To fully enjoy your homebrew, use the right glassware!!!

So what's in a beer glass? Hopefully beer, but there's much more to be found. Though some beer novices say "the vast majority of glassware is just marketing," this couldn't be further from the truth. As Home brewers, we feel that beer drinkers deserve better than this. So here's the real deal ...

Sure, there's a marketing component to beer glassware, but one only needs to look beyond the branding to discover that something bigger is taking place. As soon as the beer hits the glass, its color, aroma and taste is altered, your eye candy receptors tune in, and your anticipation is tweaked. Hidden nuances, become more pronounced, colors shimmer, and the enjoyment of the beer simply becomes a better, more complete, experience.

Still think it's just marketing? Well the sophomoric pun "head is good" has a mature side. Scientific studies show that the shape of glassware will impact head development and retention. Why is this important? The foam created by pouring a beer acts as a net for many of the volatiles in a beer. What's a volatile? Compounds that evaporate from beer to create its aroma, such as hop oils, all kinds of yeast fermentation byproducts like alcohol, fusels and fruity esters, spices or other additions. So a glass that promotes a healthy foam head may enhance the trapping of certain volatiles. And as varying levels of head retention and presentation are desired with different styles of beers, different styles of glassware should be used accordingly. Presentation marries science.

So which glassware do you use? The answer can often be overwhelming. In Europe, especially Belgium, each brand of beer will often have its own glass. In fact, some breweries have been known to engineer the glass before the beer, and many bars will also stock unique glassware for every brand of beer they serve, which could be hundreds or thousands. And while it's always a good idea to use glassware designed by the brewery for a specific brand of beer, sometimes this is not an option. But fret not! We've complied a quick guide of recommended glassware that will cover most beers and arm you with a very versatile arsenal of glassware.

Flute Glass

 

The world of champagne lends elegance to certain types of beer. Long and narrow bodies ensure that carbonation doesn't dissipate too quickly and showcase a lively carbonation or sparkling color. Stems will often be a bit shorter than the traditional champagne glass, but not necessarily.

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 / Export Lager

• Eisbock

• Euro Strong Lager

• Faro

• Flanders Oud Bruin

• Flanders Red Ale

• German Pilsener

• Gueuze

• Lambic - Fruit

• Lambic - Unblended

• Maibock / Helles Bock

• Munich Dunkel Lager

• Munich Helles Lager

• Schwarzbier

• Vienna Lager

• Weizenbock

Goblet (or Chalice)

Majestic pieces of work, ranging from delicate and long stemmed (Goblet) to heavy and thick walled (Chalice). The more delicate ones may also have their rims laced with silver or gold, while the heavy boast sculpture-like stems. Some are designed to maintain a 2-centimeter head. This is achieved by scoring the inside bottom of the glass, which creates a CO2 nucleation point, and a stream of eternal bubbles and perfect head retention as a result.

Benefits: Eye candy. Designed to maintain head. Wide-mouthed for deep sips.

Use with these Beer Styles:

• Belgian IPA

• Belgian Strong Dark Ale

• Berliner Weissbier

• Dubbel

• Quadrupel (Quad)

• Tripel

Mug (or Seidel, stein)

Heavy, sturdy, large and with handle, the mug is a fun and serious piece of glassware that comes in many sizes and shapes. The best part of using a mug is that you can clink them together with more confidence than other types of glassware, and they hold loads of beer. Seidel is a German mug, while a Stein is the stone equivalent that traditionally features a lid, the use of 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 / Red Ale
• American Amber / Red Lager
• American Black Ale

• American Blonde Ale

• American Brown Ale

• American Dark Wheat Ale

• American IPA

• American Malt Liquor
• American Pale Ale (APA)
• American Pale Wheat Ale

• American Porter

• American Stout
• American Strong Ale
• Baltic Porter
• Black & Tan
• Bock
• California Common / Steam Beer
• Chile Beer
• Cream Ale
• Czech Pilsener

• Doppelbock

• English Bitter

• English Brown Ale

• English Dark Mild Ale

• English India Pale Ale (IPA)

• English Porter

• English Stout
• English Strong Ale

• Euro Dark Lager

• Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)

• Fruit / Vegetable Beer

• German Pilsener

• Herbed / Spiced Beer

• Irish Dry Stout

• Irish Red Ale

• Keller Bier / Zwickel Bier

• Maibock / Helles Bock

• Märzen / Oktoberfest

• Milk / Sweet Stout
• Oatmeal Stout

• Rauchbier

• Roggenbier

• Sahti

• Scottish Ale

• Scottish Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale

• Smoked Beer

• Vienna Lager

• Witbier

Pilsner Glass (or Pokal)

