| Blogs - My Two Shillings |
Dia Dhuit, my brutes! I know ye’ve all missed me. I’d dearly like to say I’ve missed ye’ all, as well, but I’ve been much too busy to miss much more than breathing.
So let’s get on to the rant, shall we? I’d like to illustrate my current slant with a story. A parable, if you will, based on a true story. Imagine, if you will – and if you don’t want to, why the hells are you still reading – a young man standing at the bar of a well known and well stocked beer bar. Taps adorn the back wall down the twenty foot length and the bartenders actually know their stuff. Since it’s in California, there’s no smoke to be found, but you can hear the chatter in the background. The young man waits patiently for his order, the site of the bartender (in her shorts) reaching up to a tap helping.
“Here you are, sir.” Said the bartender, as she pushes four drinks across the bar. Three of them were beautiful pints of frothy ale. The other was a small chalice looking thing with a long thin stem that is holding a golden hued liquid.
The gentleman took them and assumed that the beer he ordered was one of the pints. After all, when one is told that the beer you ordered is one of the strongest on tap, at 10.5%, and has one of the burliest names, Piraat Ale (with a picture of a Piraat on the bottled version’s label no less), you would think it would be served in a burly glass.
You’d be wrong. That was the golden hued liquid in the weakest glass. The gentleman took the glasses and, with his head hung low, gave his friends the weak beers in the tough glasses while he had to sit and sip out of what was practically a wine glass.
Just so you all know, the gentleman wasn’t me – I’ve been accused of many a thing, but being one of those hasn’t been one yet. He is a very close friend, though, and we discusses this story and many others as we’ve sat back over pitchers and pints of ales colored blonde through brunette, with a few red heads thrown in.
So now, if you want to hold on to the ship’s railing, comes my problems with glassware.
- If a bar is going to use proper glassware, be aware that not everyone is a beer geek/snob. Many (perhaps even most) of the patrons are going to have no clue what the “proper” glassware is, and giving them a burly brew in a bunny tumbler may raise some eyebrows. If ye happen to be awesome enough to have the glassware, that means ye’re awesome enough to let people know what glassware they’ll be getting. Tell us!
- I call bullocks on certain styles always having the proper glassware. Not all imperial stouts are the same. There are vast differences between Scotch ales and American brewed Scotch-style ales. While there may be general guidelines, that doesn’t mean that they fit every hell bent beer out there. The reason Sam Adams Boston Lager works so well in the Sam Adams glass? They used science to make that ONE beer work well in it. Even the Boston Beer Company admits their other styles won’t work as well in it. And oooooohhhh, you have a Stella Artois glass, so it must go great with a pale Euro lager. Bah and humbug to that, as well. I’m not going to take glassware lessons from someone who makes a mediocre (personally I think it’s crap) beer.
- There is nothing wrong with a wonderful pint glass! Yes, I know your barleywine is around 12% ABV, but so help me, if you don’t tell me up front that it’s coming in a weinerly little tulip glass before hand, it better arrive in my table in all its 16 (preferably) 20 ounce glory. Be up front about it!
- If people used science to make these decisions, I might be more inclined to go with them. They’re not based off science, though, they’re based off of very subjective reasoning.
- Historically correct glassware? If you want historically correct glassware, Johnny Jack, you might want to find a leather jack. Or maybe something made out of tin. Better yet, I think a rock with a slight dip will be the most historically correct thing to sip fermented beverages out of. Or maybe a gourd.
But now before all you Johnny Jacks jump in and exclaim that I’m against all things glassware, I’m not. Given a choice, I will take everything in a pint glass. However, that doesn’t mean I’m not against it. But if you’re going to use different glasses, you need to educate your patrons or friends. Don’t be a snob and just hand it over. Be straight and up front about what you’re doing and why you’re doing it.
Now go forth, my brutes, and have a beer! In whatever damned glass you want to have one in. I believe I shall have an imperial stout tonight served in a pint glass, and I shall be cocking a snoot at those who think I should be using my snifter glasses.
