Can I Drink Beer Out Of Any Glass?

Beer is a drink that is loved the world over, so does it really matter how you drink your beer? Be it from the bottle or can, or even a tin mug, as long as you get to drink the beer, right.

There are those that swig straight from the bottle or can, which by the way is fine. There are those that have to have a certain glass for certain beer’s, again absolutely fine. How you drink your beer is your business, but there are things to consider if you want to get the most out of your beer, and some of them involve science.

Intrigued? Then read on.

Drinking Beer From The Bottle

You may be the beer drinker that will only drink from a bottle or can, and there is nothing wrong with that, I do sometimes. In fact, I used to drink from a bottle way more in the past than I do now.

There are certain beer’s that have become a drink out of the bottle kind of beer. Sol, Bud, Newquay (Newcastle Brown Ale) and Corona come to mind, but there are more. These became trendy to drink from the bottle, some are even served that way with a slice of lime in the neck.

A bottle of Sol with a slice of lime in the neck is a great refreshing beer on a warm summer’s day chilling by the pool. I have drunk it like that many times, but I have tried it in a glass too, and there is a difference, you can still have the slice of lime in the glass.

How many of us take a bud from the fridge, crack it open and go straight for a swig from the bottle. Does that sound like you, yea me too. Again I have tried it from a glass and there is a difference, an improved difference. That doesn’t mean that I have stopped drinking it from the bottle, but I do that less now, because I have tasted it from a glass.

Pouring your beer into a glass will get you closer to the draught beer experience.

The Benefits Of Pouring Your Beer

Improving something is a good thing, right? So forgive me, but if I can make my beer even better, then I’m all ears. There are a few things we can do, which require little effort, that will enhance the beer’s we drink.

That’s A Good Looking Beer

We all know the saying “You eat with your eyes first.” Any high end chef will tell you this, which is why they are so particular about how their food looks on the plate.

When you drink your beer from a bottle or can, you are not seeing it visually, so if it was green you wouldn’t know any different. Imagine pouring your beer into a glass and it was green, it wouldn’t sit right and it would change your perception about that beer. You might not even drink it, but more than likely you would accept it as more of an alco pop and that would probably alter its taste.

A nifty little experiment using food coloring.

Forget about the green beer, beer isn’t green, but think what you are missing out on when you are not letting your beer show off its visual form.

Seeing your beer in all its glory can tell you things about it before you smell it or taste it. The depth of color can give you an idea of its maltiness. The foamy lid can identify how the beer will feel in your mouth and the depth of creaminess.

That Smells Tasty

The look of food or drink can influence the way we perceive it and therefore taste it, but smell is even more important to how we taste something. Smell plays a big part in the whole taste experience.

Think of smelling one of your favorite foods being cooked, and you can almost taste it, right. Bacon is a great example of food that really gets those taste buds dancing (unless you don’t like bacon of course).

Smell makes up around 80% of our taste experience, meaning it is responsible for the larger part of how we taste. If you leave your beer in a can or bottle, then it will not be allowed to expose the majority of its aroma. This will mean you are tasting a lot less of the beer than you could be.

Pour you beer into a glass and you will release the aroma that will enhance the taste. The carbonation from the action of pouring your beer into the glass creates that foamy white lid filled with wonderful bubbles. Every little bubble that pops is like a little burst of the beer’s aroma.

Do you really want to miss out on all that extra taste?

Release The CO2

By pouring your beer into the glass you will release some CO2 and the carbonation will form a head. If you leave your beer in the bottle or can then you will not create the carbonation, there will be little CO2 release and no head.

This will all happen in your stomach as you drink the beer, which in turn can cause you to feel bloated or even result in a stomach ache.

Pour Your Beer Correctly

By pouring you beer correctly in to a glass you will create the right head, which will enhance the taste experience, as well as creating less bloating. Pour to aggressively without any tilt on the glass and you will end up with more foam that liquid gold.

Pour to carefully and you will not create any kind of foam, which will not help with the aroma or the bloat.

Learn to pour your beer correctly, with the right angle on the glass and the right amount of movement. Also remember to make sure your glass is beer clean.

Which Is The Best Glass For Beer?

Here is another debate, which is the best glass for my beer?

There are certain glasses for certain types of beer, a glass for a lager may be different to the glass you drink your favorite ale from, but does it make a difference? We now know that drinking beer from a glass does enhance the whole tasting experience.

