Glasses and other containers for drinking beer

Julio Cerezo - Beer Sommelier
Director of Sabeer Beer Academy

The flavour of a beer is influenced not only by the characteristics of the liquid itself but also by factors such as temperature, how it’s been poured, and the vessel in which it’s served.

The shape and material of the glass we use significantly affect our perception of the beer, which is why there are specific glassware designs for each style.

In countries with an established beer culture, such as Belgium, each beer is typically served in a specific glass. This practice, which is still unthinkable for most of our hospitality sector, contrasts with the way sherry, cava, or Rioja are typically served in distinctly different glasses, despite all being ‘wines’.

Some consumers even prefer to drink their beer straight from the bottle, perhaps because it offers a greater sense of freshness without the use of a glass.

Of course, everyone is free to enjoy their beer as they like, but it’s worth noting that drinking this way means missing out on many of the beer’s sensory characteristics. This includes not enjoying its colour and experiencing a reduction in its aroma and flavour.

While there is a wide range of options for choosing the ideal vessel for each type of beer, we can generally group the main styles into the five types below.

5 TYPES OF GLASS

1. Tall, narrow glass or goblet: This is ideal for enjoying pale lagers, where freshness and a lack of complex aromas are key characteristics. While the silhouette is predominantly sleek, it should not be as narrow as the popular 'tubular glass,' which is generally not recommended.
2. Tall glass with curved shape: This is the classic choice for German wheat beers.  Its shape helps create a high, frothy head, both when pouring the beer and as the liquid is tilted for each sip.
3. Pint glass: The origin of this container is more functional than sensory.  Its tapered shape allows for stacking glasses, while its typical ridge prevents slipping due to condensation from the temperature difference between the liquid and the environment. Despite these design features, it’s an ideal glass for a wide range of British styles such as pale ale, porter, stout and even a wide range of IPAs.
4. Tulip cup: This is a wide-mouthed glass of good volume, usually used for tasting top-fermented Belgian beers such as the monastic styles dubbel, tripel and quadrupel. These and other beers with great aromatic intensity and strong alcohol content express their richness of nuances much better in this type of glass than they would in a narrower one. Its tulip shape also nods to the monastic origins of these beers.
5. Snifter glass: Similar to brandy glasses, snifters are suited for beer styles with a higher alcohol content. The rounded shape of the glass allows the liquid to warm slightly with the hands, which is beneficial for beers that are best enjoyed at slightly warmer temperatures.

If you're still unsure about how the choice of glassware affects the aroma and flavour of beer, try a simple home experiment: select a beer with notable aromatic complexity - Leffe Blonde, Grimbergen Double - from your supermarket and pour it into 3 or 4 different glasses you have at home. Smell and taste each one, and you’ll notice how the perception subtly changes from one vessel to another.

Cheers!