Does glassware make a difference when drinking craft beer?

I was trying to see if I could make it out, too, but no luck. That was just the photo on the Wikipedia page that I used.

These pictures sure are making me thirsty, btw

 

Same thing, just that the loaded-up Kranz TongoRad posted has glasses crammed into the space(s) between the handle and the holes. Yum...

 

I agree. The tulip for beers that I want to smell and sip. I would add the tall wheat beer glass and a pilsner glass, for head and to watch bubbles.

 

When I first got into craft beer drinking I started buying up any pint glass I could get my hands on. Whether it was from a brewery I visited or something as stupid as Red Robin.
Now I'm at the point where I only drink from fancier glasses (tulip, goblet, snifter, Duvel, Teku, etc). So yes glassware makes a difference to me.
But I'm curious. People who are using these types of glassware, do you still use standard pint glasses at all and if so when?

 

You aren't getting all of the flavor when drinking from a bottle.

 

i think so I use a wide mouth goblet for every beer I drink at home

 

I use this as my catch all glass. IPAs are dramatically tastier in this glass. no lie.

 

I think it does but a lot of it depends on personal preference and what experience your looking to get from drinking. As many people have pointed out, I think the tulip is a universal glass because creates a nice head for beers from Belgians to IPAs. The biggest key is ensuring you get a good pour and head to release the all of the aromas. I have a tulip, snifter and shaker pint and they all work for me. Even though the shaker pint was never actually intended for beer it sill gets the job done. I actually saw the Spiegelau IPA glasses in the store today but I couldn't quite come to terms on spending $25 for two glasses but I am sure I will get them at some point.

 

In georgia all breweries give you a free glass, on special occasions they make different ones like an IPA, tulip, snifter etc... Anyways I figured since I have free glasses I mine as well use them. Since then I am very picky about what type of glass I use. With the exception of certain canned beers like hop drop n roll, heady topper and any other beers that I have decided taste better out of the can.

 

How would a blind taste test be possible anyway? You could easily tell the difference in most cases, say tulip vs pint glass.
I agree though; getting the style-specific glasses is part of the fun of the hobby.

 

OOOOOHH OOOOOH STEP ASIDE GUYS I GOT THIS ONE ... YES
but seriously though, as michael jackson once said (paraphasing) beer is not meant to be had in the bottle. I would say that it matters the most for smell and appearance, so maybe the answer is if you care about those things then yes, I would argue that they are absolutely integral to the experience of having a truly excellent beer and thus the glass is as well, I will say in some instances the glass is a matter of preference (for example I prefer my ipa's and dipa's in a snifter because they look better to me that way) so the short answer is YES, and the long answer is YEEEEEEEESSSSSSS

 

Presentation is to me as important to a good beer as to a good meal, but all in all i suppose that is up to you, and really it is just a matter of preference. After all it is your beer and you have no responsibility to anyone but yourself to decide a specific way to enjoy it. So try it and see if it matters to you, I personally believe that the best beer glass one could possibly own would be a duvel glass but that's just me. It's a very versatile piece of glassware

 

This one comes up a lot... My personal opinion and experience is that it does NOT matter. There definitely is a difference between drinking out of the bottle and drinking from a glass, when you pour it into the glass it releases the carbonation and allows the aromas to develop - and I prefer my beer less carbonated. Having said that I do very occasionally drink out of the bottle, but it has more to with where I am - at a picnic for example or at a dive redneck bar where asking for a glass could get one beat up.

My favorite glass is a simple tulip pint that Walmart sells for a buck each. My favorite pub serves up my Southern Tier IPA in a standard shaker pint... and I'm perfectly OK with that... except for the Budweiser logo on it...

 

I agree with you on the Teku. Since they're all the rage now, breweries are selling them top dollar. Screw that, they might look "cool", I'll just stick with a standard wine glass to enjoy my beer sessions.

 

The Goblet/Chalice.... It works every time.



This is my goto when I want to review or drink a new beer. The etched Chimay logo sends the carbonation bubbles to the top center of the glass. Which in turns brings an aromatic bouquet to your face. The Belgians know what they're doing, I'll stick to this. Yet temperature of the beer also is a contributor to the overall enjoyment factor. Fridge cold beer will have less aromatics than a beer served at 55 - 60 degrees.

 

I absolutely agree with the temperature thing. "Ice cold" craft beer is my number one pet beer peeve! I can nurse a craft beer right up to room temperature.

 

I did an experiment a few years ago with Two Schlafly T-IPAs. I had one that I took out the fridge and sat it down for about 35 minutes. Then grab another T-IPA fresh from the fridge. Popped them open, poured into seperate glasses. The warmer T-IPA was more flavorful and smelled better than the one fresh from the fridge. So I now drink all my beers slightly below room temp now.

 

There is a reason why there are so many different glasses being used in the pictures of WBAYDN. Like cars, jeans, and houses...individual tastes with an added bonus of true functionality.

 

Looks like you got yer answer, eh? lol

And BTW, Libbey sells a nice sampler for $20 through Amazon - linked here.


Cheers

 

Also I will make one last point...

You drinking that Black Tuesday straight out of the bottle ??