The Brewer

Beer Glassware Guide: Why Shape Matters

Beer Glassware: It’s Not Just Looks

You spend 5 hours brewing a beer. You spend 3 weeks fermenting it. You spend $50 on ingredients. Then you pour it into a thick, scratched “Shaker Pint” glass you stole from a dive bar. Stop it.

Glassware is not snobbery; it is physics. The shape of the glass controls the foam, the aroma concentration, and the temperature.

1. The Shaker Pint (The Enemy)

  • Shape: Straight sides, wider at the top.
  • Purpose: It was designed to shake cocktails, not drink beer. It is cheap and stacks easily.
  • Why it’s bad: The wide mouth lets all the aroma escape instantly. Your hand warms the beer.

2. The Tulip

  • Shape: Bulbous body, flares out at the lip.
  • Best For: Strong Ales, Belgians, Saisons, Double IPAs.
  • Physics: The bulb traps aroma. The flare supports the head (foam) and directs the beer to the center of your tongue.

3. The Teku

  • Shape: The “World’s Best Beer Glass”. Angular bowl, thin stem.
  • Best For: Everything, but especially Hazy IPAs and Sours.
  • Physics: The stem keeps your warm hand away from the cold beer. The sharp angle concentrates aroma aggressively.

4. The Weizen Glass

  • Shape: Tall, curvy, bulbous top.
  • Best For: German Wheat Beers (Hefeweizen).
  • Physics: It is huge (0.5L). It is designed to hold the massive, fluffy foam head that wheat beers produce. The curve locks in the banana aroma.

5. The IPA Glass (Spiegelau)

  • Shape: Ribbed bottom, rounded top. Looks like a sex toy.
  • Best For: IPAs.
  • Physics: The ribs at the bottom aerate the beer every time you take a sip, releasing fresh hop aroma continuously.

6. Beer Clean

The best glass is worthless if it’s dirty.

  • The Test: Pour a beer. If bubbles stick to the sides of the glass, it is dirty. Those are nucleation points on dust or old soap.
  • Lacing: As you drink, rings of foam should cling to the glass (“Lacing”). If the foam slides down instantly, there is oil/grease on the glass (or you ate pizza).

Conclusion

Investing in 2 good glasses (a Teku and a Tulip) costs $20. It will upgrade every single beer you drink for the rest of your life.