Glassware for Your Brew
You worked hard to perfect that beer style you love, and now you want to show the world (i.e. your family, friends, and drinking buddies) your success and share the goods. Choose the appropriate glassware to highlight all of its unique character — it’s science, not snobbery — and it works. Standard 16-oz. (473-mL) shaker tumblers are fine when you’re at the bar where breakage and theft are issues, but at home your beer deserves to be presented in a manner that shows off all of its attributes.
Style-specific glassware is beneficial from a scientific aspect: beer contains volatile esters that are not only aromatic, but make up 80% of the flavor you perceive. They are a result of yeast types, fermentation temperatures, hop aromas and other brewing factors — as most homebrewers are aware. Carbonation serves as the “delivery system” to get these characteristics to your olfactory senses intact before they disseminate into the air. When served in a glass that releases these volatiles, showcases aromatics, and encourages lively and stable carbonation, the flavor experience can be greatly enhanced.
Here are some basic types of glassware that are style-appropriate. Whatever the glass, there is history and science behind why they are shaped the way they are. Let’s explore them by style . . .
Tulip
This form has a medium stem to facilitate grasping for swirling, with a slight bulb tapering to a flared lip. This glass is great for estery or hoppy beers with a long-lasting head. The bulb concentrates the volatiles, which then work their way up to, and support the head. The flare allows the head to stay intact, allowing delivery of aromatics, but also for the beer to slip underneath onto the tongue without interference. Since the head is the “cap” there is minimal dispersion of aroma as it hits the tongue. Many have etched pinpoints on the bottom of the bowl called “nucleation sites” that encourage bubbles to continuously form for head stability. The bowl also helps trap the wonderful aromas while enjoying your beer and after the glass is emptied.
Snifter
This form is best for high-gravity, low-carbonation beers and barrel-aged versions. A short stem allows the warmth of the hand to encourage the volatiles to “bloom” — in these styles the aroma delivery is achieved through the evaporation of alcohol since the carbonation may be low or absent. The rim tips inward rather than flaring out to capture the volatiles inside a more contained space, which allow the nose to sniff directly. This is also useful for highly-hopped beers in order to get the full aromatic effect of the hops used. Using a snifter for beers with a lot of carbonation can be problematic — they trap the head, which makes it difficult to sip the beer beneath the foam without getting it all over or up one’s nose! Like the tulip, the bowl allows for swirling to release volatiles by surface evaporation, and preserves the aromas to be appreciated after the glass is empty.
Goblet
This form is typical of Belgian styles and has a medium-to-tall stem with a graceful ovoid-shaped body. Beers that are vinous in character benefit from this wine-glass shape. The stem keeps the hand’s warmth isolated from the beer to maintain optimum temperature while swirling, and the gently curved bowl is easy to sip from, allows lacing to stick longer and delays its eventual slide down the interior for great visual effect. The rim is thin to prevent sensory interference of thick glass for a seamless transfer to the tongue. It is elegant to hold and drink from, and gives the beer a refined and sophisticated look that is appealing.
Chalice
This form is an historical nod to the origins of Trappist styles, imitating the shape of ecumenical vessels used by European beer-brewing religious orders. They tend to be over-sized, heavy and faceted or otherwise decorated with gilt trim and/or emblems of religious or brewing significance. They have thick, blocky stems that are easier to grasp with so much weight in the top-heavy bowl. Some are so large they require two hands to grasp, but are so thick that transferred warmth isn’t an issue. They are mostly used to serve Trappist styles as a tribute to their origins, and have the same tasting attributes as their more svelte sister, the goblet. Drinkers may find that a thick rim gets in the way of beer reaching the tongue, but many versions have the shape without the bulk.
Flute
This form has a tiny stem with a straight-sided body flaring from very small at the base to a bit bigger at the top. Like traditional flutes used for Champagne, these glasses are used to keep the “bubble elevator” visual effect going for as long as possible. Effervescent dry or sour beers like gueuze and lambics showcase this, and allow the sliding of the beer up and down the sides as it is tipped to rejuvenate the carbonation with every sip. Low carbonation beers benefit from the “tipping” effect to create turbulence that rouses bubbles and delivers aromatics to the nose and mouth simultaneously in a narrow space that concentrates and accentuates them.
