You can stock your bar with dozens of types of beers. But there is no need to stock it with dozens of types of glasses for those brews.
Just like wines, different styles of beers should get different glasses to maximize taste. While you could fill up a cabinet with specialized glasses, we’ve identified three glasses that should fill most of a beer drinker’s needs: a pint, a snifter and a weiss glass.
If you can afford a fourth, buy a tall, thin glass for pilsners, said Earle Johnson, owner of Quencher’s Saloon in Chicago. They’ll run $5 to $8 a glass at Crate & Barrel. But if space or money is limited, a pint or weiss glass will work just as well for pilsners.
Pint glass: The utility infielder of beer glasses, it’s good for porters, stouts, pale ales–just about anything the British can throw your way–and it can be used for pilsners too.
“It’s a workhorse,” Johnson said. Look for a glass that is heavier walled. And if you can find them, try to get the 16-ounce British style imperial pin with the bulge near the top. “It doesn’t slide out of your hand,” Johnson said. Price: $3 a glass at Crate & Barrel.
Snifter: It’s ideal for Belgian ales, barley wines and other aromatic (and usually more alcoholic) beers. “They have more complex aromas, and [snifters] capture the aromas, just like a wine glass,” said Brian Brandt, beer manager for Sam’s Wines & Spirits in Chicago. Brandt recommends a 12-ounce snifter, one that’s taller than a traditional brandy snifter but is still wide. “It gives it plenty of air space. Just don’t pour it all in at the same time,” he said. Price: $4 Crate & Barrel
Weiss glass: The most specialized glass, it’s tall and curvy, to help form and keep the head for the traditional summertime beer. They usually come in 16-ounce or half-liter sizes. “As long as they have the bell at the top to capture the banana smell, you’re fine,” Brandt said.
And look for spiraled glasses, which help you keep your grip, and heavy bottoms, for balance, Johnson said. And if need be, you could use it for pilsners too. But Johnson recommends only filling up the weiss glass halfway if you use it that way. Price: $6 to $9 a glass at bigger liquor stores, online or at breweries, such as www.sprecherbrewery.com.
