Beer bottle. Plastic cup. Giant bucket. There are many ways to drink a beer, but if you use the right glass, it’s gonna taste better. That’s because proper glassware determines a beer’s head retention and presentation, which in large part reveals the beer’s aroma. Since about 75% of perceived taste comes from smell, the head presentation, and therefore the glass, is crucial.
The most common type of beer glass. The slight taper and wide-mouth make it a great choice for session-able beers that are smooth and easy to throw back.
Examples:
Karl Strauss Amber Lager
Oktoberfest
This glass, with its tall and slender inverted cone shape, showcases the beer’s color and allows for maximum headspace to contain the fluffy heads associated with Pilsners.
Examples:
Woodie Gold
Minden Maibock
Windansea Wheat Hefeweizen
A stemmed, tulip-shaped glass - the body of the glass is rounded and the top of the glass pushes out a bit to form a lip. This lip captures the head, while the rounded body captures the volatile aromatics.
Examples:
Double IPA
Saison
Scotch Ale
Beer of choice in one hand, proper glassware in the other, the next step is to pour it. But wait. Simple as that sounds, the way a beer enters the glass has an impact on how its aromas and flavors are revealed.
How to pour a beer...
- Make sure the glass is clean. Dust, grime and oils can interfere with the flavor of a beer, and can also disrupt carbonation and the production of a good head.
- Hold your glass at a 45° angle.
- Pour the beer gently down the slide of the glass, targeting the middle of the slope of the glass.
- When slightly more than half of the beer is poured, make the glass perfectly vertical again and pour the remainder directly into your beer to create a nice head.
This is the fun part. Good beer tastes good anywhere, anytime. But to fully appreciate the sweet nectar of the gods, it helps to take a moment and understand the components of beer and the tasting process.
of the beer you are about to taste. This will help prepare you for what to expect from the look, smell and taste of the beer.
Note the color and clarity. Also notice the head on the beer. These aspects will vary between beer styles.
(gently, now). This agitation pulls out aromas and encourages carbonation.
Sniff - not inhale - the beer, so as not to overwhelm the senses. This step is important because much of perceived flavor comes from your sense of smell. Take 2 to 3 sniffs, swirl the beer in the glass, and take a few more sniffs. The malts may impart a sweet, caramel or bread-like aroma. Yeast aromas are virtually limitless, but lean towards fruit. Hops will vary depending on the style – some grassy, piney, and spicy – others floral or citrus.
Take a sip and let the beer wander and explore your entire palate. You’ll probably taste a variety of flavors that change from the time the beer hits your mouth until you’ve swallowed it. The range of flavors is practically limitless, but at the most basic level, you should pickup the sweetness from malts at the front of your mouth, while dry, bitter flavors from the hops dominate the back of your mouth.
This refers to the beer’s body. The character of the malts, hops and the brewing process in total contribute to the feel of the brew in the mouth. Beer can range from thin and watery to full and thick.
This is the taste left on your palate after you swallow. Notice if the taste lingers or fades quickly. A beer’s finish varies, but generally will be dry, bitter, sweet, warming or a combination of these.
