From the Mailbag: Glassware
July 1, 2008 10:03 am Beer MusingsIf you’re anything like me, you have too much glassware. Far, far too much. But what if you wanted to narrow it down to just 2 or 3 glasses, do you think you could? Dave emailed me in hopes of trying to find the perfect glassware for his new bar:
I’m currently building a home bar with an intention of having the minimum of glassware type.
I have recently narrowed down my wine glasses to buy to 2. That apparently can serve and enhance all wines. I would like to find a beer glass or 2 or fit the same purpose. At present, I find I need to have about 5 to 10 ‘different’ types of glasses for different beer. Heck, Riedel has about 200 glasses for their wine. WAY TOO MUCH. I think 10 different beer glasses is likewise too much. I presently use a pint glass but want to enjoy and enhance my beer drinking.
If I was forced down to just two glasses, a deserted-island selection, these would be my two choices:
The first would be the tulip glass from New Belgium Brewery. I find that it provides just about the most perfect beer drinking vessel for almost any style. Enough room to swirl the beer for aroma without spilling any. Enough volume to hold a full beer with a lot of head, which is perfect for your Belgian style beers. Also enough surface area to allow for easy warming if the beer is served too cold. It’s my go-to glass for beers I really want to take time to enjoy. My only issue is that I wish I could find it without a NB logo.
My second choice is just a standard Imperial Pint Glass. With having two homebrews on tap at any time, it’s nice to walk downstairs and pour off 20oz of beer whenever I like. It also makes drinking things like Pale Ales and Stouts just seem more authentic.
One other thing to possibly consider Dave, since you’re doing a bar with wine as well look at getting some large Champagne flutes. They’re just about the same shape as a pilsner glass and would allow you to do double duty. I’d be curious what everyone else thinks about possible glass choices.
Tags: champagne, glassware, imperial pint, mailbag, new belgium
Paul :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 10:09 am
Can’t really argue with your selection, Mike. I don’t mind the glasses that just say New Belgium, but I am not a big fan of the fat tire logo.
My favorite glass for Belgians or bigger beers of any style is my Duvel glass. And not to multiply glassware but the Boulevard Smokestack Series glass looks pretty cool.
scottyp :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 10:24 am
i use this for my beers i want to savor
http://www.crateandbarrel.com/family.aspx?c=174&f=634
and i agree with the standard imp pint glass. i use them for water and other beverages as they are just too perfect
ericburnley :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 10:26 am
Haven’t seen that Boulevard glass. I usually use a New Belgium tulip as well for Belgian ales, pint glass for everything else. I have an impy pint glass packed away someplace, been thinking about digging it out since I got the kegs.
I got some free Unibroue glasses (a taller, thinner glass and a Maudite glass), and aside from the fact that they both broke (one was dropped, but the other broke off at the stem), they didn’t swirl well and I also didn’t think they focused the beer’s nose as well as the NBB tulip. Haven’t tried many different styles of glass, though. Tried the NBB and liked it, so I stuck with it. Never tried those Sam Adams glasses with the etching.
Bill Burge :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 10:39 am
It’s easy to scratch off the New Belgian logo from those glasses. I did it with my fingernail.
I like them because they feel pretty sturdy compared to some of the Unibroue style Belgians so I don’t mind carrying them around with me when I take beer to other people’s homes.
Dave :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 12:26 pm
Damn. those are my two as well. I’m probably about 50/50 on the NBB glass (no issue with the logo for me - I love that brewery) and Imperial pints (I use both Nonics and Tulips). If I’m feeling really lazy, I’ll bust out the 1l Hacker-Pschorr mugs.
Sam H :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 12:59 pm
I’d choose the Sam Adams glass and the larger Delerium glass.
I think the paint can be removed from all glasses with a nice soak in oxyclean or PBW for you fancy people
and then a light scraping with a razor.
cubby_swans :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
Hah. I have two beer glasses that I use. The exact New Belgium one you have shown here, and standard 16oz pint glasses.
cubby_swans :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
also, the logos don’t bother me. My pint glasses are all from the bars in the area that have them made for them. I have Kilkenny’s, The Sports Zone, Pat’s Bar & Grill, and a few others I can’t think of right now.
cubby_swans :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 1:31 pm
Also, also, also, I don’t have fat tire glasses, they just say New Belgium on them.
