Any beer glass that has thick glass and could double as a coffee cup (the larger the better) is a mug in my book. I consider American freezer mugs, dimpled English pint mugs, German steins and the giant 1L Oktoberfest seidel a part of this category. Because of their size these glasses are appropriate vessels for many different types of American and European Ales or Lagers that have low or medium alcohol content. 

These glasses are great for keeping your beer cool and are especially well suited for outdoor drinking.  The thick walls help to insulate the beer against the ambient temperature and the handle makessure that you aren’t warming the beer with your hands.   I especially like the steins with toppers for outdoor drinking as the toppers help to keep pesky fruit flies and bees out of the beer

The tall slender cylindrical shape of the stange makes it a perfect glass to for Altbiers, pilsners and lambics.  The narrow size allows the drinker to fully admire the clarity of the aforementioned beers.  The height draws out the cascade of bubbles that are lazily making their way to the top.  The narrow opening facilitates a thick head and channels the delicate aromas of the altbiers and pilsners directly to your nose

Chances are you have a couple of these in you cupboard right now and they can make great glasses for beers that have high ABV’s and big flavors. The tapered opening condenses the head and channels the aroma right to your nose.  The large bowl allows you to warm the beer a bit in your hands and the warming releases more aromatics and flavors. The smaller size (still smaller than a pint glass) is an appropriate serving size for big beers.  Probably the least legitimate reason but possibly the most fun is to fill that pretty, pretentious glass with some big, bad, bastardly beer!

This glass is designed specifically to showcase the clarity of pale colored beers specifically lagers.  These glasses are commonly found in two different sizes (8oz and 12oz) but their geometries are similar. The narrow shape of the glass allows the drinker to see through the beer and enjoy the cascade of bubbles lazily drifting up from the bottom of the glass.  If you are looking for a new pilsner glass look for one that has an etching at the bottom.  The etching will increase the amount of bubbles rising from the bottom and all those tiny bubbles will be releasing small amounts of aroma long after the initial pour. The slight taper at the top of the glass is much smaller than the average pint glass and so it can facilitate a dense head if poured correctly.  These glasses are a little thicker than most and this helps to keep lagers at their optimum serving temperatures longer. Pilsner glasses also have a taper towards the bottom which creates a thicker and relatively heavy “foot” for the glass to stand on.  This foot increases the stability of the glass and dresses up its appearance.

Flutes aren’t just for music or champagne anymore.  Flutes are the perfect glasses for the sparkling sour beers from Belgium and wild ales from America. Bottle conditioning and/or wild fermentations often produce beers that are highly carbonated and can pour with champagne clarity and effervescence and exhibit the same bubbly reaction when poured into a tall narrow glass.  These are also perfect sizes as the sour and wild beers can be quite acidic and (you guessed it) sour and larger glasses can be too much flavor for even the geekiest of the beer geeks.

Weizen is the German word for wheat and whenever you see a beer that has weizen in the name you know that wheat is the primary grain used to make the beer.  German versions can have a banana and/or a clove aroma which are produced by the yeast during fermentation. American versions generally use yeast that produces little, if any fruity esters. American versions may have a subtle floral aroma which is derived from the hops used during brewing.

Weizen glasses have similar geometries to pilsner glasses; they are tall slender glasses with a heavy foot for stability.  Unlike the pilsner, a weizen glass bulges out towards the top and tapers in at the opening. For my money, no other glass is a worthy vessel for weizens or other wheat beers.  The glass’s shape showcases the cloudy golden beauty of any wheat beer while their size accommodates the substantial heads wheat beers produce.

Simply put, this glass creates a piece of delicious performance art.

This week I will be discussing “True” specialty glasses.  So far I have been talking in general terms about style appropriate glassware and how they can accentuate the beers that have been poured into them.  On the other hand, “True” specialty glasses are usually specific to one brewery or even one beer.  These glasses come in many different sizes and shapes and are only limited by the imagination of the designer.

Often, specialty  glasses have a unique story behind them.  My first true specialty glass was a Kwak glass, see illustration.  This glass is a perfect example of specialty glasses because of its unique shape and accessory not to mention a great origin story.  I won’t go into the story here but you will be able to find the story with a quick internet search.

Finding the correct beer for these glasses shouldn’t be too hard.  The glasses usually have the appropriate beer or brewery name on them and often they are sold as gift packs that contain the glass and a few beers as well.  As with any glass, you can drink any beer you want to out of these glasses and you may want to as the appropriate beer may be cost prohibitive to drink on a regular basis.

The Snifter is my second favorite glass style. Its elegant shape is comfortable to hold, beautiful to look at and allows BIG beers to warm while you drink them.  This warming facilitates the release of carbon dioxide which carries with it the subtle or not so subtle aromas throughout the drinking session.

Snifters are ideal for glasses for beers that have high alcohol levels as their small size encourages moderation.  Snifters also make wonderful tasters because their small size and large bowl allow small amounts of beer to be agitated easily without spilling.  The agitation releases the aromatics from that small amount of beer which are then captured and corralled by the shape of the glass.  The only thing left to do is stick your nose deep inside the glass and enjoy a condensed aroma.

This week I will be discussing my very first “specialty” glass the goblet, an Orval goblet to be more precise. This is a well made sturdy glass with the Orval Monastery logo of a fish and ring on it.  Ten years ago, I had to special order Orval and have it shipped to me directly from Belgium if I wanted to taste its special blend of sweet, sour and spice.   Nowadays you will be able to find Orval and its matching glass in any self-respecting beer store. If you were going to purchase a goblet, I would recommend this particular glass simply because I have had it for at least ten years and except for the fading logo (I recommend hand washing this glass) it still looks new.

Belgian ales (specifically Abbey or Trappist) are commonly served in goblets because their smaller size, usually 10 or 11 oz, moderates consumption of these bigger or higher ABV beers. Belgian ales are brewed to be consumed warmer than most other styles so don’t worry about that cold beer warming up in your hand while you drink it. The goblet has a nice bowl shape that fits comfortably into the palm of your hand for a reason, to warm it up. So feel free to cup your goblet in your hands while you enjoy your next Abbey or Trappist ale and note how the flavors and aromas change as your beer warms.

I don’t recommend goblets for many other beers simply because of their wide mouth which may be second only to the nonic pint glass in terms of surface area. Only a highly carbonated, full flavored beer will be able to hold any kind of head in that glass.

This week I will be discussing my favorite glass style the tulip. Its elegant yet functional shape will enhance almost any beer and in my opinion, it is as close to the perfect glass as you can get.  I have several of them in my cupboard now and they are used almost exclusively.  The only time I stray from using this glass is if I am enjoying a weissbier (not big enough to hold that enormous wheat head) or a lager (the thin walls allow this beer to warm a too quickly).

Tulip glasses can come in a variety of sizes and have either a wide or narrow “bowl” that sits on top of a stemmed foot. The defining characteristic of a tulip glass is in the top third where the glass gently tapers in and then flares out at the opening.  Without the flare the glass would be called a snifter. The taper helps create a dense head and the flared opening fits the lips nicely. Some tulip glasses even have a small laser etching at the bottom of the bowl which causes a constant stream of bubbles to cascade to the surface. 

Any beer looks beautiful in a tulip but be careful when pouring a bottle conditioned beer into one of these glasses.  The yeast sediment at the bottom of these bottles is easily agitated and will cloud up the beer quickly preventing you from enjoying the crystal clear presentation your beer deserves