Glassware

[Andrewr05]

Hello I am Andrewr05, I am new to this forum but not new to forums in general.
:)

Over the past year I have started to see the light, I used to drink beer to get drunk expecting to just about pass out every night.
(Lets just put it this way... I used to drink a lot of Natural Ice which I now call Natural Piss, I've actually started to drink beer)

I enjoy good beers now and normal American style lagers pretty much make me want to vomit at this point.


So anyways to my question, I'm trying a lot of new beers and I would love to have a glassware set specifically for different beers.

I found this set:
Essential Beer Glass Set (http://store.beerheads.com/merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=bh&Product_Code=ess_glass&Category_Code=specials)

Would that be adequate for the majority of the beers I am likely to come across.

I mean I don't really need fancy glassware at all but if I am going to be more serious about beer I might as well enjoy it properly eh?

[beerking]

That is a nice set, at a good price, but you don't need all those glasses.
Glass 1 is a good wheat beer glass, and you could also use it for some darker lagers, like Bocks.
Glass 2 is a traditional pilsner glass. Not really necessary to enjoy a good pils, but nice to have sometimes.
Glass 3 is the traditional pub glass good for low gravity ales, esp bitters and milds (pale ales too). That said, it is traditional, but not great.
Glass 4 is essential! This (or a good wine glass, like a Burgundy) is the glass to use for most Belgians, and all Barleywines.
Glass 5 is worthless, except for sentimental value. It used to be traditional in the British Pubs, but they have largely gone away from it. It may look traditional, but it really does nothing for your beer. Notice that the guide they reference leaves this glass out.
Glass 6 is a nice alternative to glass 4, but not essential. You could also use it for dark strong lagers too.
Speaking of the guide there, the Belgian Goblet they talk of is nice, although not essential. It does work great for Abbey beers.

IMHO, you only really need 2 glasses to properly enjoy all or most beers: a relatively straight sided glass for most lower to medium strength beers. I like this one:
http://www.shop.beerneonsignstore.com/product.sc;jsessionid=46DD1FB4BB8DE720DF25FD5CD396 6EC1.qscstrfrnt04?productId=77

Your second would be a good burgundy glass for stronger beers and most Belgians. You can probably get a good one at your local import store (Pier 1, World Market, etc).

After that, if you have a few extra bucks, grab a wheat beer glass.

Don't forget, most breweries and beer fests sell glassware, sometimes quite nice stuff. The Belgian Brewing tulip is very nice. They are often priced fairly cheap, and sometimes they are given away at tastings or beer dinners. The local multi-tap where I live has "Steal the glass" night every Tuesday. They announce the particular glass they are giving away ahead of time.

If you want a FULL set, and don't mind spending the cash, you can find a full listing of beer glasses here:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/glassware

[beerking]

OBTW, welcome to the world of Real Beer and welcome to the board. I think you will find this is one of the friendliest boards an the net. I know most of us have.
There are a lot of folks here who are a font of great beer knowledge, esp. if you want to get into making your own. Noob questions are always welcomed kindly, and never ridiculed, and we as a community pretty much don't tolerate flaming or other verbal attacks.
Enjoy!

[markaberrant]

I pretty much use these the most:

12oz Unibroue tulip, or 750ml snifter - great for high gravity ales, sours, belgians, etc.
16oz and 20oz pint glass - great for session ale.

I occassionally use these:

22oz hefeweizen glass - great size for pouring a nice big fluffy head on a wheat beer
12oz and 20oz pilsner glass - good for all lagers
28oz and 30oz glass, and 32oz Pschorr Brau mug - great for pouring a big ass single serving of something quaffable.

All my other glasses rarely get used, in fact I plan on downsizing substantially when we move into our new house. I'm not crazy about goblets, steins or the Sam Adams glass.

You should also have lots of good sample-size glasses around, they are essential for sharing beers with a group. I have some assorted, 50+ year old, 8oz branded glassware from germany that serves this purpose well, along with a few 4oz tasters.

[Windigstadt]

Would that be adequate for the majority of the beers I am likely to come across.

I mean I don't really need fancy glassware at all but if I am going to be more serious about beer I might as well enjoy it properly eh?

I guess part of it depends on your tastes as well. Personally, I'm into German beers and the three types of glasses I use the most are handled mugs, Weizen glasses and pint glasses. If you don't drink lagers or Hefeweizens, the mugs and Weizen glasses aren't really that necessary, but I drink them all the time. Conversely, I rarely drink high-ABV beers or Belgians (relatively speaking, that is) so my goblets don't get busted out too often, especially in the warm months. But that reflects my drinking habits. Personally, I would argue that the best all-purpose glass may be the Sam Adams pint glasses, and after that you can just kind of pick up glasses as you come across them.

