Does the Type of Beer Affect the Need for Proper Glassware?

I only drink out of footwear shaped glassware. How else am I going to fit an entire growler in one glass. Non-footwear glassware is too restrictive.

http://www.amazon.com/Liter-Machine-Pressed-Glass-Beer/dp/B001LXUKFA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1349126130&sr=8-4&keywords=Das Boot

 

It's been a while since I've seen one but IIRC, the Smuttynose Big Beer series glass is the same (or very similar) and they call it a balloon glass on their site. I've gone back and forth, sometimes calling it a snifter and sometimes calling a tulip but either way it's a great glass to have. I use it probably more than any other glass because it's so versatile and definitely better than a shaker glass. That being said, with a lot of my go-to daily drinkers I often skip that glass or will just pick any old pint glass or mason jar. No need to get worked up over a beer I've had plenty of times before.

 

For most craft styles I stick to my tulip, and it always comes through, helping to preserve the head and awesome smells.

Beside that one, I have a goblet for most Belgians, a chalice for some double/imperial IPAs, and a snifter for imperial stouts/porters.
For the most part, you'll be fine with a tulip. If you care about bringing out all the features of your beer, especially those white whales, then I would argue proper glassware is the way to go. If you drink easy and don't really care, then don't invest on different styles, just get some nice stemmed pub pints and you'll be good.

 

Love my Trappist in my Chimay and Rochefort Chalice.

 

Most people seem to be missing the point of your question.

I'm not terribly picky with glassware. I find myself being the pickiest with sours. Something about putting a beer like that into a shaker pint rubs me the wrong way. But like most other people have said, it really isn't a big deal. I think I especially emphasize putting sours into proper glassware because they tend to be more expensive, so I feel bad drinking them out of an ordinary pint glass. By the same reasoning I try not to put barleywines into pints either.

 

I am happy using my tulip in any and all occasions.

 

I always try to put Trappists in my Chimay chalice. No exactly sure why.

Snifters are usually for sampling something out, or if I really want to review/taste something.

Hefes ALWAYS go in a weisse glass. Just seems to work well. Its the only glass that can hold all the gigantic head and not cause a mess.

Otherwise its usually a pint glass unless im feeling different.

 

I almost exclusively use my Hill Farmstead glass, which is an 18 ounce wine glass. Love it for every style.

 

Something to keep in mind is that the "proper glass" is not necessarily the best one for the beer. Marketing and tradition trump quality glass in most cases.

As an example, take the chimay chalice; in no way does it help the aromatics and delivery of the beer, but the chalice is a monk tradition, so it's all about marketing that history. Then there'e the chunky Hoegaarden tumbler... probably the worst glass to drink beer out of. Pils, wizen, and many Belgian tulip glasses pretty much get things right, but the quality and thickness of the glass itself can make all the difference as well. The design of the Sam Adams glass is great for hoppy amber lagers, but the construction is cut-rate chinese glass. which holds it back.

The sad truth is that the brewing industry are just mostly pretty clueless when it comes to glassware, and couple that with the use of cheap glass as promotional material given out for free, and you can see why it's only recently that some people in the industry have been really coming around to the concept of superior glass. Then in many cases, beer just isn't viewed as deserving of a glass that truly elevates the flavor and aroma.

Actually, just yesterday I co-hosted a glassware seminar with Riedel/Spiegelau and I got to see 4 beers completely transform right in front of me as they were poured into both a shaker pint and the appropriate Spiegelau glass. Insane differences. Glassare truly matters for every beer, in my opinion. From our blond to our DIPA, the differences were enough for me to almost lose sleep over the fact that most people are probably drinking those beers out of shakers.

 

From. The. Bottle.

 

i made the mistake of doing that once and it just smells like corn. it's just weird. and wrong. but seriously, glassware makes a big difference. the closer you can get to the intended glass, the better, and there's a reason why breweries bother to have glasses made for their own beers rather than just slapping a logo on the side of a pint glass for branding. tulips work fine most of the time but the other part of it that can get overlooked is presentation. i wouldn't want to drink a kolsch in anything but a stange because it just looks nice.

 

I try to use the appropriate glass only because I love to see the marketing and hype of the beer. It draws me in, and I just want to try it in their glass. It's like being the popular kid in school, if your doing what is cool, then that must mean I'm cool.

And I know I'm cool.

But seriously, I do like to use the glassware it says to use.

 

Is it considered "wrong" to drink everything out of a Sam Adams pint glass? I pour everything from Hopslam to Raspberry Tart to BCBS into one of those. As a poor college student, I can hardly afford the beers, let alone fancy glassware...

 

everything should be poured into a snifter. It makes every beer taste better. Trust me, I am a doctor.

 

I use a chalice for dark/strong Belgians and a tulip for everything else...because those are the two I have right now. Some day soon I'll buy more glassware

 

In my experience, I have felt like something was missing if I had, for example, a stout poured into a pint glass. In fact, this happened to me recently with an FBS at a bar. That being said, at home I typically use the same glass for all my beers and they all taste pretty darn good. I don't even know if I've had every style out of the "proper" glass for that style. There are certain styles that, IMO, MUST be poured into a larger-based glass though, such as belgians, imperial stouts, or anything with a big bold aroma.

 

That new Belgian Glass is my favorite. I only have one though. I love the 1/2 750ml mark on there.

Those JK ones look solid too.

And yes, I have eleventy bajillion pint glasses. So many I didn't even unpack all of them. lol

 

Different styles of beers have different strengths. I ceratinly think glassware can improve an experience. However, a world class beer is gonna be world class no matter what you're drinking it out of; and a shitty adjunct lager is still going to be a shitty adjunct lager.

For big imperial sipping beers, I like them in glassware which is generally for sipping -- like a brandy snifter.

For lower ABV beers, I like them out of pint glasses which seem more suited to big gulps.

For IPAs, I like them in pint glasses which accentuate their often stylish appearance and hoppy aroma, and allow big hoppy mouthfulls.

For Belgians, I like wide-mouthed glasses or tulips to accentuate the aroma and general "fanciness" of Belgian beers.

Etc. That said, any of the glassware listed above will still work for any of the beers listed above, but it just adds to the experience. I definitely grab my glassware based on the beer I'm drinking, but it's not some painstaking process I go through, and I'm not going to grab a different beer just because the "usual" glassware is unavailable for some reason.

 

It's kind of an aesthetic experience. For instance, I could probably use a snifter or a tulip instead of a goblet, but what if I haven't used a goblet in a long while? Well, that will make drinking a Quad all the more fun! Sometimes my buying will be influenced by considerations like, "I haven't used my pilsner glass in forever, and I miss the way it looks." Then there are times when I'll drinking everything out of random glasses simply to experiment and think outside of the box.

 

I feel entirely at home drinking ANY barleywine from my Toronado pint glass !!!