Which glass you use in my opinion is entirely up to you, it is a personal choice. I know that some breweries actually go to great lengths to design a glass for their beer’s to be consumed from, and that is okay. The glass they design will no doubt play a part in how their beer is experienced, but a percentage of why they design their own glasses comes down to marketing too.

What this means is that although they have designed the perfect glass for their beer, it doesn’t mean that their beer will taste less in a different glass. I have tried different glasses for the same beer, as you may have done too. I find that a certain type of glass suits me best.

One glass may suit you better than another, I prefer a glass with a stem and bowl as opposed to the straight glass or mug.

The Straight Glass

You can call it a straight glass, a shaker, it is the go to pint glass, cheap to make, cheap to buy. They hold the highest percentage of stock within most bars and pubs and will be used for most lagers, IPA’s real ales and stouts or porters.

Over recent years they have differed in shape, with curves and bulges being added by breweries. There may be some advantages in how the beer acts in the glass, but I think a lot of it is to do with standing out from the crowd.

Although there are many designs of the straight glass, they predominantly still hold there overall stature. I am happy to drink out of these when served one in a pub, but at home I never use a straight glass for drinking beer.

Beer Mug

The beer mug, almost an industrial looking glass that is wide and short with a big handle on the side. It’s a sturdy beast and because of the handle it will keep the heat from your hands away from the glass and your beer.

These are used for lagers as well as bitters and real cask ales, but can be used for any beer if you choose to. I very rarely get served one of these in a pub, and they wouldn’t be my go to choice at home.

The beer mug can come in a slightly rounded body with dimples, a straight body design almost like a stein. There is even a super sized one like the Oktoberfest design, but then things start to get a bit heavy.

Snifters

I know, you may be saying ‘Hang on they are for my Cognac‘, and you would be right, but don’t right them off for beer too. Just like your favorite brandy or whiskey where the snifter glass allows you to enjoy the aromas, it can do the same for your beer too.

The shape for a start is pleasing to the eye, with it short stem and large bowl, but this glass is perfect for releasing those beautiful beer aromas. The trick is to not overfill it, just pour the beer to no more than half-way, otherwise you will not get the benefit of your beer’s aromas.

I have never been served a beer in these glasses in a pub, although they are similar to the chalice or goblet which I do get served beer in. As for the snifter though, I will use one at home for beer, and it’s great.

Pilsner Glass

These are similar to the straight glass or shaker, in fact they are a variation being that they are pretty straight. The main characteristic is they are a skinny tall glass that get slightly wider towards the top.

I bet you have guessed that from their name they are mainly used for Pilsners, but they are also used for other light beer’s as well as blonde beer’s. They are ideal for beer’s with a lot of carbonation and the wider top helps to retain the head.

I do like pilsner glasses and am happy when served a nice light beer in a pub in one of these. I have to say though, I don’t use them at home, mainly because I don’t own any (note to self, must buy some pilsner glasses).

The Chalice

These are my favorite type of beer glass, the chalice and/or goblets in my opinion enhance the beer the most. The large bowl with the slightly narrowing rim let the aromas of a beer cascade around the top of the glass ready to be enjoy at the rim.

These are particularly great for heavy malty beer’s, but I love any beer in one of these glasses. They come in different sizes, as well as different designs, some with short stems, some with longer ones. The bowls differ in size too, and shape.

I love it when I get served a beer in one of these glasses, and at home they are my go to glass.

The Ultimate Beer Glass

It is said by many beer tasting professionals and many beer enthusiasts that the Teku glass is the ultimate beer glass. I cannot comment at this point because I have never tried one, but I will be putting that right, and when I do I will come back and report my findings.

This glass has a long stem, almost like a wine glass, this stops the transfer of heat from the hands affecting the temperature of your beer. The bowl is like a chimney shape with a slight flair at the top and a very thin rim.

The glass comes from Rastal of Germany and the 3.0 version is now nucleated for that steady stream of bubbles which helps keep the head alive.

Visually I prefer a chalice, but I have to check these glasses out, who knows they may become my favorite go to beer glass.

Final Thoughts

If you prefer your beer from a bottle or can, then that is fine, but it is worth trying a few different glasses, experiment. Having explained why pouring your beer into a glass can enhance the taste, I hope you see that the visual experience and the aromas are also important in our beer drinking experience.

Can I drink beer out of any glass? Yes, and I don’t get hung up on the type of glass, but I do prefer to use a glass because of the benefits it lends to the beer. I have not included all the glass types here, but these are a good start and they are worth checking out. I intend to buy the Teku glass and I will share my thoughts in time. Share your preferences and if you have tried a new glass, what was it like?