That being said, I like to compare glassware to stereo systems... they can certainly enhance your overall experience, but just as you can still appreciate the Beatles on your crappy computer speakers, you'll enjoy a good beer out of a standard pint glass. And just as a $10,000 stereo system can't make Kevin Federline sound good, a crappy beer in the proper glassware still sucks.

[Andrewr05]

Please delete my double post.

[Andrewr05]

That is a nice set, at a good price, but you don't need all those glasses.I figured as much, I would just like to have them as a display piece as well as on occasion being able to bust the perfect glass for a specific type of beer.
:)

IMHO, you only really need 2 glasses to properly enjoy all or most beers: a relatively straight sided glass for most lower to medium strength beers.

Your second would be a good burgundy glass for stronger beers and most Belgians.I'll look into those

If you want a FULL set, and don't mind spending the cash, you can find a full listing of beer glasses here:
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/101/glasswareYeah I saw that list and I actually went onto Crateandbarrel.com (http://www.crateandbarrel.com) and picked out a few.

OBTW, welcome to the world of Real Beer and welcome to the board.Thanks!

I pretty much use these the most:

12oz Unibroue tulip, or 750ml snifter - great for high gravity ales, sours, belgians, etc.
16oz and 20oz pint glass - great for session ale.I'm definitely gonna pick up a tulip shaped glass.

28oz and 30oz glass, and 32oz Pschorr Brau mug - great for pouring a big ass single serving of something quaffable.haha.
You gotta have a large mug in your collection I suppose...


I like to compare glassware to stereo systems... they can certainly enhance your overall experience, but just as you can still appreciate the Beatles on your crappy computer speakers, you'll enjoy a good beer out of a standard pint glass. And just as a $10,000 stereo system can't make Kevin Federline sound good, a crappy beer in the proper glassware still sucks.I completely agree, I pretty much have given up on any American lagers as they're to beer as what Federline is to music.

If I have to drink beer from a can though it would be some sort of Molson.


I guess part of it depends on your tastes as well. Personally, I'm into German beers and the three types of glasses I use the most are handled mugs, Weizen glasses and pint glasses. If you don't drink lagers or Hefeweizens, the mugs and Weizen glasses aren't really that necessary, but I drink them all the time. Conversely, I rarely drink high-ABV beers or Belgians (relatively speaking, that is) so my goblets don't get busted out too often, especially in the warm months. But that reflects my drinking habits. Personally, I would argue that the best all-purpose glass may be the Sam Adams pint glasses, and after that you can just kind of pick up glasses as you come across them.Yeah, as of right now I'm trying out new things here and there.

I haven't really found out tastes yet.


For instance I tried a Ommegang Abey Ale the other day...
Not really my cup 'o tea err... beer...

Here are some pics (http://img269.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=beer5.jpg)

Yes that is a rose colored glass if you are wondering...
:p


Can some one go onto Crate&Barrel (crateandbarrel.com) and find me 4-5 good glasses for under ~$40?

I had some picked out but I don't really know what sizes to buy and what glasses I would really need.

There are so many different styles, volumes and shapes its hard to pick any...

Thanks in adavance,
Andrew Robinson

[skahtboi]

I have found this glass (http://www.ibabuzz.com/bottomsup/2008/05/20/a-detailed-look-at-the-sam-adams-beer-glass/) to be a nice addition to my glassware. I use it more than I thought I would when I first purchased it.

[beerking]

If I have to drink beer from a can though it would be some sort of Molson.

There are more good craft beers being put in cans every day. Fat Tire from New Belgium is now in cans. Oskar Blues probably pioneered canned craft beer, and you can get the hoppy Oskar Blues Pale Ale, the malty scotch ale Old Chub and the Imperial IPA Gordon from them in cans.

Can some one go onto Crate&Barrel (crateandbarrel.com) and find me 4-5 good glasses for under ~$40?

I had some picked out but I don't really know what sizes to buy and what glasses I would really need.

There are so many different styles, volumes and shapes its hard to pick any...

Thanks in adavance,
Andrew Robinson

Here is my shot (Generally , you want 14-16 oz. Most beers are sold in 12 oz containers, and you need room for the head. You will probably not want to put a full 22 0z or 750 ml in one glass, so that size will work for them too):
1. You gotta have a goblet: $6.95 (I don't like the green tint, but it is the only goblet they have.)
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=130&f=33550&q=glassware&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
1. b. This may be a good alternate to the goblet if you don't like the green tint: $4.95
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=130&f=6588&q=glassware&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
2. This will make a good general purpose glass, if you don't want to do the Sam Adams glass. (I am with skahtboi on this glass. I got 2 for free, and thought it would be cool. They have become my regular beer glass, and I have a set of 20): $3.95
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=160&f=34371&q=glassware&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
3. You need a snifter. This one is a little small, but would work very well. You just have to do 2-3 pours: $6.95
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=174&f=818&q=glassware&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
3. b. This is a better snifter, but a little more expensive: $10.95
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=174&f=634&q=glassware&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
4. This looks like a pretty nice pilsner glass: $8.95
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=160&f=14025&q=glassware&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1
5. Don't forget the tasters for when you are share several rare beers with friends. At this price, grab 4-6, depending on how many you think might join you.: $2.95
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=160&f=26644&q=glassware&fromLocation=Search&DIMID=400001&SearchPage=1

That's $42.60, if you get the more expensive snifter, and 4 tasting glasses.

