Monday Rant: How Much Glassware Is Enough?

About a year ago, I stopped collecting empty beer bottles. The stop in which I held my collection was the back of my dresser, which is somewhat old-fashioned hence its length (I don't really know for sure if there's a technical name for this type of dresser, but I'm far from a furniture aficionado). I had a decent amount of room to display the bottles that I had saved over time.

It got to the point that as I tried more and more beers and procured bottles I wanted to keep that room to store said bottles became less and less. I eventually ended up throwing them away to save myself from appearing on a certain show on TLC.

Different glasses help in creating images like this one!

I've came into my next phase of super collecting and that's the phase of being obsessed with different types of beer glassware. I keep finding new ones and lack the actual room to harbor more. I just find it fascinating to have different glasses from different breweries (sometimes regardless if it's a shaker pint or not) along with different styles of glassware. It just makes for a slightly different experience with different beers.

I mean I really love having a few of the glasses that I do. I enjoy finally having found my Hoegaarden hexagonal glass. My Samuel Adams "Perfect Pint" glass is pretty darn close to being perfect for any beer. I have a Belgian Tulip from a Libbey glassware set that I use for pretty much any type of beer. It's always fun. There are also a few more out there I have my eye on like a Hofbrauhaus stein. Now, where to put all of these.

Shaker Pint Removal Picks Up Steam

What I initially feared is starting to pick up a bit of steam. Thoughts that the usual shaker pint glass should be used less when tasting beer are continuing to be spread across the internet. It all started with an article via CraftBeer.com with thoughts from the founders of Russian River Brewing Company pertaining to how a pint glass is probably the worst thing to use for beer tasting.

I've now seen the link on Reddit/Beerit and now Beer Pulse, two big placers to seek important beer information. I've also sparked a small bit of conversation on twitter about the subject as well, but I was in no way endorsing the removal of pint glasses.

A classic, nostalgic look.

I enjoy the presence of pint glasses sometimes. I agree that different types of glassware enhance drinking experiences in different types of beer, but is it really that dramatic of a difference?

If we try to force out the pint glass, will people have their brewery pint glass collections become worthless or will they possibly become worth a bit more? Will it cost your local pubs more to bring in the more of the other types of glassware? There's still something aesthetically pleasing about a perfectly poured beer in a shaker pint. It just looks in good proportion and the top of the glass cradles the head of the beer. In my opinion, it's just very attractive. It's not the best glass out there, but I don't think we need to phase it out in any form.

Monday Rant: Nothin' Wrong With a Pint Glass

There's always been debate among beer drinkers about whether or not the type of glass you drink your beer out of changes the experience of said beer.

It's always been my opinion that the type of glass used to consume a beer only slightly affects the the experience you're going to have. Yes, if you drink a pilsner or a lightly-colored lager out of a tall pilsner glass, the look of the beer is slightly improved. The head is focused towards the crown of the brew and the carbonation is easier to see.

If you use a witbier glass, the aroma of the beer is more easily directed to your nose due to the glass's curves. There's also plenty of room for a foamier head. If you use a Belgian Tulip, it features a longer stem, which is to be held in order to keep your beer cooler for a longer period of time. The list goes on and on.

You can look up as many beer glass posts, articles and reviews as your heart desires, but you should notice that one glass is usually forgotten about: the typical pint glass.

The folk of the craft beer world can go on and on about how much a certain glass improves the experience of drinking beer when paired with the proper style, but from my experience I can only deduct that the actual change in experience is only minimal.

Can the visual aspects of a beer be greatly improved due to the glass it's served in? Sure. Is it going to smell and/or taste completely different if drank out of a different glass? Not really.

Speaking of visual pleasures when it comes to our favorite beers, I don't think there's a glass out there that's more forgotten about, but yet offers the most consistency in terms of visual pleasure. The pint glass is served in most local pubs and features thick, rounded edges at the top of the glass. If you pour a foamy beer into it, the head is comfortably taken care of.

Your final product is a beer with a healthy crown at the top. Very, very visually pleasing. There also isn't any curves or odd shapes to change the direction of the carbonation or aroma either.

I've always been one to experiment and enjoy certain types of beer glassware I have, but sometimes it's just nostalgic to bring out and fill up a traditional pint glass.