Until next time, my brutes, fare thee well!
http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/stories/craft-beer-muses/show?title=blowing-your-credibility-as-a-beer-expert
A couple of excerpts, the first of which matches up wonderfully with what Rich said:
First, let's talk about the challenge of clean glasses. Beer rats out a dirty glass like no other beverage. Bubbles stuck to the side of the glass show where residue of the previous drinker's beer (and who knows what else) still clings to the glass. Serving a glass with bubbles stuck to the side matches the insult of serving a glass of wine with a lipstick imprint still on the rim. It's unappetizing, unprofessional and probably unsanitary! Despite this, I've had dirty beer glasses served at my table routinely at gastropubs. Maybe as many as one out of four glasses arrives bearing the obvious bubble marking.
And regarding my rant about always needing proper glassware, and I like his semi-agreement with me, as well as his addition of glass size:
Now, in addition to presenting the consumer with a clean glass, you need to give them an appropriate glass. Despite my serious credentials as a style geek, I don't expect every beer to be presented in the one single appropriate glass for that style or brand. Both at home and at the pub, acquiring and keeping all the different glasses you might need would be a huge challenge. The last thing I want is to keep a beer from being served because the right glass isn't available.
So what's the key to beer glassware? From my point of view, shape comes second. The most important issue is volume. Responsible beer service dictates that you not serve 12-percent abv barleywines in pint glasses. On the other hand, there's no sense serving a 3.8-percent ordinary bitter in a 5-ounce snifter.
...But, beer clean glassware is the most important no matter what kind of glass is being used!
I'll have to give an "amen, brother" to this, too.
Sometimes I'm just glad to get a glass. I once had a bartender hand me a bottle of Chimay. If I'm paying $10 for one beer, give me a damn glass to pour it in. I guess I don't really care much what they give me as long as it's not a frosted mug.
This.... I am in complete agreement on.
As far as the serving a smaller volume, seems like everytime this has happened to me, I either already expected it or the staff warned me, so wasn't such a shock.
If I were the person in your story, I'd be delighted to discover that I was in an establishment that actually cared about how they served their beers. And if my other friends gave me hell for drinking out of different glass from them, I'd simply laugh and enjoy my beer. Anyone who would be embarrassed to drink out of a stemmed glass might have self-esteem issues.
Now, if I got a glass I didn't expect, I'd happily give it whirl and see how it changed the experience. We're occasionally surprised in life, I don't look on it as "snobbery" or some sort of oversight--I look on it as an opportunity to learn. If you don't see what the big deal is after giving it a chance, fine--get the next one in a pint glass.
Businesses can serve their product however they choose, and they don't have to explain themselves (not that they wouldn't relish the chance to discuss their choices, I'd imagine). If you walked into a bar that had great beers, only to discover that they didn't use pint glasses, but rather some sort of handled mug, would you consider the lack of pints to be a lack of "proper glassware" at that point?
I happen to prefer tulips and snifters myself... especially for IPAs. I think it helps one to experience the aromas.
It would be an interesting topic for the members here to discuss when a specific glass is really necessary to the experience of a given style.
I would very much like to see that.
For the record, it's not that I'm against all glassware besides pint glasses, but there are many issues with glassware that are glossed over.
Btw, when Sharp Edge sells a big chalice of piraat it's 10 to 12 bucks. During happy hour they use the smaller ones and their half off the price of the big chalice. It may sound crazy to yo but most bars would have a hard time carrying these big "burly brews" if they were serving out pints of Piraat all night.
First off the liability issue not everybody drinks these big beers, secondly is it cost effective to serve Piraat possibly a 200-250 dollar keg in the same sized glass as a 60 dollar barrel of blonde ale? I get it you don't wanna lift your pinky while sipping on your snifter, but c'mon this isn't something to rant about. Yes it is nice when a bar carries proper glassware, go to the Sharp Edge and drink different Belgian ales out of the official glassware, it's a great experience. Don't get me wrong I also love Piper's Pub for their imperial pint policy, everything is priced about the same in an imperial pint glass. Salute Tony.
I have a story about something similar, in Southern California, Costa Mesa had a couple good bars close to each other with multiple taps. Yardhouse had 100 or so taps and they served yard glasses whole and 1/2 yards. We tried to order a Bornem Double in a yard glass and the bartender came out and asked what else would we want in a yard because they didn't serve them anymore in that size. A whole pint no problem but according to the bartender, a couple younger guys ruined it for everybody by drinking a couple yards of some higher alcohol brews...I guess they ended up standing on their tables and sword fighting with them. The also started a policy that night if you broke your yard glass you had to pay for it. It only takes a couple drunk assholes to ruin it for everybody.
Last Updated (Monday, 16 August 2010 19:36)