When I have guests or family come to visit, and we get to tasting some homebrew or other craft beers, my guests are often surprised I keep such a wide variety of glassware in a separate cabinet -- and even more surprised when I use different glasses for each style of beer.
While using different shaped wine glasses -- for white and red wines -- is widely accepted, few people are aware that beer should be served in differing glassware as well.
Why? The shape of the glass and contours of the cup actual accentuate different parts of the beer; some to push the smell upwards to your nose, and others to keep the smell to a minimum. But it's not just for smell. Some glasses, for instance sniffers, often are used so that the heat from the drinker's hand slightly warms the brew, as its being held (to bring out other flavors).
So, with some help from http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/glass, I've decided to list the typical glassware associated with several styles of beer.
Pint Glass.
We'll start with the most common American beer drinking glass: the Pint Glass. A few different styles of pint glasses can be found, like Becker, Nonic, or a Tumbler, but they all have similar characteristics.
Pint glasses are cylindrical, with a slight taper (often toward the top) and a wide-mouth. Pint glasses come in two standard sizes, the 16-ounce Tumbler (U.S.) and the 20-ounce Imperial Nonic. A Becker is the German equivalent, tapering at the top.
These are the most common beer glass found in restaurants and in the home.
They accommodate a wide variety of beers:
- American Lager
- American Amber / Red Ale
- Black Ale
- Blonde Ale
- Brown Ale
- Pale Ale
- Pale Wheat Ale
- Porter
- Stout
- Black & Tan
- Foreign / Export Stout
- Irish Dry Stout
- Oatmeal Stout
- Witbier
Flute Glass.
Next up is the Flute Glass. While used normally for Champagne, the Flute Glass has a long narrow body to help ensure that carbonation doesn't dissipate too quickly -- and to showoff lively carbonation and color.
Benefits: Enhances and showcases carbonation. Releases volatiles quickly for a more intense upfront aroma.
Use with these Beer Styles:
- American Wild Ale
- Bière de Champagne / Bière Brut
- Bock
- Czech Pilsener
- Dortmunder
- Eisbock
- Pilsener
- Lambic
- Lambic
- Maibock / Helles Bock
- Munich Dunkel Lager
- Munich Helles Lager
- Schwarzbier
- Vienna Lager
- Weizenbock
Mug.
Heavy, sturdy, large and with handle, mugs come in many sizes and shapes. A Seidel is a German mug, while a Stein is the stone equivalent that traditionally features a lid (which dates back to the Black Plague to prevent flies from dropping in).
Benefits: Easy to drink out of. Holds plenty of volume.
Use with these Beer Styles:
- American Amber
- Black Ale
- Blonde Ale
- Brown Ale
- Pale Ale
- Porter
- Stout
- Strong Ale
- Baltic Porter
- Black & Tan
- Bock
- California Common / Steam Beer
- English Bitter
- Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)
- Pilsener
- Irish Dry Stout
- Milk / Sweet Stout
- Oatmeal Stout
- Scottish Ale
- Smoked Beer
- Vienna Lager
Pilsner Glass.
Typically a tall, slender and tapered 12-ounce glass that captures the sparkling effervesces and colors of a Pils while maintaining its head. A Pokal is a European Pilsner glass with a stem.
Benefits: Showcases color, clarity and carbonation. Promotes head retention. Enhances volatiles.
Use with these Beer Styles:
- Bock
- California Common / Steam Beer
- Czech Pilsener
- Doppelbock
- Dortmunder / Export Lager
- German Pilsener
- Japanese Rice Lager
- Low Alcohol Beer
- Maibock / Helles Bock
- Munich Dunkel Lager
- Munich Helles Lager
- Schwarzbier
- Vienna Lager
Snifter.
Used traditionally for brandy and cognac, these stemmed, wide-bowled, and tapered mouthed glasses are perfect for capturing the aromas of strong ales. Volumes range, but they all provide room to swirl and agitate volatiles.
Benefits: Captures and enhances volatiles.
Use with these Beer Styles:
- American Barleywine
- American Double / Imperial IPA
- American Double / Imperial Stout
- Strong Ale
- Braggot
- Eisbock
- English Barleywine
- Flanders Oud Bruin
- Flanders Red Ale
- Foreign / Export Stout
- Gueuze
- Lambic - Fruit
- Old Ale
- Quadrupel (Quad)
- Russian Imperial Stout
- Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
- Tripel
- Wheatwine
Tulip Glass.
These were on sale at the Dollar Store locally, so I picked up a few. My wife makes Ice Cream Sundays in them, much to my chagrin. A stemmed glass, with the top half tulip-shaped, to form a lip. The Tulip Glass contains an angled rim in order to capture the head of the beer. The bottom body is bulbous, almost like a Snifter.
Benefits: Captures and enhances volatiles, while it induces and supports large foamy heads.
Use with these Beer Styles:
- American Double / Imperial IPA
- American 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
- Quadrupel (Quad)
- Saison / Farmhouse Ale
- Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Weizen Glass.
Weizen Glasses -- made for Wheat Beers -- have thin walls and length to showcase the beer's color and allow for ample headspace. Most are 0.5L, with slight variations in sizes.
Benefits: Specifically produced to take on volume and head, while locking in the banana-like and phenol aromas associated with the style.
Use with these Beer Styles:
- American Dark Wheat Ale
- American Pale Wheat Ale
- Dunkelweizen
- Gose
- Hefeweizen
- Kristalweizen
- Weizenbock
Oversized Wine Glass.
Often, a glass goblet or chalet can be deemed an Oversized Wine Glass, since the former two cups were traditionally made from metal. Still, the stemmed, rounded glass is perfect for all Belgian Ales and most dark porters and stouts. Its size allows for headspace, while the open bowl creates an amazing nose.
Use with these Beer Styles:
- American Black Ale
- American Double / Imperial IPA
- American Double / Imperial Stout
- American Wild Ale
- Belgian Dark Ale
- Belgian IPA
- Belgian Pale Ale
- Belgian Strong Dark Ale
- Belgian Strong Pale Ale
- Bière de Garde
- Braggot
- Eisbock
- English Barleywine
- Old Ale
- Saison / Farmhouse Ale
- Wheatwine
