Beer glasses

The rule of thumb is simple: the heavier the beer, the rounder the glass. Pilsner is best from a straight or slightly tapered glass of 19 to 25 cl, because it stays cold to the last sip and the head keeps its shape. For wheat beer, take a thick-walled glass of 25 to 33 cl with a wide opening, so the cloudy beer can build its full head. Tripel, dubbel and quadrupel belong in a rounded goblet on a stem of 33 to 44 cl, where the alcohol and the yeast get room without the beer warming up too quickly.

Pay attention to the base as well. A glass with a stem or foot can be picked up without laying your hand against the beer, and with a trappist that should stay at twelve degrees that saves a few degrees per quarter of an hour. Branded glasses from the brewery itself are designed around that one beer and carry the logo, which shows at a glance what belongs in the glass. Neutral hospitality ranges from Bormioli Rocco or Mammoet are meant to be ordered in quantity and come by the dozen, so a pub or canteen can get by with a handful of shapes. For outdoors, on a terrace or at a festival, the same shapes exist in plastic, which looks like glass from a metre away but does not break between bare feet.

Pouring is half the work. Hold the glass at an angle of about forty-five degrees, pour steadily against the wall and bring the glass upright as soon as it is half full, so the last stream builds the head. A head of two fingers is the norm for pilsner; for specialty beer it may be taller. Foam that collapses straight away almost always means a greasy glass, not a bad beer.

Temperature is the second dial you can turn. Serve pilsner at four to six degrees, blond and wheat beer at six to eight, and heavy trappists at ten to twelve. In a chilled glass, moisture condenses on the inside wall and that breaks the foam, so let the glass drip dry after rinsing rather than putting it in the freezer. If beer keeps being left in the glass at a tasting, use a small tasting glass of 15 to 20 cl instead of half-filling a large one every time. You get through more styles in an evening, and beer also stays at the right temperature longer in a small glass than when it sits waiting in the bottom of a large goblet.

Beer glasses ask for their own treatment, because grease is the enemy here. Traces of washing-up liquid, rinse aid or grease from fingers and from a dishcloth make the head collapse within seconds and leave bubbles clinging to the wall. So wash beer glasses separately from greasy plates and rinse them thoroughly with cold water.

In a hospitality setting, a separate glasswasher without rinse aid is preferable, and at home a brush with a neutral detergent works better than a full dishwasher. Do not dry with a tea towel that has been used on pans, because that puts back exactly the grease you have just removed. Let the glasses drain upside down on a rack instead. Branded glasses with printing or a gold rim are best done by hand, because printing wears away in a machine over time and a gold rim discolours. Rinse a glass you have not used for a while before you pour: dust from the cupboard breaks the head just as well as grease does.

If you already know which beer you are pouring, you can choose more precisely. The goblets and tulips for trappist, IPA and wheat beer are with the specialty beer glasses, and the large sizes with a handle are with the beer steins. For a tasting, the small tasting glasses are handier than a full glass. If you want to serve beer and soft drinks from the same model, take a look at the highball glasses, and if you are after a complete set in one go, the glassware sets are ready for you. For keeping your glasses grease-free, the glass brushes are the tool, and if you move on to stronger work after the beer, you will find the proportions on the cocktail pages or straight away with the kopstoot.