Question: Should I drink beer from a glass?
A lot is made of how beer is served and presented in the beer geek community. We fret over the temperature of the beer, how much of a head it has, what food is being served with it, etc. Above all other concerns is the glassware. We pay a lot of attention to the shape and condition of the glass making sure that it's style specific and beer clean. Is it really that important?
Answer: Let me be clear about one thing. I really don't care how you drink your beer. What I care about is whether or not you enjoy your beer. If you have always drank you beer straight from a can and that is really the only way that you can enjoy it, by all means, please don't stop.
Most beer glasses do two things. First they present the beer at its best. This is the reasoning behind the shape of many style specific glasses. The Belgian beer chalice highlights that thick, majestic head that grows atop many Belgian ales as you pour them. The tall, slender hefeweizen glass stretches out the bright yellow, cloudy body of the yeasty wheat beer making it look as tempting as possible. This is one reason that so many breweries sell branded glassware. There are few better ways to build brand loyalty than presenting a gorgeous beer alongside the brewery's logo.
Second, style specific glassware provides the drinker with the best possible tasting experience. A lot of that has to do with the aroma of the beer. Many glasses are designed to manipulate the smell of the beer to the drinkers nose. As you may know, a great deal of tasting in humans happens through the nose. We do not taste as much as we think we do, a lot of the tasting sensation is informed by the nose. So, to truly experience a beer smelling it is important. Glass makers can make this happen even if the drinker is not aware of it.
So, this is one beer question that I'm not going to answer. Now you know the main purposes of glassware, I'll leave it to you to decide if you want to use it or not.
Most beer glasses do two things. First they present the beer at its best. This is the reasoning behind the shape of many style specific glasses. The Belgian beer chalice highlights that thick, majestic head that grows atop many Belgian ales as you pour them. The tall, slender hefeweizen glass stretches out the bright yellow, cloudy body of the yeasty wheat beer making it look as tempting as possible. This is one reason that so many breweries sell branded glassware. There are few better ways to build brand loyalty than presenting a gorgeous beer alongside the brewery's logo.
Second, style specific glassware provides the drinker with the best possible tasting experience. A lot of that has to do with the aroma of the beer. Many glasses are designed to manipulate the smell of the beer to the drinkers nose. As you may know, a great deal of tasting in humans happens through the nose. We do not taste as much as we think we do, a lot of the tasting sensation is informed by the nose. So, to truly experience a beer smelling it is important. Glass makers can make this happen even if the drinker is not aware of it.
So, this is one beer question that I'm not going to answer. Now you know the main purposes of glassware, I'll leave it to you to decide if you want to use it or not.
