Specialty beer glasses

The shape follows the beer. A tulip glass on a stem, with a bowl that narrows toward the top, captures the aromas of a tripel or an IPA and keeps the head in place. A wide goblet does the same for Trappist and dubbel, but provides more room for the heavier malt aromas. A snifter of around 50 cl is intended for barley wine and quadrupel: you only fill it halfway and warm it with your hand. Witbier, on the other hand, goes in a tall, straight 50 cl glass, so the cloudy yeast remains visible. If you want something sturdy and robust for ordinary pilsner, take a look at the pilsner glasses or at the beer mugs.

Allow plenty of capacity. A bottle of specialty beer is 33 cl and must fit with its head, so 40 to 50 cl is the practical minimum. If you work in hospitality, choose glasses with a measurement mark at 25 or 33 cl, as that prevents arguments at the bar. Tempered glass has a reinforced rim and lasts longer in the dishwasher than thin-walled crystal glass.

Rinse the glass with cold water before pouring. A wet glass allows the foam to build evenly and prevents the beer from sticking to the side right away. Hold the glass at an angle first, aim the stream at the side, and straighten it halfway through so you pour the final few centimeters straight. Two fingers of foam is the guideline: that layer retains the carbonation and protects the aromas beneath it.

Temperature matters more than most people think. Pour pilsner at five to seven degrees, but a tripel, Trappist beer, or barley wine only truly opens up at eight to twelve degrees. Too cold, and you mainly taste the carbonation. So take a bottle out of the refrigerator fifteen minutes before pouring. If you want to serve something stronger alongside it, the kopstoot is the classic combination: a jonge jenever served alongside the beer, both drunk separately. For tastings with small pours, see the tasting glasses.

Foam and grease do not mix. A residue of rinse aid, or a dish towel that was previously used on a greasy pan, makes the head collapse within ten seconds. Hence the term beer-clean: wash beer glasses separately from greasy dishes, using a detergent without rinse aid, and rinse them with clean water afterward. Then leave them upside down to drain on a rack instead of drying them.

For the dishwasher, use a short glass cycle and avoid high temperatures. Place glasses separately, because most breakage occurs when their rims knock against each other in the rack. Hospitality glasses with a hardened rim clearly have the advantage here, and you can find them at the hospitality glasses.

If you want the complete picture, all the shapes are grouped together in the beer glasses, from stemmed glasses to wheat beer glasses. If you are specifically looking for a glass from a particular brewery, for example because you want to serve a Duvel or a Leffe in its matching glass, take a look at the Belgian beer glasses, where you will find the original tulip glasses and goblets. And if you are setting up an entire bar, you will find the associated tools at bar tools , from pouring measures to glass brushes.