How to pour it
a beer in
Rinse the glass with cold water and do not shake it dry. Grease and soap residue break down the foam, and a wet, cool glass helps the collar adhere better than one straight from the cupboard. Do not dry it with a tea towel, as that leaves fibers and grease behind.
Hold the glass at an angle, about forty-five degrees, and pour the beer against the inside wall just above the middle. This limits the amount of air at first and lets the glass fill gently. Pour in one continuous motion; stopping and starting again creates a coarser collar.
Set the glass upright once it is about two-thirds full and pour the rest into the center of the beer. That last part builds up the foam collar. For a highly carbonated style, such as weizen or tripel, wait briefly for the foam to settle and then top it up.
Skim the collar with a slotted spoon if you want a flat edge, or leave it as it forms. Wipe the outside of the glass so you can pick it up dry, and serve the beer at the temperature appropriate to the style: 4 to 6 degrees for pilsner, 10 to 14 for stout and quadrupel.
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The story
Beer has existed for as long as people have cultivated grain, and its four ingredients have not changed over that time. What did change was control. As long as brewers had to rely on yeast that came from the air, every batch was a gamble. It was not until the nineteenth century that people understood and could control why yeast remains on top in one case and sinks to the bottom in another. From that point on, a brewer could make a clear, golden-blond pilsner that was the same every time. The old method has not disappeared: in the Zenne Valley near Brussels, wild yeasts still do the work, producing lambic and gueuze.
The right glass
The glass is not a minor detail when it comes to beer, because its shape and size determine how the head holds and how much aroma you smell. A tapered model that narrows slightly towards the top, such as the Willi Becher, holds the head and works well for pilsner and specialty beer. A footed tulip gives aroma and foam more room and suits blonde ales, tripels and abbey beers. A tall, slender weizen glass is in our range but is currently unavailable; that is why these two are featured here. All models and sizes can be found under specialty beer glasses and beer mugs.
Arcoroc Willi Becher Beer Glass 33 cl (12 pieces)
Schott Zwiesel Beer Basic Classico Tulip Beer Glass 30 cl with Measurement Mark (4 pieces)
Both sets together € 54,90.
The right tools
For a beer, you need little besides the glass: a bar spoon to stir a beer cocktail gently and a citrus press for the lime that goes into a michelada. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 47,85.
Which spirit goes well with this?
The beer itself takes center stage here; spirits are only what you serve alongside it. The best-known combination is beer with jenever, and the drinks section also features vieux and whisky. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Bottom-fermented beer ferments at a low temperature with yeast that sinks to the bottom: pilsner and bock belong to this group and remain clean and crisp in flavor. Top-fermented beer ferments warmer with yeast that floats to the top, giving it more fruitiness and spiciness: tripel, witbier and stout fall into this group. Spontaneous fermentation is the third method, without added yeast: lambiek and gueuze get their tartness from wild yeasts and bacteria, and gueuze is a blend of young and old lambiek. Want to read more? View all drinks and brands.
Serving tip
Keep to the serving temperature for each style: pilsner 4 to 6 degrees, witbier and weizen 5 to 7, tripel and abbey beer 8 to 12, stout and quadrupel 10 to 14. Beer that is too cold gives off hardly any aroma, while beer that is too warm quickly loses its head. So do not put a strong style in the freezer, and take it out of the fridge fifteen minutes before serving.
Good to know
What the four ingredients do
Water makes up most of the beer, and its hardness affects the flavor. Malt is barley that has been allowed to germinate and then dried or roasted; it provides the starches that are broken down into fermentable sugars, as well as the color and bread-like, caramel, and coffee notes. Hops provide bitterness and aroma and keep the beer stable for longer. Yeast converts the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide and, in the process, creates the flavor compounds that give a style its character.
Bottom-fermented, top-fermented, and spontaneous
Bottom-fermenting yeast works at approximately 8 to 14 degrees and sinks to the bottom after fermentation. This gives pilsner and bock their clean, crisp profile. Top-fermenting yeast works at approximately 15 to 24 degrees and floats on top; it produces more esters and spicy notes, resulting in tripel, witbier, and stout. With spontaneous fermentation, the brewer adds no yeast but lets the wort cool in open vats, where yeasts and bacteria from the surroundings do the work. This is how lambic and gueuze develop.
The styles at a glance
Pilsner is bottom-fermented, clear golden-blond, and roughly 4.5 to 5.5 percent, served at 4 to 6 degrees. Witbier is top-fermented with wheat, cloudy, about 4.5 to 5.5 percent, at 5 to 7 degrees. Weizen is in the same range and is also served at 5 to 7 degrees. Bock is bottom-fermented and dark, roughly 6.5 to 7.5 percent. Tripel is top-fermented and blond, about 8 to 9.5 percent, at 8 to 12 degrees. Stout is dark and dry, roughly 4 to 8 percent, at 10 to 14 degrees. Quadrupel is the strongest, about 10 to 12 percent, also at 10 to 14 degrees. Lambic and gueuze are around 5 percent and sour rather than sweet.
Why the head belongs with it
The head consists of proteins from the malt and substances from the hops that bind to the bubbles. It keeps the aroma above the beer instead of letting it drift into the room, and it forms a layer between the beer and the air, so the flavor develops more slowly. A head that remains standing is also a sign that the glass is clean: on grease and soap residue, the foam immediately collapses.
Which glass for which style
Pilsner belongs in a narrow, straight glass or a shaped model, in the Netherlands in a flute or a vaasje. Tripel, Trappist, and abbey beer are best served in a tulip or a chalice on a stem, as it concentrates the aroma and leaves room for the foam. Weizen belongs in a tall, slender half-liter glass that widens toward the top. Stout and porter go in a nonic, a straight glass with a bulge below the rim. Quadrupel and other strong styles come in a bulb-shaped glass, so the serving remains small and the aroma gathers.
How to store beer
Store bottles upright and in the dark. Upright storage keeps any yeast sediment at the bottom and ensures the crown cap comes into contact with as little beer as possible; darkness prevents light from affecting the hop compounds, which changes the taste. A cool, stable place is better than somewhere that alternates between warm and cold. Light styles such as lager and wheat beer are best consumed fresh, while strong styles such as quadrupel can be aged for years.
Frequently asked questions
What is beer made from?
Water, malt, hops and yeast. Malt is grain, usually barley, that is allowed to germinate and then dried or roasted. Hops provide bitterness and aroma, while yeast converts the sugars in the malt into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Wheat beer and weizen also contain wheat in addition to barley malt.
What is the difference between bottom-fermented and top-fermented beer?
The difference lies in the yeast and the temperature. Bottom-fermenting yeast works in cool conditions, around 8 to 14 degrees, and then settles to the bottom; this gives lager and bock their clean profile. Top-fermenting yeast works at warmer temperatures, around 15 to 24 degrees, and floats on top; it produces more fruity and spicy notes, as in tripel, wheat beer and stout.
At what temperature do you serve beer?
It differs by style. Lager at 4 to 6 degrees, wheat beer and weizen at 5 to 7, tripel and abbey beer at 8 to 12, stout and quadrupel at 10 to 14 degrees. The stronger and darker the style, the less chilled you serve it, because cold masks the aroma.
How much alcohol is in beer?
It varies greatly by style. Lager, wheat beer and weizen are roughly between 4.5 and 5.5 percent, bock around 6.5 to 7.5 percent, tripel about 8 to 9.5 percent, and quadrupel 10 to 12 percent. Stout ranges from about 4 to 8 percent. The percentage is always stated on the label.
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