Choose your beer delivery systems wisely – ya’ll.

Tonight I have been feeling a bit on the learnin’ side.  Recently we made a post about a tasty high gravity beer named Burton Baton from Dogfish Brewery.  It generated a comment from a concerned citizen/fellow snob about the misuse of beer delivery systems and the impact they have on the complexity of the brew – specifically the temperature of the system.  So we asked said commenter for a lesson on proper system usage so as to not deprive you good folks on how you can get the most out of your beer.  The post got me thinking about glass size and shape and after some searching I found some great information and will be adjusting my bar accordingly.

First off we have the straight-up mug.  It is best kept at room temperature so as not to dull the complex flavors of the brew.  This is best used for ales of any kind (pale to dark) with normal alcohol ranges – say 3.0 to 7.0 or so.  Plus they’re great for that nice loud clank when getting a bit viking.

If you are having a tasty beverage of the lambic, bock, and some lighter german lagers grab yourself a a flute glass.  I know this sounds screwed up – just make sure to keep your pinky down.  The glass is long and narrow ensuring that there is little loss of carbonation and enhances the aroma.

Next we have the pilsner glass.  Grab one of these tall, slender and tapered glasses for maximum enjoyment of pilsners and lagers.  You can get a good look at the color, clarity and carbonation level.  You will use this glass for most Lagers and Pilsners.

Now we look into the pint.   You can find these in 16 or 20 oz. sizes.  This usually is my glass of choice for all types of beers until now.  The problem with this glass is it does not retain the head very well and due to the larger radius of the top as opposed to the bottom it allows the aroma to escape quickly.  This adds to loss of flavor.  However, it is still the most widely used and versatile for many beer styles like the American IPA’s, American Amber, American Red Ales.

The picture to the right is of a traditional pint glass and is a bit different than the pint above.  Usually found in the 20oz imperial (nonic) version.  Notice the bulge towards the top.  This is basically used to assist in the stacking of the glasses so as to keep them from sticking together and also for better head retention.    Sam Adams even goes a step further by etching the bottom inside of the glass to cause micro-bubbles to rise from the bottom which release even more aromas.  Used for most American Ale and English Ale types.

My new replacement for the pint glass is going to be the tulip.  The bulbous shape of the middle helps with foam retention and since the top is a little smaller than the middle it will trap the aroma which adds to the flavor.  Good for those American Double IPA’s and Belgian Strong, IPA and Dark Ales.

If you are lucky enough to have yourself a high gravity (a.k.a. high alcohol) brew that you picked up from either McScrooge’s or Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, do yourself a favor and dig out that brandy snifter.  The smaller diameter top will really trap the flavor of that barlyewine or strong scotch ale.  Use for the American Double IPA’s,  Russian Imperial Stouts, Barleywines,  Scotch Ale Wee Heavy Ales.

Finally I bring out the Weizen glass.  This glass is tall and has a concave shape with the bottom and top bulging out a bit with a smaller top opening.   It uses this shape for maximum head retention and enhancements to the fruity esters of hefeweizen, dunkelweizen, or weizenbocks.

Keep an eye on what temperatures you are storing your beer.  You want to keep lagers around 45 degrees and ales a bit warmer at 60 degrees or even room temp.  I have my kegerator sitting at 52 degrees since I am not much of a lager drinker which seems to work well for my IPAs and stouts.  I intend now to let my stouts sit for a minute before consumption to allow them to warm a bit.

Now endeth the lesson for this evening.  I am on my way to get my pint glasses out of the freezer and buy a few tulip glasses.  Hope this provides a little insight on how to get the most out of your well earned tasty beverages.