Belgian beer glasses

First and foremost, choose the glass that matches the beer you are pouring. A stemmed tulip, like those used for Duvel and La Chouffe, is intended for strong blond beer: the bowl gives the head room, while the narrow rim keeps the aromas inside. A stemmed chalice, like those used for Leffe, Westmalle, and Orval, is associated with abbey and Trappist beer and is wider, allowing the rich malt aromas to breathe. Hoegaarden's hexagonal, thick-walled glass is the exception: straight and sturdy, it is made for wheat beer, which you pour with the yeast and all.

Then pay attention to the capacity. Most glasses hold 25 or 33 cl, which is the capacity of the bottle, not the maximum fill level. There is therefore always extra room above the line for the head. If you would rather have one shape that suits everything than ten different branded glasses, the broader selection of specialty beer glasses is more practical.

A Belgian beer should be poured with foam, not in spite of but thanks to the head. First rinse the glass with cold water, hold it at an angle, pour gently down the side, and set the glass upright halfway through. With bottle-conditioned beers such as Orval and Westmalle, leave the last centimeter with the yeast sediment in the bottle, unless you specifically want to include that cloudy, bready flavor.

Temperature makes the difference between fizz and flavor. Drink pilsner and wheat beer at five to seven degrees, but tripel, dubbel, and Trappist beers only come to life at eight to twelve degrees. So take the bottle out of the refrigerator fifteen minutes before pouring and pour into a room-temperature glass, because an ice-cold glass works against the head. If you want to serve something stronger alongside it, the kopstoot is the best-known combination: a young genever alongside the beer, both drunk separately and not mixed.

Foam and grease do not get along. A trace of rinse aid, or a tea towel that has been over a greasy pan, makes the head collapse within ten seconds. So wash beer glasses separately from greasy crockery, with a detergent that contains no rinse aid, and rinse afterwards with clean water. Let them drain upside down on a rack rather than drying them.

Almost all brewery glasses are sturdy machine-made glass that can take a knock, but the stemmed chalices stay vulnerable where the stem meets the bowl. Place them upright in the dishwasher, with space between them, on a short programme. Do not store them upside down in the cupboard, because then the full weight rests on the rim and that is where the first chips appear.

If you’re not looking for a branded glass but a neutral shape that can hold all kinds of drinks, take a look at the beer glasses for the full selection, or at the pilsner glasses for straight glasses without a logo. For a larger size on the table, beer mugs are the logical choice, and if you want to give something complete as a gift, the glass sets section is separate. If you’re looking for smaller serving sizes to taste multiple beers side by side, the tasting glasses selection in the menu on the right is more convenient. You’ll find the tools that go with them under bar tools.