Does glassware matter?

Yes, depending on what you're drinking, drinking from a weizen, snifter, thistle glasses, etc... will amplify the aroma much more than your basic pint glass

 

only as far as aroma..doesn't affect taste..

 

I now use my Duvel Tulip for almost every beer I drink

 

When I first started pouring my beers, I used the Fiesta Ware glasses my ex wife had. Once I got a tumbler glass, I noticed things changed a bit (the head formation, etc). When I got my first snifter I was pretty excited and noticed the improved aroma. Now I have tumblers, nonics, flutes, tulips, snifters, globes, weizens, and a goblet. I'm always breaking glasses (just had a tumbler crack on me today), so I've got a decent supply. I buy mine from The Salvation Army - my local store always has good and unique glassware to choose from.

In fact yesterday I brought home six glasses for $2.60. Sure beats buying them new and paying full price.

 

If any of you ever have the opportunity to do a Riedel glass tasting, do it. The attention they have given to wine glass shape and design could easily and effectively be applied to beer glasses. The difference in wine glasses is astounding. Same wine poured into 3 different glasses, yields three different and distinct tastes, so much so it is hard to believe its the same wine. When beer glasses have evolved to that point, it will not be a discussion any longer.

 

If you're drinking a Hefeweizen out of a pint glass, you'e doing it wrong. That's about as powerful a view as I have. I prefer appropriate glassware, but most glasses are at least not detrimental to the taste of the beer. Still, from a technical and traditional standpoint, glassware is pretty important.

 

Hell yea -- especially when it's a thing of beauty from Simon Pearce.....

 

Taste is invariably affected by aroma.

 

My collection just passed 250 plus with only a handful of duplicates. Glassware for me brings me back to the place the beer was first enjoyed and the good times associated with that experience.

 

No. Just drink the goddamn beer.

 

I use different glassware but it doesn't
change the taste of the beer.

 

I think it depends on the beer. I believe it is most important for more aromatic beers. For these, I like to use a snifter.

 

No.

It helps more I'm sure if you believe it matters

 

I'm a firm believer in saying yes to this. Case in point : any stout or imperial stout in a pint glass vs being poured into a Spiegelau glass. The difference is very noticeable in all aspect of sight,smell, and taste.

 

Not really to me, but I'm pretty far from the most discerning beer drinker. Craft beer is all about the experience, and if drinking out of a specific glass enhances your experience, have at it.

 

Yup. Any craft beer will always benefit from being poured into a glass that will pronounce its color, head, carbonization, smell, and, astonishingly, taste. I mean, we review beer on this site based on appearance and smell. I'll drink straight from the bottle and can more often than not, but glasses matter.

P.S. No tumblers (pints) allowed.

 

Yes, despite all the ironic replies insinuating that perceived differences are just part of a beer nerd's imagination. The shape of the glass affects the aroma, and as you have probably heard, your sense of taste and your sense of smell are greatly intertwined. If the shape doesn't matter then just drink your stout out of a dog bowl because it doesn't matter, right?

 

Too true though there is nothing worse than a dinged up pint tumbler that has the rings from being stacked a million times ... nasty I say, no one wants to drink soap or rinse residue plus the loss of carbonation. I prefer my DIPAs in a brand new Bud Light pint tumbler.

 

Well, some women say size matters and some say it's the motion of the ocean.
I think this applies to glassware as well in so far that what works for one person may not for another.
Much like "Does XYZ beer taste better fresh or aged"...only one way to find out.

 

And umami.