The right glass for every beer
The shape of a glass changes how a beer smells, foams and tastes. Find the shape that suits your beer, and a European shop that sells it.
Find your beer’s better half
Every shape exists for a reason. Find the one that suits your beer, and read why it works. Cheers to that.
In Cologne the glass stays small, so the beer never gets warm.
Half a litre, and room at the top for that meringue head.
Narrow to trap the aroma, flared to deliver it.
Hop aroma fades fast. This glass catches it first.
Wide, heavy, and made for trappist ales you take your time over.
Not every beer wants analysing. Some just want a pint.
A full litre, around two kilos in your hand. Prost.
Why the glass matters
Aroma.
Head.
Temperature.
A narrowing bowl gathers aroma under your nose. A flared rim or a bulb holds up the head that carries it. A stem keeps your hand from warming a beer that should stay cool. Every glass here is chosen for how it handles those three things, and every category page explains which beers it suits.
Pour it right
Three habits for a better glass
01
Rinse it cold
A quick rinse with cold water before you pour gives the foam something to cling to, and takes the edge off a glass fresh from a warm dishwasher. Bavarian bars do it with every weizen.
02
Tilt, then straighten
Start at 45 degrees and let the beer run down the side. Straighten up for the last third so the pour builds a head of two fingers or so. That head carries the aroma.
03
Hold the stem
If your glass has a stem, use it. Your hand warms the bowl faster than you’d think, and most beers are best when they warm up slowly on their own.
Newest in the shop
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Paix Dieu Glass — 25cl
A tall-stemmed balloon for Paix Dieu, the Belgian tripel famously brewed only on nights of the full moon. A glass for special occasions.
€24.99 -
Gulden Draak “Dragon Egg” Glass — 33cl
The egg-shaped glass from Van Steenberge, made for Gulden Draak and Gulden Draak 9000. Snifter-like in purpose, egg-like in shape.
€5.99 -
Dominicains Glass — 33cl
A Belgian balloon glass that closes in at the rim: the closest thing to a classic snifter in Belgian beer.
€9.99 -
Spiegelau Craft Beer Barrel Aged Glass — 48cl (set of 2)
Spiegelau’s modern snifter, shaped with American craft brewers for barrel-aged stouts and strong ales. Sold as a pair.
€26.71
Ready to pour?
Find Your Ideal Glass for Every Brew
Start with the beer you drink most. Each glass guide explains the shape, the styles it suits and how to pour, with a link to a European shop that stocks it.