Every other Thursday, Brewed for Thought and BetterBeerBlog are teaming up for a piece called Hopinions. We will alternate who picks the topic and trade emails on the subject, two apiece. This week my topic for this collaborative effort was inspired by my own neurosis and addiction, beer glassware.
From Mario at Brewed For Thought:
If you’ve read my blog, you’d probably know that I’m a bit of a glassware junkie. I have more glasses than I should. My glassware collection has overflowed the designated area allowed in what little cupboard space we have. I generally peruse the options before opening a beer and try to make sure I have the right vessel for the beverage before opening the bottle. I’ve even considered buying a thistle for the rare occasion when I drink scotch ales.
Some people will tell me I’m making a big deal out of nothing. Beer is beer and the glass won’t change that. On the other hand, Belgians take their glassware very seriously. There are anecdotes of patrons being denied beer because the specific glassware for that beer may be all out at the time.
Personally, I like to compare beer and glassware to a movie going experience. Sure, you can watch a movie at home on your TV, but isn’t that same movie more entertaining when watched in HD with a surround sound system, or even better, in an IMAX theater in 3D? (Side note: I’m not crazy about 3D movies, but that’s a debate for another time) The proper glass can elevate the drinking experience just as much as the proper setting can a movie. No, the right choice of glass won’t save a bad beer, just as Superbabies will continue to be a complete waste of 88 minutes no matter where you watch it.
Talk to me Pete, am I crazy for my love of beer glasses? Do you share my passion or just have one scratched up, battered tin cup that you use for everything from coffee to juice and back to beer? Is my Noah’s rule a good one to follow, two of everything, to ensure a quality collection? Should I buy that thistle?
From Peter at BetterBeerBlog:
Yes, you should buy that thistle. You should buy that thistle for the same reason I will occasionally purchase a Russian knockoff of a vintage camera on eBay; because I want one.
I don’t think you’re nuts for being a beer glassware collector. At the end of the day, it’s you who is enjoying the beer and you should be free to enjoy it however you want, whether it’s in a thistle, tulip glass, goblet or boot.
Drinking beer, at least for me nowadays, really is more of an experience than anything else. I’m not saying I like to slip into something comfortable, cue up the Barry White and turn the lights down when I’m cracking open a bottle of Pliny the Elder, but I do like to choose glassware that will maximize my experience with a beer. For me, that means either whipping out one of my Samuel Adams glasses or one of the ultra-cool, crystal, tulip-like glasses (as seen on their homepage). These glasses help to enhance a beer’s flavor by concentrating the beer’s aroma. After all, aroma does make up a huge percentage of what flavor is. I’m not as finicky though, I often use a pint glass if it’s the closest thing at hand.
As you have already pointed out, the Belgians are almost dictatorial when it comes to their glassware. I, too, have heard the stories of Belgian bars refusing to serve a particular beer to a patron if that beer’s glasses are out. On one hand, we should trust in our favorite breweries to know which glassware is best for their beer. I make it a point to try and experience a beer in the manner the brewer intended, whether that means as fresh as possible or if it meant aging the beer for a few months. I would suppose glassware falls into this category as well.
On the other side of the coin, this move reeks of branding and territorialism. What better way for a small, artisanal Belgian brewery to better advertise their products than to insist on a particular piece of glassware emblazoned with their logo? Each glass acts as a miniature billboard for their specific brewery. It’s insidious, really. No one ever really pays attention to glassware but see something enough times and the message is bound to stick. In a way, your typical Belgian beer bar with it’s rows and rows of brewery specific glassware, has now become a battleground not unlike your local supermarket shelves. They’re all fighting for bar space. What are your thoughts on this custom brewery glassware? Authentic drinking experience or crafty marketing move?
On a slight, but related tangent, how do you approach cleaning your glassware. The day after you emailed the topic for this week’s Hopinions I came across this article talking about beer glasses. It’s not address until the end of the article but they suggest that all you need to clean your glassware is hot water. Give ‘em a good rinse is about as technical as they get. I will freely admit that I wash all my glassware. Because we have so much beer glassware, we use them for just about everything: juices, sodas, water, milk… a glass is a glass. Plus, there’s nothing like grabbing a pint glass with an oily and/or dirt-encrusted hand and just rinsing it with water, right? As a result, I have to wash them with detergent. Boo! Hiss! I know. At least I don’t frost them.
What I will do, though, is rinse my glasses out with beer to “beer clean” them as the article states. I use my own homebrew to do this. I’ll simply pour myself half a glass, swirl, and then drink it. One of the pleasures of having a kegerator. So what about you? Wash with detergent, hot water or beer?
From Mario at Brewed For Thought:
I’m a bit neurotic about cleaning my glasses. If the glass is freshly used, hot water out of the sprayer in the sink is usually sufficient. If they’ve collected I’ll use some hot water to loosen up the stuff at the bottom then use a baby bottle brush with a drop or two of dish soap. Afterwards I give it the same heavy rinsing with hot water from the sprayer.
I have to say, I never use my beer glasses for anything but beer. The baby bottle brush I wash them with is used strictly for my beer glasses. And yes, maybe I do take it too far, but it’s what I do.
That said, I think my glasses do lend to a better drinking experience. I even have a favorite camping “glass” that you can usually find me drinking from when roughing it in the outdoors.
Does that mean each brewery deserves it’s own glass? If thought is put into this by the brewery then I see nothing wrong with it. You might notice many of the logo glasses circulating today are simply logos applied to the same basic glass. Thankfully some of these basic glasses are of a shape that presents itself for more varied uses, but I wouldn’t see anything wrong with not having those glasses for a beer as long as it’s a suitable representation of the beer. Others have set the bar for the drinking vessel for that style. For example, the Chimay goblet is the standard for a malty Belgian ale, you can even find it on the label of other beers.
In the case of a bar, I think you get what you pay for. I’ve been known to go to The Trappist or La Trappe and gladly pay an extra dollar or two per pint to have my beer in a great setting, which includes the proper glassware. Where I do most of my drinking, Toad in the Hole, has a fair collection of glasses, but rarely anything specific unless for a special pint night. Does this bother me? Not at all. There are tulip glasses and the New Belgium globes (my personal favorite all-purpose glass at the moment) if I feel the pint glass isn’t getting the job done that day.
At the end of the day, when I go out, chances are I’ll be drinking out of a shaker pint. When I’m at home, I get a chance to geek out. I guess I just want to know about you Pete. What special glasses do you have your eye on? Do they actually make tulip glasses out of crystal? If they do, a better question is, do you know who’s turning 30 on Tuesday?
From Peter at BetterBeerBlog:
I still have to get my hands on those New Belgium globes. I saw them at BevMo the other day but decided not to pick them up just yet. Despite my previous comments on Belgian ales and their brewery specific glasses, I am admittedly envious of those who have a collection going. I had the opportunity to take home my first Belgian ale glass, a Tripel Karmeliet glass. This was during the Belgian Beer Dinner at the Duck Club I attended a couple weeks back. The guest next to me was kind enough to give me his glass and… I forgot it. *slap my forehead*
I’m not sure if they make tulip glasses out of crystal. That’s a great question. I’d look into picking some up. Riedel has a “Bar Series” that has a very nice looking goblet and a tulip-shaped apertif (?) glass.
Happy early birthday, buddy! I’ll see if I can make it out to Lagunitas for your soiree, it looks like it’ll be quite the party.
