The Proper Glass For Every Style of Beer
From IPAs and lagers, to stouts, sours, and Belgians, the glass makes a bigger difference than you think.
We all have them in the house, but if you’re drinking your beer out of a shaker pint ⏤ and chances are good that you are ⏤ please stop. Thick and heavy, shaker pints are great for breaking up ice up in a cocktail, but they suck for beer. Not only do they make it difficult to pour a good head, but shaker pints’ size and wide rim also make it hard for you to experience all the aromas emanating from your brew. And since what your able to smell deeply influences what you are able to taste, that’s a pretty big deal.
You don’t need to be a craft beer snob to appreciate flavor and using a good glass will let you better enjoy your sudsy adult beverage. So whether you’re a pilsner guy, a stout fellow, or a hop head, we suggest you invest in one of these eight proper vessels.
Best for IPAs: The Teku Glass
If you’re spending a small fortune on your IPA habit this is the rig for you. The design of the Teku glass not only produces a good head but also allows your nose to better interact with the beer’s aromas ⏤ that way you can savor all that hoppy goodness.
Best for Belgians: The Tulip Glass
While you could drink nearly any beer from a classic tulip glass, the shape is ideal for Belgians. The classic design keeps the head thick till the last drop. A tapered top helps you enjoy the bouquet while wide bottom allows you to swirl your beer and savor the experience.
Best for Kolsch: The Stange Glass
Kolschs are great for summer, and the Stange’s half pour size should let you drink your beer before it succumbs to the season’s heat. The cylindrical shape also makes it easy to admire the tiny bubbles floating to the top.
Best for Weissbier: The Hefeweizen Glass
A big, half-liter Hefe glass is great for showcasing a wheat beer’s thick, creamy head. There’s also something about its heft that makes guzzling one in the back yard all the more fun.
Best for Sours and Barrel Aged Stouts: The Snifter
Chances are, you already have a couple of these in your cabinet for when your father-in-law requests a post-dinner cognac. But the snifter is also an ideal vessel for big flavors and high ABV. As the beer warms in your hands, aromas and flavors that would have otherwise remain sequestered emerge from their chilly slumber. The shape of the glass also allows you to swirl it, as you would with brandy, so your palate can delve deeper into a great beer’s complexity.
Best for Pilsners and Lagers: The Stemmed Pilsner Glass
A tall glass is great for showing off the carbonation and clarity typical of pilsners and lagers. But these styles are meant to be served cold. To keep the beer on the chilly side we prefer a stemmed variety to a traditional pilsner glass, which keeps your hands from raising the temperature of the beer.
Best for Stouts and Ales: The Imperial Pint Glass
Stouts, ales, bitters, nearly every beer looks a little more inviting in an imperial nonic pint glass. A thinner rim allows you to better taste the liquid than a shaker pint would while the tactile sensation makes you feel like you’re down at the pub, instead of hiding from your kids in the basement.
Best for Oktoberfests: The Dimple Stein Mug
Behold the mighty mug. It’s solid, versatile, holds a ton of beer, and it makes you feel a bit like an iron-age warrior when you ‘cheers’ your mates. There are very few brews you couldn’t serve in a mug, but its a favorite for many of the German varieties, including Oktoberfests, helles, dunkels, and bocks. Mugs up!
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