“From man’s sweat and God’s love, beer came into the world”
-Saint Arnoldus-
Beer has long been a popular beverage in both modern and ancient times. Humans have been brewing this delicious beverage for thousands of years all over the world. It’s even thought to be the world’s third most popular beverage, after water and tea. Pretty impressive!
Because beer has evolved alongside humans, it’s understandable that we’ve perfected the art of serving our favorite brews. Storage, pouring technique, and the right glass are all factors in creating the ideal beer experience.
Why does it matter what kind of glass you use? The answer is a little more complicated than you might think. Each type of beer glass serves a distinct function, enhancing your beer in ways you may not have realized.
Below, our list of the 8 best beer glasses for every style of beer should give you a great starting point in deciding which glasses to stock your home bar with.
American Pint Glass
When visiting a typical bar in the United States, you’re most likely to be served your beer in an American pint glass. While more and more bars are following suit and stocking glasses to fit specific brews, the American pint glass is here to stay.
Holding 16oz, the American Pint is considered to be a one size fits all glass. It is wider at the mouth, tapering down towards the bottom.
This versatile glass is suitable for all types of beer. It doesn’t significantly enhance any specific brews, but it also doesn’t harm them.
Pilsner Glass
The pilsner glass, which is taller and thinner than most other beer glasses, is another American bar staple, but it also has a global following as the ideal vessel for a light, carbonated beer. Its narrow design with a wider mouth also aids in the retention of the perfect foamy head, allowing you to get a good whiff of your beer’s lovely aromas.
Starting with a flat base, the pilsner is narrow at the bottom widening towards the mouth. The pilsner isn’t a large glass, usually holding between 12oz and 14oz.
A pilsner glass lends itself nicely to American lagers, bocks, blonde ales, and Vienna Lagers. Oh, and of course, pilsner beers.
Beer Mug
These hefty beer vessels are staples in pubs all across Europe. Beer mugs can be short, stocky, tall, or wide. There is no uniform shape that beer mugs must adhere to, but the feature they do all have to possess is a handle. The handle of the beer mug keeps heat from your hands from transferring to the beer, therefore keeping it colder, longer.
Usually, barrel-shaped with a nice thick handle like a coffee mug, there isn’t a consistent volume for beer mugs. The glass may be dimpled decoratively on some beer mugs.
Beer mugs suit beers that you can quaff with gusto. German lagers, dunkels and pilsners, Irish beers, and American lagers are all great fillers for a beer mug.
Goblet or Chalice
Enjoy a beer from a noble goblet or chalice while surveying your kingdom, whether it’s your backyard grill or the patio of your favorite pub, to truly feel like royalty. Their large mouths support a luxurious head and allow you to appreciate your brew’s aromas.
Goblets have a large bowl supported by a thick stem on a round base. Chalices are similar but tend to have thicker glass in the wall of the bowl. Since they vary in size there is no consistent volume that a goblet or a chalice must hold.
Goblets and chalices are best suited for heavy, dark beers. Brews like stouts, Belgian IPA’s, and porters are ideal.
Tulip Glass
Similar in shape and style to the aforementioned goblets, the tulip is a beer glass supported by a stem with a round base. Evocative of its namesake, the tulip glass has a delicate shape and is great for malty, hoppy beers.
A tulip glass has a rounded body with a flared lip, and its stem is short and thick. There are different sizes of tulip glasses, so there isn’t a consistent volume that they must hold.
Tulip glasses are a great fit for beers like fruit lambic, Scotch ales, and IPA’s.
Imperial Pint Glass
Another one size fits all beer glass, the imperial pint glass differs from the American version in subtle ways. The imperial pint holds an impressive amount of beer and is a great go-to when you aren’t sure what glass to use.
Imperial pint glasses hold a full 20z. They are shaped similarly to an American pint glass, except they have a pronounced lip near the top of the glass.
The imperial pint works for almost any beer. You can’t really go wrong with this one!
IPA Glass
One of the most unique glasses on our list, the IPA glass is a beautiful vessel for your favorite IPA’s. If you’re an IPA fan you don’t want to turn your nose up at this spectacular glass.
The IPA glass is more narrow on its bottom half, with pronounced ridges. These ridges aerate your IPA, while the elongated bowl on the top half traps those delicious hop aromas so you can enjoy them with every sip.
IPA glasses work best for, you guessed it, any type of IPA.
Teku Glass
Created by a renowned Italian craft brewer, the Teku glass is the beer glass for real beer connoisseurs. Made to enhance the sensory experience of drinking beer, you may not even recognize your favorite brand with how amazing it will taste drank from a Teku glass.
The Teku is shaped similarly to a tulip glass, just a little more angular, and topped with a narrow lip. The stem on a Teku glass is long and thin, like that of a wine glass, making it easy to hold and guaranteeing no heat transfer from your hand to the beer. A Teku usually holds 11.2oz or 14.2oz.
Since the Teku is a glass made for enhancing the entire experience of drinking beer, including taste, smell, and mouthfeel, the Teku glass is billed as being a good fit for any brew. They shine best when used to hold sours and lambics.
In Conclusion
Our list of eight distinct beer glasses should assist you in making the best choice for serving your favorite beers. While any glass can hold a beer, not every glass is capable of displaying that beer’s full potential!
This year, do your favorite brew a favor and serve it in the right glass. Happy drinking!
