Did you know that when it comes to drinking beer, there are three senses involved in the processing phase when determining whether a beer is good or not? Sight, smell, and taste all play a major role when experiencing a new beer. Surprising as this may seem, that’s why it’s important to use the right glassware piece when drinking your local craft beer.
Not only can a beautifully crafted beer glass amplify your experience from just seeing it for the first time, it can also amplify the differences found within beer. It can bring out different flavors, the beer’s natural aroma, and produce the right type of head retention to balance everything out.
If you want to learn more on how each glass differs from one another, as well as how they amplify your favorite beverage, keep on reading.
IPA Glasses
Known for being tall with a tapered bowl near the center and iconic ridges at the bottom, this glass provides all elements needed to experience an IPA fully. The ridges provide aeration, while the tapered bowl and top provides your nose with the hop aromatics it needs with each sip.
Beer Styles
All IPA Beers
Mugs
Robust, large and ergonomic, beer mugs are among the most popular types of beer glassware. Typically made of thick glass, mugs can help maintain the temperature of your beer for longer. Like steins, beer mugs are great for ales, lagers and some stouts.
Beer Styles
Appropriate for All Styles
Goblets and Chalices
Large and luxurious, goblets (or chalices) can help you drink your beer with utmost class and elegance. Their wide opening not only promotes big, hearty sips, but it also helps amplify the beer’s aroma and bring out its flavors. Typically, they are used to drink heavy, dense beers with a lot of malt in them, including Belgian ales and German bocks.
Beer Styles
Belgian Ales, Belgian IPA, Dubbel
Pilsner Glasses
As their name implies, glasses of this type are perfect for full-bodied pilsner beers. These glasses tend to be tall and slim, with a little width at the top of the glass. Because of its shape, the bubbles and clarity of the pilsner can clearly be seen, while at the same time, the head of the beer is retained at the top. Pairs well with some lagers, hefeweizens and blonde ales as well.
Beer Styles
Pilsners, Blonde Ales, American Lagers, Japanese Rice Lagers, Vienna Lagers, Bocks
Tulip
Unlike goblets and chalices, tulip glasses don’t aim at releasing as much aroma as possible from the start. Instead, they are designed to maintain the foam head, releasing aromas and flavors gradually as they slowly break through the foam. For that reason, they are well-suited for strong, aromatic beers such as double IPAs and Belgian ales.
Beer Styles
Belgian Ales, American Wild Ales, Barleywine, Scottish Ales, Double IPAs, Belgian IPAs, Saisons
Thistle
Similar to the tulip glass, the thistle has a short stem and a bulbous bowl that stretches out on top. However, it’s a bit taller and less curvy. A product of Scottland, the thistle is meant to be used with Scottish ales.
Beer Styles
Scottish Ales
Weizen
Another popular beer glass, the weizen is tall and has a large opening. Different from the Pilsner glass, it can take a liter of liquid with enough space left for a large foam head and showcases a slight curvature. This glass aims to showcase the fruity and spice elements hidden within the beers of dunkelweizen, hefeweizen, kristalweizen and weizenbock beers.
Beer Styles
Wheat Ales, Hefeweizen, Weizenbock
Teku
Known for being one of the best beer glasses of today, the Teku showcases a tulip like bowl with a thin lip on a long stem. The long stem base helps to prevent your hands from transferring heat to the beer, while the bowl traps the aromatics and amplifies the flavor.
Beer Styles
Appropriate for All Styles
Stange
Perhaps the most straightforward type of beer glassware, stanges feature a cylindric shape that is geometrically perfect Additionally, stanges tend to have a thick bottom that gives them a nice amount of weight. With a reduced capacity, these glasses are most often used for serving top-fermented beers with a strong taste and aroma.
Beer Styles
Pilsners, Kölsch, Bocks, Gose
Flute
In most situations, a flute glass would only be used for champagnes, siders and the like. However, these tall and narrow pieces of glassware can be successfully used with certain types of beer, namely fruit beers, krieks, Belgian lambics and biere de champagne (champagne of beer).
Beer Styles
Sours, Ciders, German Pilsners, Bière Brut
Pint
Undoubtedly the most popular in the world, the beer pint is versatile enough to be used with a large variety of beers. In particular, though, they are used to serve lagers and ales. Pint glasses have a cylindrical shape that gets wider as it goes up. This simple shape makes pint glasses easy to clean and stack up.
Beer Styles
Appropriate for All Beers