Getting the most out of your beer drinking experience seems like something that all craft beer aficionados would gladly embrace. I mean, what is the point of opening a bottle of Trappist Westvleteren XII and just drinking it straight from the bottle? You just wouldn’t do it.
The point is, proper glassware is essential when imbibing on the myriad styles of brew out there in order to fully appreciate the subtle nuances of the particular style that you’re drinking.
American IPA’s have seized a fair amount of the craft beer lover’s attention, and up until now, these minions of the style have had to endure consuming these hoppy bad boys from a generic pint glass.
But no more.
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery and Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. have teamed-up to bring the craft beer world an appropriate vessel from which to drink your beloved hop-forward brew from!
These two breweries hooked up with Spiegelau USA in order to produce the IPA glass pictured. The funky design is actually quite easy to get used to, especially after experiencing the benefits of this glass. The unique ridges function to aerate the beer as it exits the glass while the tapering, narrow shape assists in amplifying hop aromas and focusing them right at your nose. There is also a laser-etched logo on the bottom of the glass which aids in sustaining carbonation and head retention.
Two bottles of Pliny the Elder were the sacrificial lambs for Blog About Beer’s experiment, which would pit a standard pint glass against this exotic new piece of glass!
The new glass is advertised as having a 19oz. capacity so it takes a bit to fill it up. Right away it is obvious that this glass really does a wonderful job at showcasing the aroma! The design allows the drinkers to really get their nose in the glass and smell all of the subtleties which are present in the beer. The flavor of the beer is consistent with the Pliny I have had in the past, but it’s the intense aroma that really calls out to be noticed.
We have all had brew out of a pint glass so there is not much to report in that area. There is less head in this glass, but the biggest difference is that Pliny’s huge citrus hop notes in the aroma are way more muted in the pint glass.
The flavor is still essentially the same in both vessels, but with the new IPA glass the aroma of the beer benefits greatly from both the wide mouth for nosing the beer, and the ridges that allow the beer to aerate as it cascades from the bottom of the glass onto the palette of happy consumers.
So get the most out of your IPA!
Get your own IPA glass on Amazon here.
Have any of you tried the IPA glass? If so, what are your thoughts?
Had the same experience myself. Took three bottles (all from the same six pack) of 60 Minute IPA, split them among three glasses (regular shaker, Sam Adams beer glass, and this glass), with each glass getting 4 oz from each bottle. The hop aroma was the biggest differentiating factor and it was quite a pronounced difference (my wife noticed the difference right away too). Taste was equivalent between the Sam and IPA glass, though the Sam seemed to keep the beer a little cooler. Overall I found it a worthy investment.
Thanks for the comment Dave. I haven’t tried the Sam Adams glass, so thanks for the sharing your experiment. Yeah, the aroma definitely is the defining feature of the glass. Cheers!
Have the glass. Found that I didn’t need to experiment. Immediately noticed the difference in aroma’s focus to the nose..(amazing). Also the aeration properties of the glass is also very evident, giving the aroma another boost. Worth every penny. That being said there is room for improvement. Glass is very thin and delicate which adds elegance and sophistication if thats your thing. I might opt for sturdy and insulating. By the way, I get all the Bell’s hopslam I can drink when in season but cant get Pliny, anyone have a solution…….(trade!?)
If you’re not refrigerating your glasses before hand, then having a thinner glass will actually keep your beer colder, longer than a thick-walled glass. It has to do with the idea of thermal mass. If you have a 300g glass at room temperature and you pour a cold beer into it, it will warm much faster than a 150g glass at the same temperature.
If you keep your glasses at fridge temperature then, yes, the thicker/heavier glass will keep the beer colder longer.
The glass is definitely thin. The glasses make a very “wine glass” like sound of *tink*, while all my other beer glasses go more *tunk*. Definitely never leaving the house.
I bought two of these glasses as my preferred beer style is IPA/DIPA. Definitely found the “nose” to be more concentrated with this vs. the standard pint glass. I have some Spiegelau tulip glasses as well and really appreciate the quality. I also however fret about breaking the thin glass, so none of my Spiegelau glassware ever leaves my house. I rarely rely on red Solo cups when going to a party, but tend to use a thick walled pint glass as the best compromise of beer drinking experience vs. sturdiness.
Ryan,
Did you purchase these glasses in Vancouver or Portland? If so, where?
Hi Jon,
I purchased the glass at Belmont Station in Portland! If you’ve never been there it is an amazing bottle shop and beer bar!
They are also available on Amazon if Belmont happens to be out.
Thanks for reading!
I just ordered these glasses. I see the logic of’em, and they look cool. But i’m thinking, the lower part that ‘replenishes’ the head, isn’t that something that one wants with all types of beer? Also with aroma. Is there only the aspects of IPAs that are enhanced? Would this work better with any beer? Just a thought.