About Beer Glasses
How many types of beer glasses are there? There are at least eleven, to date. Most beer glassware is literally, glass, but there are ceramic mugs and steins as well. Metal drinking containers are available for a higher price and less common, but most drinking vessels on the market are glass, and seem to be preferred by beer drinkers.
Various styles of glasses are referred to as Pilsner, pint, tulip, bikini, sports, boots, jars and yards. There are even "taster" glasses of about five ounces that are similar to shot glasses. A generic style of beer glass is clear, about eight inches tall, wider at the top than at the base, and about three to four inches across at the top. It holds 12-16 ounces of beer, usually.
Most brewers have glasses with company logos on them. There are professional sports logos, of course, and glasses can be personalized with initials or names for individuals. Many specialized beer containers are made in Germany, of good quality and expensive. Some beer glassware is very difficult to find and can not be sources retail stores of any kinds including chains or big box stores. We stock the best selection of hard to find glassware.
Pilsner glasses tend to be taller and thinner than the standard beer glass and some have stems and feet. Jars are just that and usually have handles. The tops of them are actually threaded for lids to leave no room for doubt. Pint glasses hold about a pint of beer and can be about any beer glass shape. Tulip glasses are narrow at the bottom and bulge out a little, wider at the top.
A boot glass is shaped like a boot and beer is drunk from the top of the boot. A yard glass, which originated in 17th century England, is a yard tall. It is shaped like a softball at the bottom, and gradually goes from narrow right above the ball to wide at the top. Why, you say? There are several theories but some say the yard of ale is associated with English stagecoach drivers from the 1680's.
Beer glasses were not essential until pubs became the communication hubs of their areas and reusable, cleanable drinking vessels were necessary. The mug-shaped ten-sided glass with a handle was the most common beer holder until the 1940's when the dimple mug appeared. Rounded thin-glass shapes became more prevalent in the 1960's and remain so.
Care tips of beer glassware is specific about using only very mild amounts of soap, and then rubbing salt on the inside of the glass to get the soap residue out. Do not put them in the dishwasher. Let them air dry upside down on a drain mat, and if they must be dried right away, use a bar towel. Do not use them for anything else but beer drinking to avoid traces of substances being left on the glass. Clear glasses are recommended in order to see the color of the beer, which is part of the beer-drinking experience. So bottoms up.
Man has, over the centuries, shown great interest in introducing newer concepts and ideas for almost anything under the sun. Socializing and partying are now becoming serious affairs what with strange and new etiquette and codes being developed everyday. After several studies and experiments, things that seemed trivial once upon a time such as the glass in which you have your beer have now evolved into something more serious. People now want to have the maximum out of their beer drinking experience. The German beers, for instance, have their own type of aesthetically designed glass to enjoy drinking the beer to the core. The glasses that are used to serve popular names in the German beer drinking circuit like the Kristallweizen are tall and slender and narrow down towards the bottom. Likewise, the bartender takes pain to ensure that Altbier is served in a straight, short cylindrical glass. Some staunch beer lovers in Berlin enjoy drinking their beer through a straw.
People with a craze for collecting breweriana exhibit a passion for collecting different beer glasses besides mugs and steins. Breweriana buffs collect glasses based on the variety of beers that are on hand in the market. We are sure that some of you love to collect mugs based on their make as to whether they are made by hand or are mould-blown and so on.
Do not, however, be surprised to find your friend having a similar collection as yours the next time you party at his place. This is because the most popular designs of beer glasses and mugs are those that have an enamel finish, acid-etched or are glasses done using diamond-point cutting. It is not surprising to find that many of us have beer glasses that date back to the early and middle of the past century bequeathed to us by our great grandfathers!
As regards the beer mug, an avid collector of beer mugs should know his mug by the handle. The handle of the mug decides the role of a beer mug. A close kinsman to the beer mug is the beer stein. Stein means a stone mug in German and it is more than seven centuries old. It is believed that the stein was first used to cover drinking vessels to prevent contamination. Even beer stein collection is as diversified as the beer itself. There are steins made from many kinds of materials like glass, porcelain, ivory, wood, stoneware, pewter, and silver.
Wheat beer glass, pint glass, snifters, goblets, tulip glass, the dimpled mug (that is native to America), are household names when it comes to breweriana. Similarly, the flute glass is the favorite serving vessel for the Belgian lambics. These glasses definitely find a place in the collections of all avid connoisseurs of beer glasses. Drinking from steins and beer glasses has several benefits than drinking directly from the bottle or the beer can, and this is evident from the rising consciousness of beer ‘etiquette’ among beer drinkers across the world. If you drink beer from a stein or glass, not only does it improve the aroma and taste of the beer, it also enhances and adds on to the entire beer drinking experience. After all it is the aftermath kick we get after drinking that matters most.
You can all refine yourself and prove to be tasteful beer connoisseurs and get the most of out of your beer drinking experience if you follow some of our tips. Remember to use your glass to drink beer only and not anything else lest the residue from other drinks should linger on in the glass and thereby affect the taste and appearance of your next beer. Do take good care to carefully wash your glasses with hot water and avoid using soap for fear of residue. Many of the bars serve beer in frosted glasses. We suggest that you avoid that practice as too much of cooling can ruin your beer’s flavor and numb your taste buds. You are your best judge. Decide for yourself as to what you prefer. Keep in mind the above tips to ensure a happy beer drinking experience.
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