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pascott6 said:
Does the shape of a glass really make a difference in taste?

Potentially. Taste is directly related to smell. That's why you can't taste well when congested.

A glass that concentrates aroma should have some effect on the taste.
 
Yes....prove it to yourself...pour into two different shapes and find out.
 
It actually does. I used to dismiss it as people being overly prissy about drinking beer but drinking a Belgian Trappist ale out of a pint glass as opposed to a chalice can really change the flavor and aroma of the beer (for the worse, imo).

My Biere du Boucaniere snifter/tulip/whatever is my favorite glass since it holds a decent amount of beer but doesn't kill the aroma. It's my go-to glass.
 
A year or so back some freinds and I put this to the test. My friend had some of the Sam Adams Boston lager glasses, and I did not believe they really were worth the money.

So we got a nice fresh case of Boston Lager, sat down, and did some science!

We tested three diffrent glasses:
1. 16oz Shaker "Pint" Glass (I believe there was something either beer related and/or humorous written on them)
2. 14oz Libbey 3815 Footed Pilsner glass http://www.waresdirect.com/products/Restaurant-Supply/Libbey-Glassware/14-Oz-Pilsner3241?trackURL=shopzilla
3. The Sam's Boston Lager glass.

We poured out 3 full glasses for each person (4) and tasted repeatedly as the beer levels droped and temperature rised.

We found there was a noticeable diffrence in the flavor and overall aroma profile and intensity.

The Shaker was much less noticeably aeromatic, and that affected its overall flavor. You more noticed just body and bubbles.

The Pilsner had a nice rich noble hop character which remained througout the glass, this helped bring out both more percieved hop flavor (as you got a nice nose full as you took a sip) as well as helped heighten balance in the beers flavor.

The Sam's Boston Lager glass also enhanced the aroma and percieved flavor, but not significantly more than the pilsner.

Primarily our purpose was to debunk the sam's glass, and we kinda did, If you happen to have the libbey pilsners the sam's glasses just don't give you significantly more. But in comparison to the Shaker, the diffrence was NIGHT and DAY.

The 4 of us came to unanimous agreement that the glass did noticeably have a diffrence in the experience. And shakers don't seem to do much very well. But they are practicaly free, every beer event gives them away I don't think I have paid for one shaker glass myself!
 
I was actually just thinking about buying some Libbey glasses as I'm looking for some good glasses but didn't want to break the bank. Anyone used these before? I figure 12 for 20 bucks can't be the best glasses, but the reviews on Amazon were good.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=16698261

If you have better suggestions of where to get good affordable glasses, by all means.

Oh, and yes, in my opinion, the glass does make a difference. Never drink from a bottle.
 
Well I do know most of the resturaunts and beer places around here use Libbey. You don't see a lot of flaws and they have some bounce so they usualy hold up good to mishandeling and dishwasher stress.

I think they are cheap just on account of the volume, I can't think of one resturaunt back room that doesn't have a STACK of libbey cases in it.

Edit: I SWEAR I don't work for Libbey.
 
I was actually just thinking about buying some Libbey glasses as I'm looking for some good glasses but didn't want to break the bank. Anyone used these before? I figure 12 for 20 bucks can't be the best glasses, but the reviews on Amazon were good.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=16698261

If you have better suggestions of where to get good affordable glasses, by all means.

Oh, and yes, in my opinion, the glass does make a difference. Never drink from a bottle.

I don't see anything wrong with those, in fact it looks like a set I'd thought about getting. I didn't get the set only because I already have a ton of glasses.
 
I was actually just thinking about buying some Libbey glasses as I'm looking for some good glasses but didn't want to break the bank. Anyone used these before? I figure 12 for 20 bucks can't be the best glasses, but the reviews on Amazon were good.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=16698261

If you have better suggestions of where to get good affordable glasses, by all means.

Oh, and yes, in my opinion, the glass does make a difference. Never drink from a bottle.

Interesting link - I like these:

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=15839406&RN=58&

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=15855835&RN=58&
 
Yes, the shape of a glass has a very significant impact on flavor and aroma. I use a large snifter for most barleywine, tulip or snifter for most stout, pilsner glass for most light lagers and lambics/sour beers, branded glassware (or the most similar shape) for most belgians, etc.
Also, i've found that for small quantities of very strong beers (at least 8.5 percent) the Glencairn Whisky Glass is excellent. It's my preffered glass whenever I have any Samichlaus :drunk:
 
I never thought of using the Glencarin for big beers.(awsome whisky glass) I have lill 5oz snifters though. Makes splitting a 120 or some such giant beer in a 12oz bottle very nice between 3-4.
 
I don't have any snifters that small, but I ought to get some and compare with the Glencairn, but I have a feeling that the longer neck on the Glencairn would do better with the aromas.
 
I have a 24oz leather jack that keeps my stout at the perfect drinking temp, but I don't recommend it for beer with less body. It just doesn't develop the aroma. What I've been having trouble finding is honest Imperial (20oz) pint glasses. I found two Murphy's Stout Imperials on line, but one of them has since succumbed to the rigors of life. Even finding 16 oz pint glasses can be difficult around here. You will find glasses listed as pints, and find that they only hold 12 - 14 oz. Sacrilege!
 

Yea, I like those first ones you listed as well. If it were up to me I'd just get the english pub glasses from my link but they seem to always come in a package of 3 different types. I don't need any more pilsners, but I need some pub style or imperials. Can't find them for an affordable price anywhere.
 

Yep, got that same set and couldn't be happier with them. Tough, clear, and make me feel like a real beer guy....until I drink a stout, barleywine, etc. But besides that, love them.

I've noticed beers changing flavor, or at least perceived flavor, based on glassware type. Even the way the beer pours varies with glass style. The 'pints' in the Libbey set above let a eal nice head develop, but not like the kinda hefe glasses. Interesting stuff. Kyle
 
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I was going to take my Corsendonk glass to the next beer meeting for tasting. Is this a good style to use?
 
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