Weizen or Weisse
This form has unique appeal in terms of shape — I call it the “Barbie Doll Effect.” It is extremely tall, curvaceous and bulges out enticingly at the top (you get the picture). The glass is very thin to show off the unique color and turbidity of wheat beers, and the bulb at the top gives their enormous, rocky head all the attention it is due as its crowning glory. Since most wheat beers in Europe come in larger bottles, these glasses are typically of the 0.5-liter capacity, marked with a line and a full 2 inches (5 cm) above it to show off that pillow-y white head. Because the glass is so tall, the lacing that remains on the sides takes a long time to dissipate and leaves a rich wheaty aroma behind in the empty glass. There are smaller, less hefty versions, but they cannot match the grandeur of the full-size examples.
Mug or Stein
Most of these forms are of German origin and reflect the cultural history of beer as a social libation. They tend to be heavy, either straight-sided or barrel shaped, and always with a prominent handle to facilitate serving and hefting. They need to be thick and sturdy in order to survive endless clinking andhandling of multiples during service (think of the St. Pauli Girl with handfuls of mugs). Most are of the 0.5-liter size, again with corresponding fill line and generous headroom, but the famous 1-liter giants made of dimpled glass are not seen very much stateside. These are vessels born of necessity, and they perform their function of delivering large amounts of colder, crisp styles with plenty of head to the lips of drinkers in social situations very well. Most are glass, but antique ceramic steins have metal lids that were added to keep leaves, bugs and other detritus out of the beer in the outdoor biergartens and were personally-owned by the imbiber. These personal steins are often decorated with family crests, hunting scenes and other personalized motifs.
Stange
These glasses are small, short, and straight sided with no flare in order to concentrate the volatiles, and are used to serve several styles that are indigenous to the towns where they were born. Some used for rauchbier are as small as 0.25 liter, as few people want more than that of a smoked beer. They increase in size to the Kölsch glass at 0.4 liter, and the gose glass of 0.5 liter. These glasses cannot be stacked and are tippy, so are more of a traditional relic of their pedigree where they are served than as typical barware. The word stange means “stick” and these tall, slender cylinders are used to serve these more delicate beers, amplifying malt and hop characteristics in a tightly-confined space for maximized sensory perception.
Pilsner
This form is tall, slender and flares from a small, thick base to a wider lip like a trumpet. The German version is solid, while the “pokal” version has a short stem. This glass is all about showcasing the clarity of these styles, so a slimmer profile allows the drinker to see clear through the beer. The base or stem keeps hands from warming up lager styles that are served on the colder side. Since the aromatics of these styles tend to be delicate and more nuanced, the tall shape helps concentrate them for delivery to the imbiber’s nose as they sip. It also allows plenty of room for a nice fluffy head.
Nonic/Imperial Pint
This glass is a product of the United Kingdom (UK) where sessionable, low-gravity beers are more the norm, and a large capacity glass like the nonic is appropriate. An Imperial pint is 20 ounces (0.6 L), and the larger format became the standard capacity in taprooms all over the the UK. It has a wide flat base with sides that flare out just a little, with a prominent bulge about an inch below the rim to enable a good grasp. Since ales of this region are traditionally served at warmer cellar and cask temps anyway, no handle or stem is necessary. This is a glass shaped for large pours of ales that, what they lack in alcohol, they make up for in aromatics. A wide rim allows them to be perceived with nothing in the way between the glass and the drinker’s nose and tongue. They have markings that allow the drinker to choose quarter, half, three-quarter and full pours.
Thistle
This form originated in Scotland, and is uniquely-shaped to mimic the national flower of Scotland. It has a round base, short to medium stem, topped with a pronounced ovoid bulb and flared sides rising from it. Whisky-tasting glasses are simply smaller versions of this unusual style. Although more of a national tribute than a drinking vessel with practicality in mind, it makes Scottish ales, barleywines and wee heavys look very festive. The accentuated bulb allows the hand to warm the beer, releasing the volatiles yet holds the aromatics long after the glass is empty, but the flared sides make it easy to smell and sip off the rim.
Glass Choice and Care
Inexpensive sets of glassware styles are available at retail and cover all the bases to showcase a variety of beer styles. Keeping your glassware clean — including hand-washing, thorough rinsing and towel drying — will make them work all the better. Automatic dishwashing detergents that use sheeting chemicals tend to leave a film, wear off logos and etch glassware over time; and any residue will kill head in a glass. Presenting your homebrew in glassware that plays up its best qualities, and increases your enjoyment can be a good investment, don’t you think?