That site does not have any weizen glasses. If you like wheat beers, you need one of them. You could drop the pilsner in favor of a weizen, as I feel the pilsner is just "nice to have" and you could use my recommendation #2 instead. This is a good weizen glass, at a great price:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Wheat-Beer-Glass,-23oz-%28680mL%29---Exquisite!_W0QQitemZ150337893091QQcmdZViewItem

[corkybstewart]

My wife and I are both fairly anal about our glassware. She has about 8 different sets of wine glasses for the wines she likes, but that keeps her from criticizing my extensive beer glass collection.
I use a goblet for most of my Belgian beers, Weizens for most of my German beers and standard 14 oz "pints" for my UK style beers. If I'm outside and it's buggy, I have some cheap German lidded krugs I use.
I do have one weakness-Trappist beers. When I drink a Trappist I use the glass specific to the beer, except I have no Rochefort glasses so I use my Westmalle.

[cul8rv8]

I can't find it now, but I actually made a spreadsheet based on the glassware page at Beer Advocate. Basically I took each style of beer listed down the left side, and each type of glass along the top. Then based off that I went through and purchased the glasses that covered the most styles. As I got down the line, I basically have every style covered that I see myself making or drinking. I have 2 of each: tulip, snifter, mug, pint, weizen, and pilsner. Then I have my Hofbrauhaus liter mug for situations requiring fewer trips to the keg (i.e. Saturday game days).

Most of the glasses I got at Cost Plus World Market, but I actually found the tulip glasses at my local dollar store. :) They were cheap, but there is nothing wrong with the glasses, and the beer we got drink pretty good out of 'em. :)

[Trashman]

http://www.realbeer.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=18919
I had posted this awhile ago, in the first picture the two with balloons and some recently acquired pub glasses see the most use in my house.

[Vienna Lager]

Normally, I use a 16 oz. 'pint glass' but on occasion will use a stemmed Pilsner glass to showcase a beer. Also have a small brandy snifter of about 4 oz. capacity that is great for beer tasting. I have a plethora of other glassware to include German steins, flutes, tulips, and balloon/bolla wine glasses at my disposal but seem to gravitate to the three I originally mentioned.

[Andrewr05]

After some thought I'm not even going to bother ordering glassware off of the internet, I'm just going to hit up some local stores and see what I can find...

[corkybstewart]

Try antique stores, garage sales, etc. There's no telling what you can find,

[wortchillergoal]

I have recently found that the free Coke glasses from McDonalds to be a nice glass for beer.

http://livinginsingaporetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/charcoalcokeglass.jpg

[Andrewr05]

I have recently found that the free Coke glasses from McDonalds to be a nice glass for beer.

http://livinginsingaporetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/charcoalcokeglass.jpgI'll have to try those, I have 5 or 6 here.

I won't be putting them on my beer display shelf though...
:p

[Andrewr05]

I bought a Ommegang Rare Vos today, it was pretty decent.
My not so great beer shelf (http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/2125/beerz.jpg)
(That not all the beers that I've drunk, just the ones over the past 2 months that I've kept.)
I bought a decent sized wine glass today too.

[Andrewr05]

Bought the 10th anniversary Ommegang set today, came with a nice glass.


Pretty decent set, the chocolate stout was surprisingly good...

[MDRex]

Here is a pic of a small portion of my glasses. Also have the Sam Adams glass, pint & pub glasses, masskrugs, red and white wine, snifters, port, single malt scotch and few other types of liquor glasses. Have collected them over the years and just like different styles of glasses, they just look cool.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1599639&l=0825607f81&id=1352897768

[barleyburps]

For all my adult life I've drank from glass mugs and glasses, never minding an occasional broken mishap. It seems though over the past year, I've broken more than I have in most of the previous years put together. . . so I've switched to pewter and stainless mugs. . . .and of course haven't dropped one yet.

You may want to invest in a couple of metal tankards just for longevity's sake.

[Mikegobrew]

For all my adult life I've drank from glass mugs and glasses, never minding an occasional broken mishap. It seems though over the past year, I've broken more than I have in most of the previous years put together. . . so I've switched to pewter and stainless mugs. . . .and of course haven't dropped one yet.

You may want to invest in a couple of metal tankards just for longevity's sake.

I've seen the metal ones before but always figured they'd have a metallic taste?

[barleyburps]

I have noticed no tastes from the metal