As I’ve mentioned over the years, I’m not overly fussy about my glassware for beer.
Don’t get me wrong: The choice of the right glassware can certainly enhance certain types of beer. And whenever I can, I try to use the glassware that is made for a specific style. I just refuse to be priggish about it. In the end, a good beer isn’t going to be ruined by the wrong type of glassware.
But after receiving a gift of a proper Guinness imperial pint glass from one of my favorite pubs (Tig Coili) in Galway, Ireland, I had occasion to reshuffle my four shelves of beer glassware, and I was appreciating some of them quite a bit. (The glass I received was the old-school Guinness pint glass, a style which has been largely phased out in the U.S. and can usually only be procured by pubs in Ireland.)
This reshuffling activity inspired me to write this column, which is about my six favorite beer glasses. I own more but wanted to feature the ones I find most useful. (Even though it is clearly beloved, my new Guinness glass was not included here.)
In no particular order, here are my six go-to beer glasses.
Mug – I don’t use this one often, but with its thick glass walls and easy-to -grip handle, my mug (an old-timer from Young’s & Co.) I’ve maybe had this longer than most of my current collection due to occasional breakage during my many moves in my adult life. It’s great for most conventional ales and lagers, but has also seen a stout or Scottish ale at various points of its lengthy career. It keeps cold beer colder by keeping your hands off the glass itself. It also makes one feel like a pirate or Viking while quaffing from it.
Snifter – I have several of these, but my favorite is one I got from the Northampton Brewery during its 25th anniversary celebration years ago. It has a little bit of a tulip rim to it, which I like, but the overall upward and inward taper of the glass’ shape still channels the brew’s aromatic volatiles right to your nose. This glass is perfect for IPAs with a lot of aromatic hops and many types of Belgian beers. I call it a “wine lover’s glass” because you can swirl your beer around in it like wine and cognac aficionados are prone to doing.
Pilsner – I also got this one for the Northampton Brewery’s 25th celebration. (I collected all the glasses they had made for the anniversary.) I love a good pilsner glass because of its sleek, tall design, which showcases to effervescence of highly carbonated brews. It’s designed for light, refreshing beer, and its design only helps reinforce that. You can use it for hefeweizens, but I don’t because I love my …
Weizen glass – I can blow hot and cold on wheat beers, but a good weizenbock and the occasional hefeweizen deserves to have their own vessels that can highlight what they bring to the table. While pilsner glasses are slender and narrow with only a slight and evenly expanding taper toward the mouth of glass, weizen glasses are as curvy as a 1940s pinup starlet, usually holding more volume and the ability to maintain the frothy heads that are a signature of weizens. My favorite version of this glass style came from the much-missed Sierra Grille.
Tulip – This is actually a fairly new addition to my glassware family. I have several snifters and would just use one of those for the beers that tulips are made for, which are similar: Belgian ales, double IPAs and other aromatic brews. But when I visited Couch Dog Brewing in Salem, I was taken with the beauty of the glass and bought one. And to be fair, the tulip does offer some differences from the snifter, particularly the stem, which keeps the hand’s warmth from the bowl (if that is called for). Mainly, I liked it for its gorgeous design (which also features a dog etched into the glass).
Nonic pint glass – Last, but certainly not least is the glass I probably use most: the good ol’ nonic. Like most beer fans, I have my share of standard American pint glasses emblazoned with brewery logos, but for me, the little bump near the top of the nonic makes me happy. It makes me feel like I’m in an old British pub. I have several of these but my favorite is from that great British brewery, Fuller’s.
What are your favorite pieces of glassware that you own? Reach me at geolenker@yahoo.com
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