What does the Cicerone Certification Program say about "proper" glassware?

The Cicerone® program focuses mostly on the following, but the requirements start with the basics for the entry-level Beer Server exam and escalate with the Certified, Advanced and Master levels.

• Selecting the proper size glass based on ABV and style. In most of these cases branded glasses are deemed most appropriate since it is obvious that this 'branded glass' will be best suited for a particular style

• One important consideration is choosing a glass which will accompany the size collar of foam poured. This is critical for very highly carbonated beers such as Weizens and beers such as Duvel. One mistake a lot of beer drinkers make is that they feel the whole bottle needs to fit into the glass...and this is simply not the case.

I use a glass which I feel will best showcase the style no matter the liquid capacity. When filling, I leave enough headspace in the glass to collect volatiles. While consuming I may or may not top the glass up...sometimes I'll finish a glass and pour the remainder. There is really no need to stuff a 16 oz. container into a 16 or 20 oz. glass, it's more a matter of knowing when to stop pouring. Brewmaster George Reisch is famous for saying, "The wine people have known when to stop pouring been for years." and I'm not about to admit that they may be smarter than us.
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• The shape of the glass certainly assists in presentation of beer. It's important to know and understand the historical and cultural traditions which connect certain glasses to differing styles. The Weizen glass has a large bulb at the top to display and show off the pillowy foam while many Trappist brewers love the ornate look of the classic chalice.

Hopefully the info above answers much of your question and I'm sure others will chime in as well.

Other topics pertaining to glassware,

• Proper cleaning procedures for producing a beer-ready glass
• Ensuring glassware is at the right temperature for proper pouring & presentation
• The inherent three reasons that a Belgian glass rinser is used
• Proper pouring of bottles (including those w/ yeast on the bottom)
• Serving draught beer with viaual appeal and the proper release of carbonation

Hope this helps!

 

I am not a Cicerone so my best contributed value here is: paging @RobH.

I am pretty sure that can shaped glasses are not part of the Cicerone training but it should be. Thanks to the inputs by @augiecarton I have ‘learned’ that a can shaped glass is ideal for mildly hopped beers like my homebrewed English Bitter Ale.

It is also a fine glass to drink Gose beers!!

@Sixpoint

Cheers!

 

American ambers are supposed to be poured into shaker pints

 

My cicerone training was mostly focused on it being a beer ready(cleaned and sanitized, chilled not frozen) glass. Although from my studies and personal experience a chalice is the perfect all around glass that works with every style. The glassware tab on this site is a really good reference but I would be surprised if anyone had that kind of variety in their glassware cabinet

 

I think MNAle's list perfectly illustrates the quoted point by IceAce. "Proper" can mean different things to different people. Some would define it as the glass that provides the most physically advantageous experience, and others would look at it from a cultural perspective. Not saying that the two are mutually exclusive.

 

I essentially echo what IceAce wrote above.

My personal belief is that the can shaped glass offers more of a "hey, cool, look at that -- the glass is shaped just like a can" factor than any actual function for enhancing the aroma and flavor of the beer. I agree it's a functional glass for English Bitter and Gose style beers. That said, there are other glass shapes that would do a better job showcasing the unique aroma(s) of a well crafted Gose.

 

Rob have you conducted a side-by-side tasting of Bitter Ale with one served in a can shaped glass and the other in a Nonic Pint glass (or your preferred English Ale glass)? If not I would encourage you to do so.

Cheers!

Jack

Edit: a photograph of Jack's Bitter Ale for 'motivation':

 

Now that I have some of Jack's (your) beer, I can do such a comparison! :-)

 

Are you new here? I have no doubt we've got upper-level beer nerds with every style glass in their cabinets.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/show-off-your-cool-glassware.31909/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/best-glassware-for-16oz-pours.413222/

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/luigi-bormioli-beer-glasses.410759/#post-4761064

And that's just a sample. There are plenty of other glassware threads.

 

Good point, there probably are a few lol I can't imagine storing the proper glassware for every beer style I drink. I would need more cabinets!

 

I've somehow managed to collect probably around 60 glasses at this point. I bet no more than 15-20 are shaker pints as well. There are a few duplicates, but not many. I haven't actually bought that many outright. At least half came from glasses when attending events (This includes almost all of the shaker pints).

 

That's awesome! If I had cabinet space I would make an attempt at collecting several styles but I just stick to the chalice