BMock :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 3:31 pm
I have two of the New Belgium glasses on the shelf that I’ve never used. I guess I need to start. My favorite is the 1L Spaten Krug, but it’s only used one time a year.
Ericstl6 :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 4:58 pm
I drink all of my “big” Belgian beers in an ABT 12 chalice, but beyond my imperial pint glasses, most of my beer at home is enjoyed in non-logoed tulip glasses that I found at World Market.
Derek Bean :
Date: July 1, 2008 @ 7:03 pm
Mike, I’m with you on the two types of glasses. Except, I don’t care if the tulip glass says New Belgium, Fat Tire, or is simply on-logoed altogether!
But, of course, being the difficult one, I could never narrow it down to just two. Now, with THREE glasses, I would include a nice stemmed German Pilsner glass to the list. But if it must be 2, than I would do a stemmed Pils and the tulip Imperial Pint.
But, what about the quintessential Weissbier glass? That’s it, I’m going with 4 glasses–a tulip, a tulip Imp. Pint, a stemmed Pils and a Weissbier glass.
I’d still have a laser-etched Champagne flute, but I’d cheat and count that in with my “wine glasses”!
And, whoever mentioned those Sam Adams glasses was right on! Those glasses rock!
Bryce :
Date: July 2, 2008 @ 3:42 am
I don’t think that I could narrow it down to just two.
I like the chunky stem too and a standard pint always works. But I couldn’t not have a proper wheat glass.
Drew Huerter :
Date: July 2, 2008 @ 6:57 am
I find myself using my Maudite glass more than any other.
Sam h :
Date: July 2, 2008 @ 8:24 am
Derek, those are some good choices.
I have a 16 oz Arcadia Tulip that I use for IPAs (5 day is wonderful in this!)
http://www.beerables.net/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=208
I also have the Sam Adams glass (who doesn’t) and a Falstaff Pilsner glass (with etching!)
http://cgi.ebay.com/FALSTAFF-5-3-4-INCH-TALL-GLASS-OLD-BEER-GLASS_W0QQitemZ320166904964QQihZ011QQcategoryZ3921QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247
I have others, but those three are my “go-to” glasses for brewskies, they treat me pretty well
Maybe at the next get together we should do a glass swap?
Joe B :
Date: July 2, 2008 @ 10:10 am
My standard is the traditional pint glass-easy to use and stackable. You should have a tulip,or a good brandy snifter, and its nise to have a few true weizen glasses.
Derek Bean :
Date: July 2, 2008 @ 8:45 pm
Joe, you deserve a nasty slap on the wrist for stacking your pint glasses! You should know better than that–never, never, ever stack glasses! Bad boy!
Derek Bean :
Date: July 2, 2008 @ 8:53 pm
Sam,
Cool idea about the glass swap, but I am WAY too much of a packrat when it comes to beer glasses to ever let go of one. When it comes to breweriana, glasses and bottle openers are the only things I really collect. That is, of course, until recently when my new Mother-In-Law “accidentally” lost some cherished bottle openers my new wife loaned for the hospitality suite at the hotel for our wedding weekend!
Another funny story (sort of) this reminds me of is something that happened several years ago. I was renting a house with a roommate and he had this girl and her boyfriend over one night. The boyfriend was drunk and knocked into a cabinet I had containing my entire beer festival glass collection (up to that point). He knocked the cabinet over and they all shattered! All over the living room floor! Needless to say, we kicked him out of the house and sent him on his way. Since then, I’ve just had to start the glassware collection all over again.
Joe B :
Date: July 3, 2008 @ 4:50 pm
Derek,
you haven’t seen my limited space
Derek Bean :
Date: July 7, 2008 @ 6:56 pm
Funny story, just one day after posting my love of weissbier glasses, my friend who lives in Stuttgart sent me a dozen weissbier glasses for a wedding present!
Derek Bean :
Date: July 8, 2008 @ 10:31 pm
At the end of the night on Saturday, as our house party was winding down, and I decided to grab a glass to hit up the Boulevard Saison 1/2 B. we had, I realized that my Belhaven Imperial Pint glass is my go-to glass of choice more often than not.
(Yeah, that’s right, we had a keg of Blvd. Saison at our house Saturday night! I just added that tidbit in there to tease all of y’all! Btw, it was much hoppier than the bottled version–very nice.)