travel up the glass as well as a thick head on this beer is what makes it most attractive.
The Pint Glass
The traditional pint glass is the alternative to the dimpled mug found in most British pubs. It has gradually sloping sides with a much larger base than the pilsener glass and a much larger mouth. Ale, unlike pilsner style beers, is much more aromatic. It is also slightly darker and possibly a bit more opaque than pilsener beer. This glass fits the mood of this beer. The larger shape of the glass allows you to enjoy the color of the beer and the wider mouth allows you to enjoy the aromatics from the hops that are traditionally used in these types of beers. Most American else in all British ales can be served in the style of glass.
The Beer Stein
The traditional German beer stein is made of pottery and has a hinged lid. They're not often seen in bars taverns or restaurants, however they do add atmosphere and nuance to restaurants that have extensive German beer lists. The reason for the construction of this vessel is quite simple, it keeps the beer coldly. Germany lager is best served at around 40°F temperature. In a thin glass the beer warms up too quickly. The hefty stoneware allows the beer to remain cool through the drinking session. As noted before, this type of drinking vessel is mainly decorative and can be considered such.
The Wheat Beer Glass
The wheat beer glass is similar to the pilsener glass in that it is tall and flutelike. However there is a major difference. It has a slightly wider mouth, and there is a bit of a "waste" to it about a third of the way up the glass and usually holds half a liter of beer. The reason for this is that wheat beer is usually a packaged in a half liter bottles. Wheat beer is a visually interesting beer to serve. There are two styles, one is with yeast (heffe weiss) and the other is without yeast (crystal). The style with yeast is a very cloudy, without yeast it is sparkling clear. In either case, the wheat beer glass is designed to show off the unique aromas, as well as the colors of the beer. Pouring a wheat beer from a tap can be slightly tricky, but the style does demand ahead at least two inches thick. When pouring in from a bottle there is a little bit more of a theatrical effect. The bartender should take the glass and lower it down over the bottle, then slowly lifting and tilting both of the bottle and glass together, so that as the beer pours out the bartender holds the mouth of the bottle just above the developing head, by the time the tilted glass is resting on the bar, the beer from the bottle should be just fill the glass, leaving a thick rich head and an impressed customer. I suggest the bartender tried this a few times before trying it on a customer.
The Goblet
Last but not least there is the "Goblet". This is the familiar stemmed glass that is the traditional glassware for Belgian brews such as Chimay and other Abbey brews. The reason for the construction of this vessel is that the beers served in this style of glass are usually very aromatic and should be served at "cellar temperature". Since most beer coolers are much colder than 50°F beers poured in this glass the drinker can be slowly warm the beer by wrapping their hands around the goblet. As the beer warms up the aromatics are released in the drinker can enjoy the beer to its best advantage.
Finally, every bar manager, beverage director, and bartender, knows that glassware is expensive. It is my humble opinion that the brewery can provide the best glassware for their beer. There are more expensive alternatives, of course, but these are usually unbranded. Since you are already using the correct glassware for the correct beer and unmake sense that it be branded as well to at least remind the drinker and the server what was in the glass.
Cheers!
Peter LaFrance
