Glassware sets the stage: beer style, drinking occasion and setting. It should have great eye appeal, fit in the hand, have correct thickness, and allow the aroma to reach the nose. Based off of the beer that you are serving utilize the following glassware:

Choosing Glassware

	Flute Elegant look.  Long and narrow design maintains carbonation and showcases sparkle.  Moves bouquet upward.  Historically served with light lagers.
	Tulip Room to swirl and support large, foamy head.  Wider body design showcases fuller body/malt character.  Historically served with Belgian ales.
	Snifter/Goblet Opens up maltiness and sweetness of full-bodied beers.  Historically served with full-bodied ales and heavier-style lagers.
	Mug/Stein Traditional toasting glass. Historically served with dark lagers, Müncheners and Märzens.
	Pilsner Shaped to channel hop aroma to the nose.  Showcases the color and clarity while capturing head retention.  Historically served with Pilsner-style and other lager beers.
	Pub Versatile glass, designed for durability and stacking.  Historically served with stouts, porters and English ales.
	Tumbler Cross between a pint and a Weiss-shaped glass.  Historically served with lagers and English pale ales.
	Weizenbeer Large in size, designed to hold volume and fluffy heads.  Captures the fruity aromas of wheat beer.  Historically served with Hefeweizens and other wheat beers.
	Chalice Narrow lip allows for a tight, pristine head.  Stem offers a place for the thumb and forefinger to keep the beer from warming as it’s consumed.  Perfect for demonstrating the nine-step Belgian pouring ritual.

Cleaning Glassware

When serving beer, it's important to have beer-ready glasses that are free from any residue that will affect the beer's flavor or appearance.  Two ways to get this level of glassware purity at home is with an automatic dishwasher or with salt.

• Automatic Dishwasher - Be careful to wash your glassware separately from other dishes.
• Clean with Salt - Sprinkle one teaspoon of salt inside glass.  Scrub with a clean brush.  Rinse out.  Allow glass to dry upside down on wire rack.
  
  

Learn how to create a beer-ready glass at home.


Glasses can look clean but may have an invisible film, odor or bacteria:

• Film - Can be caused by several factors: the wrong sanitizer or soap, grease-based residues (lipstick), food in the wash water, fingerprints, or smoke from cigarettes.
• Odors - May be left on the glasses when detergents and sanitizers are used improperly, from contact with bar towels, or from stale air in refrigerated areas.
• Bacteria - Can contaminate your glassware if your sanitizer is measured incorrectly, not changed at recommended intervals, or is incompatible with your detergent.

If any of these conditions exist, the beer can be flat, produce a false head or have an off taste.

Your glasses are beer-ready if they pass the sheeting test, salt test, or lacing test:

	Sheeting Test Dip the glass in water.  If the glass is clean, water will shed evenly off the glass when you lift it out of the water.  If the glass still has an invisible film, water will break up into droplets on the surface.
	Salt Test Sprinkle salt on the interior of a wet glass.  If the glass is clean, salt will adhere evenly to the clean surface, but will not adhere to parts that still contain a greasy film.
	Lacing Test Fill the glass with beer.  If the glass is clean, foam will adhere to the inside of the glass in parallel rings after each sip, forming a lacing pattern.  If not properly cleaned, foam will adhere in a random pattern, or may not adhere at all.