So, beer glasses. I mostly brew ales, and generally feel that a boring old "pint glass" works fine. I sometimes switch to a Bordeaux-style wine glass for imperials (and single-malt Scotches). However, when I made my first Belgian, I lusted for tulip-shaped glasses, and likewise re Pilsners and their iconic glass shape, but I haven't seen fit to spend the money
or shelf space to accommodate this lust.
I'm really just curious, and have no objection to people indulging in "stupid expensive" glasses. Like high-end audio gear, the prices of which defy all common sense, fancy beer glasses seems quite harmless. They clearly provide some benefit, even if largely emotional. Tradition, and the more fleeting sense of coolness, are perfectly valid motivations, though tradition doesn't apply to Teku or Littala.
All this introduces my question for OP and others:
what are the perceived benefits of the glasses that some folks ballyhoo: these Iittala Essence ones beloved by
@Unicorn_Platypus, the Teku glasses with their nucleation points, etc? Aroma/flavor perception? Head retention? Physical feeling in the hand or on the lips? Appearance?
FWIW, I have an extensive glass collection. Some people collect baseball cards, I collect beer glasses.
These are far and away my favorite glasses of the dozens of kinds I own and have collected from multiple breweries.
There might be some glasses that are more specific to a certain brewery or particular style.
However, these glasses work the best universally for any beer I pour into it.
The shape of the glass knocks out carbonic acid bite and lends itself to luxurious foam, aroma and head retention.
The aromatics are similar to that of a Belgian Chalice or a large Snifter glass, but it maintains a fluffy head as well as a tulip.
It also works wonderfully with stouts and darker beers like barleywines. The malt jumps out at you in the nose.
The size of the glass is also perfect. If I want to do a half pour of something like a barleywine its not too big. But it's also not too small for a 12oz pour.
Lagers and IPAs that generally do well in less fancy glasses are also enhanced by this shape.
The glass is thin like a fine peice of crystal stemware. I enjoy the feeling of there being nothing in the way of me & the beer. When you hold this in your hand it feels like you aren't even holding a glass. The beer itself feels as if its directly in your hand with no barriers in your way.
Its designed specifically for beer and not wine. I own plenty of wine glasses too. The depth of this is a little shorter than the length of a wine glass doesn't get in the way of your nose the way a wine glass does (especially towards the last few sips) . This glass allows for fantastic aroma from the first sip to the last.
If it's not your thing fine, but you can't compare it to a wine glass. It's not a wine glass. You can't judge something you've never tried in person.
I've owned mine for 8 years and never broken them, nor have they arrived damaged.
Also, Amazon has a very liberal return policy. If the glasses were to arrive broken, you could easily get a refund. That's a silly concern. Amazon is also not the only retailer.
If anyone lives in the Boston area and wants me to pour them a beer out of them in person I'd gladly do so!
Some people have simple tastes. I have Kingly tastes. A Kingly taste requires a Kingly glass! Now I'm just being pretentiously silly
