Kiki Ljung
Why is the American bar pint, known as the shaker pint, the most common beer glass? It’s not because it does anything to enhance the beer’s flavor. The shaker pint wasn’t intended to even be a beer glass. It’s become commonplace because it’s durable, stackable, easy to wash, and it’s cheap.
But purists avoid them. “I won’t serve beer in one of those,” says Bill Rogers, owner of Madison’s Malt House Tavern, a local craft beer haven. “We only have six of them and we use them as water glasses.”
Rogers is serious about what glassware can do to enhance beer. He strives to match not only the style of beer but the brewery with specific glasses. The Malt House uses so many different glass styles he stores most in the tavern’s basement, calling them up as he rotates his taps of American and imported beers.
Glassware is important. Through the glass, the drinker sees the color of the beer. The shape of the glass encourages aromas to concentrate or dissipate — that can change what the drinker tastes. Other factors are at play: the thickness of the glass and where the hand rests when it’s filled affects how fast the beer warms. That too can bring out different flavors.
English (nonic) pint
This glass is wide at the top, but it features a bulge about one-third of the way down from the lip to give the drinker something to hang on to. That bulge can help support a frothy or soft creamy head in some styles. However, like the shaker pint, the nonic doesn’t do much for the beer. Often used to serve British milds and bitters, nut browns, pale ales, porters and stouts.
Goblet, schooner, large chalice
These three all feature a wide mouth. That means lots of surface area for the beer, the better to expose aroma. The bowl holds a lot of beer and stands atop a sturdy foot. Some of these may have a very slight inward taper, which helps maintain foam. Often the glass is thick, which keeps the beer cool. These are best for beers with bold flavors, and they encourage hearty sips. Smaller versions shaped like goblets are wise options for stronger beers. You’ll find strong Belgian ales like dubbels, tripels and quadrupels in these glasses.
Mug and stein
There are several different types and sizes of mugs and steins (for example English dimpled or barrel mugs, paneled, tankards, German seidels, etc.). Mugs have wide mouths, large handles, and are often made of thick glass that insulates the beer. Bonus: They make hearty clinking sounds when toasting and celebrating. These work great with more sessionable beers like mild ales and Oktoberfests.
Tulip
This shapely stemmed glass has a distinctive outward curl of the lip, which opens up the head of a beer and allows aromas to expand under the nose. Short Belgian tulip glasses are often confused with snifters — however it’s the outward taper of the lip that makes a tulip different. (Snifters are narrow at the top.) Tulips benefit saisons, strong Belgian ales and assertively aromatic fruit-based beers.
Snifter
Made popular by brandy and dark spirit drinkers, this spherical glass with an inward angle to the top focuses the aromas directly to the nose. Its short stem allows for cradling the glass to swirl the beer, which helps release its aromatics. Snifters benefit barleywines, imperial stouts, winter warmers, barrel-aged and uniquely hopped beers — basically anything you want to smell, and strong beers that need to be sipped.
Willi Becher
If you are going to own just one kind of beer glass, this is the best all-around. From the bottom up, it tapers slightly outward then angles back inward at the upper one-third of the glass, which helps hold the head and subtly focus aromas. It is slightly taller but narrower than shaker and nonic pints. It’s great for displaying the beer’s body and color. Choose it for IPAs, pale ales, golden-to-amber ales and malty lagers.
Stange (also called a stick)
Straight-sided, slender, glass that will hold 6 to 7 ounces of beer. Clean and delicate. Look for its use with highly carbonated and sessionable beers, kölsches and altbiers.
Wine glasses, champagne flutes and small chalices
They do double-duty. They are best for colorful, effervescent beers with delicate aromas and flavors like fruity lambics and brut IPAs.
Thistle
The glass has a short foot with a large bowl and then a tall, outward-angled body. It’s intended to resemble the shape of a thistle flower, the national flower of Scotland. Every craft beer drinker needs one of these — you may not use it very often, but it looks really cool on a shelf. Yes, this is for your Scottish ales.
Sample glasses
For tastings and flights, whiskey and spirit-tasting glasses are ideal. They usually hold around 4-5 ounces and their long narrow neck allows the aromas to gather and meld as they reach the nose.
Teku glass
The Teku resembles a long-stemmed wine glass. The main body is large with an inward angle that flares outward at the top, allowing aromas to expand. The tall stem keeps the drinker’s hands away from the beer and allows the liquid to stay cold longer. While many styles benefit from this glass, the Teku has become the preferred glass of sour beer and lambic drinkers. It was originally developed for the Baladin Brewery of Italy.
Spiegelau IPA glass
A trendy, new style of glass that’s lightweight, the Spiegelau features very clear glass, perfect for colorful beers. It has a ribbed foot, rounded upper body, and subtle inward taper at the top designed with hops in mind to gently focus aroma. Spiegelau is a German glass manufacturer that initially designed this glass for Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada brewing companies. They’re great for IPAs and pale ales, especially New England styles.
Pilsner
These narrow, tall, clear glasses call attention to effervescent lagers. The common American tavern pilsner glass is angled slightly outward near the top. European versions may be straighter from top to bottom, or with a subtle inward curvature near the lip, to hold the head of some lighter pilsners. Pilsners also range from heavy-footed to stemmed. As the name suggests, you’ll find pilsners served in these, but also Vienna lagers, bocks, maibocks and schwarzbiers.
Weizen
Tall, with a gentle, sloping curvature and an inward angle at the top for holding the bubbly, thick head of the German hefeweizen. This one’s often confused with the pilsner glass, but it is taller, with a wider upper body. Weissebier, hefeweizens, dunkelweizens and Belgian wits go well in a weizen.
