Royal Leerdam Beer Specials

You choose the capacity based on the alcohol content and the serving size. The 30 cl glass is meant for heavy beers you drink in small measures, such as a quadrupel or a barley wine. The 40 cl is the standard size for most abbey beers and IPAs, with enough room above the beer for a solid head. The 48 cl gives that head a little more air, and the 68 cl is intended for three-quarter-litre bottles you want to pour out in one go. The stemmed model literally lifts the glass up and keeps the warmth of your hand away from the beer.

Hold the glass at an angle and pour the beer against the side until it is about two thirds full. Then set it upright and pour from a height through the middle, because that drop builds the head. Two to three fingers of foam is what you want: it seals in the aromas and keeps the beer carbonated for longer. Beer is not drunk ice cold but at around eight degrees for a blond and a little warmer for a dark beer. A Kopstoot is served with the beer glass beside a shot glass of jenever, not in it.

Beer Specials is made from tempered soda-lime glass that copes with changing temperatures. Grease is the great enemy here: one fingerprint or a trace of washing-up liquid collapses the head within half a minute. So rinse the glasses well and do not dry them with a tea towel that has been near greasy dishes. Beer glasses are best stored upright and apart from glasses used for spirits.

The full range from this brand can be found under Royal Leerdam. If you search by shape rather than by series, look at the specialty beer glasses, at the wider category of beer glasses or at the beer steins with a handle. The rest of the recipes are on the cocktail pages, and for getting the bowl completely grease-free a glass brush is the handiest tool, because the bristles reach the narrow waist where a sponge gets stuck.