Typically a tall, slender and tapered 12-ounce glass, shaped like a trumpet at times, 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:

• American Adjunct Lager

• American Amber / Red Lager

• American Double / Imperial Pilsner

• American Malt Liquor

• American Pale Lager

• Bock

• California Common / Steam Beer

• Czech Pilsener

• Doppelbock
• Dortmunder / Export Lager

• Euro Dark Lager

• Euro Pale Lager

• Euro Strong Lager

• German Pilsener

• Happoshu

• Japanese Rice Lager

• Light Lager

• Low Alcohol Beer

• Maibock / Helles Bock

• Munich Dunkel Lager

• Munich Helles Lager

• Schwarzbier

• Vienna Lager

• Witbier

Pint Glass (or Becker, Nonic, Tumbler)

Near cylindrical, with a slight taper and wide-mouth. There are two standard sizes, the 16-ounce (US Tumbler - the pour man's pint glass and most common) or the 20-ounce Imperial (Nonic), which has a slight ridge towards the top, a grip of sorts and helps in stacking them. The 20-ounce version is preferred to accommodate more beer or beers with large crowning heads. A Becker is the German equivalent, tapering at the top.

Benefits: Cheap to make. Easy to store. Easy to drink out of.

Use with these Beer Styles:

• American Adjunct Lager

• American Amber / Red Ale

• American Amber / Red Lager

• American Barleywine

• American Black Ale

• American Blonde Ale

• American Brown Ale

• American Dark Wheat Ale

• American Double / Imperial Stout

• American IPA

• American Malt Liquor

• American Pale Ale (APA)

• American Pale Wheat Ale

• American Porter

• American Stout

• American Strong Ale

• Baltic Porter

• Berliner Weissbier

• Black & Tan

• California Common / Steam Beer

• Chile Beer

• Cream Ale

• English Barleywine
• English Bitter
• English Brown Ale

• English Dark Mild Ale

• English India Pale Ale (IPA)
• English Pale Ale
• English Pale Mild Ale
• English Porter
• English Stout
• English Strong Ale
• Euro Dark Lager

• Extra Special / Strong Bitter (ESB)

• Foreign / Export Stout

• Fruit / Vegetable Beer

• Happoshu
• Herbed / Spiced Beer
• Irish Dry Stout

• Irish Red Ale

• Low Alcohol Beer
• Märzen / Oktoberfest
• Milk / Sweet Stout
• Oatmeal Stout

• Old Ale

• Pumpkin Ale

• Russian Imperial Stout

• Rye Beer

• Sahti
• Saison / Farmhouse Ale

• Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy

• Scottish Ale

• Scottish Gruit / Ancient Herbed Ale

• Smoked Beer

• Winter Warmer

• Witbier

Snifter

Used for brandy and cognac, these wide-bowled and stemmed glasses with their tapered mouths 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

• American Strong Ale
• Belgian Dark Ale

• Belgian Pale Ale

• Belgian Strong Dark Ale
• Belgian Strong Pale 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

Stange (siender Cylinder)

A traditional German glass, stange means "stick" and these tall, slender cylinders are used to serve more delicate beers, amplifying malt and hop nuances. Substitute with a Tom Collins glass.

Benefits: Tighter concentration of volatiles.

Use with these Beer Styles:

• Altbier

• Bock

• Czech Pilsener

• Faro

• Gose
• Gueuze
• Kölsch
• Lambic - Fruit
• Lambic - Unblended
• Rauchbier
• Rye Beer

Tulip

A stemmed glass, obviously tulip-shaped, wherein the top of the glass pushes out a bit to form a lip in order to capture the head and the body is bulbous. Scotch Ales are often served in a "thistle glass," which is a modified tulip glass that resembles Scotland's national flower.

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

Nothing beats serving your Weizenbier (wheat beer) in an authentic Bavarian Weizen Glass. These classy glasses, with their thin walls and length, showcase the beer's color and allows for much headspace to contain the fluffy, sexy heads association with the style. Most are 0.5L in size, with slight variations in sizes. Forget the lemon garnish, the citric will kill the head.

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

Oversize wine glass

"A wine glass for beer!?" Yep, an oversized 22oz wine glass will be most suitable for serving most Belgian Ales. Its size allows for headspace, while the open bowl creates an amazing nose. A lot of smart beer bars are now serving their Belgian Ales in these. It also makes for a great crossover conversational piece. "Is that wine that you're drinking?" And you reply, "No, it's De Ranke XX Bitter from Belgium. Wanna try?"

Benefits: Replacement for a Tulip or Goblet. Conversational.

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

Taken from <http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/glassware>