The Naked Pint (38 page)

A glassware style known as the tulip also helps retain carbonation. The wide bottom and narrow middle decreases the surface area, creating a bottleneck, which keeps the CO
₂
bubbles from releasing too quickly. The Belgian Golden Ale Duvel is traditionally served in this glassware. The head on a Duvel poured into this glass is huge, but that’s no accident. The brewer wants a substantial head on that beer because the bubbles will lift the aromatics to your nose. Read the label on a Belgian bottle; it will likely indicate which type of glass best fits the beer. The Belgians make some of the best beer out there, and they have put a lot of thought into the best way to show off the beer and release its flavors. Orval, Tripel Karmeliet, Chimay, St. Bernardus, Saison DuPont—all of these beers have their own glassware, as do hundreds more.

But why are there
so many
different glass shapes and sizes for these different beers? These glassware creations are part marketing ingenuity (as the beer name is usually stamped across the glass) and part flavor enhancement. In fact, there is technically no right or wrong glass shape for a Belgian beer. The “correct” glassware for most of these Belgian beers is really determined only by what the
brewer
says. The brewer is the one who says, “Behold. I have created beer. This is how my beer should be served in order for it to taste how I intended.” If the brewer thinks that the carbonation should release quickly to achieve the correct balance, he’ll probably design a glass that is more goblet like, with a wide surface area that provides unfettered CO
₂
release—like the glasses for Chimay and Orval. If a brewer wants her beer to retain a lot of carbonation, she might decide that it be served in a flute, like Lambic, or a tulip glass, like Duvel. If the brewer thinks that the beer should be consumed at a warmer temperature, he will want his beer served in a big thin glass; this allows warm hands to help bring the beer to the right temperature. Inversely, if the brewer thinks the beer is better colder, he may have his beer served in a thick chalice. In all of these cases, the glass mirrors what the brewer says is the perfect way to enjoy his or her beer.

Some glassware, however, is determined by style. It’s as simple as that. For instance, some beer styles are meant to be served in a good old pint-shaped glass known as a shaker. Porters, Stouts, and other English Ales can benefit from this glass, which allows for a quicker loss of carbonation. The reason for this is the same reason these ales hold up well on cask. With a lower carbonation, the roasted, toasted notes of these styles will show more on your palate when the carbonation has dissipated. Their style dictates that they should have a lower amount of carbonation so that none of the subtle malty flavors are hidden.

In addition to shape, the quality of the glass is truly important. Beer just tastes better out of good glasses. If you don’t believe us, do a taste test. Pour a beer you like into both a cheap glass and a fine crystal wineglass. Taste the difference. See? Just as wine tastes different in various glassware, so does beer. We know that we’re getting nitpicky here, but when you drink beer out of a fine glass, the entire experience is exponentially enhanced. If you are drinking a great beer out of a wisp of a glass with a beautiful curve that provides the correct carbonation release rate and temperature, you are treating craft beer and the artisans who make it with respect. And as craft beer continues to get the attention it deserves, people will see that great glassware is as essential to craft beer as the bottle opener.

So you say you aren’t going to stock 20 different kinds of glasses to appease us? Well, we don’t blame you. We don’t do that either, so don’t worry about it. What we recommend when we consult for bars and restaurants that don’t want to stock too many glasses is one simple kind of glass. Crazy, after what we just told you about all the varieties of glassware, we know, but if you just get one type of low-stemmed Burgundy-style glass (we like the Riedel Ouverture Magnum glasses), you should be set. This style, which is similar to a glass used by sommeliers for evaluating wine, is a great happy medium for all beers if you don’t want to splurge on tons of different glassware. It’s not technically
correct
, but it is minimalist chic. For a lot of our beer-pairing dinners, we serve beer in wineglasses, and we’ll never turn away a craft beer served thus.

But if you feel like you’re ready to commit to buying some good beer glasses, you might want to think about investing in a set. We like the German glassmaker Riedel. They make a nice overall beer glass, and Spiegelau (owned by Riedel) is our favorite. They make a great three-glass set that includes a tulip shape, a Pilsner style, and a taller classic wheat beer glass. These glasses are pretty accessible; you can even find them at Target. You can also try your local boutique wine and beer shop, or search online.

There is a certain satisfaction that comes from drinking a beer in its custom-engineered glassware in your own home. And yes, we each have a couple of specialty glasses with brewery names at home for our favorite beers. Unless you feel like bogarting these glasses from your local beer bar (which we
do not
recommend, by the way, unless you want to get 86’d for life), these glasses are pretty hard to come by. We’ve found a couple of websites where you can get them. They ain’t cheap, but it’s fun to experience the beer the way the brewer intended. Go online to the Global Beer Network (
www.globalbeernetwork.com
). You can also try the Beer Geek Shop (
www.beergeekshop.com
). Here are some examples of popular glass shapes and the beer styles that best fill them up: