BeerBorg

Spiegelau is at it again, reinventing new standards for taking the beer drinking experience to the next level. They've collaborated with Bell's Brewery in Michigan and created the new Wheat Beer glass that is designed to fully enhance the aromas and flavors of wheat beers, from American wheats to Berliner Weiss and every wheat style in between! The shape is very familiar yet slightly different from the other two glasses they designed for IPAs and Stouts.

https://bellsbeer.com/store/products/Be ... Glass.html

I read about this stuff, things like the special glasses from Sam Adams, etc. I have never tried a side by side comparison to see if I notice any difference. I truly believe that most of people's perceptions on these types of things are either a) BS, b) said by some professed "connoisseur" that makes their living showing how they are better than others and/or c) marketing hype.

I'd love to see a side by side test where the subject was blindfolded and not allowed to hold the glass and feel the shape.

For years I used heavy beer mugs. Then a pewter mug I put in the freezer. Then, tall glasses personalized for Michigan. Now pint glasses like any bar has (but true pints) bought at Bed, Bath.

I myself would never do such a test for fear that IF I talked myself into noticing a difference I'd have to buy the glasses...

Here's a review from Beer Advocate for Founder's Porter that I saw the other day. Contrast it with my review of the beer:

Pours a very deep, dark brown, appearing nearly pitch black if you're in a room that isn't well lit - a very tiny amount of light is allowed to pass through this one. The head is nice and tan, made of tiny bubbles with a fine definition and moderate retention.

The aroma is full of milky chocolates and roasted malts; it gives off a very nutty and woodsy smell as well, reminding me of roasting marshmallows over a campfire. Very robust, powerful, and commanding. Slight hints of char and smoked goodness wrap this one up. Between some of the sweet malts and smoky characters, this makes for one of the more complex and unique porter aromas out there.

The flavor follows the nose profile right along, super nutty and toasty from the get-go. A slight hint of coffee beans sits in the immediate background, along with a nice dose of creamy chocolates and cocoa powder. This one has a very low to moderate floral essence to it, imparting a tiny bit of extra bitterness midway through to balance out the sweetness - it works very well.

Other bitterness is mainly contributed from some of the darker malts, in the form of ashy, burnt wood and bittersweet cocoa. The beer ends with an obviously malt-heavy finish, leaning more towards the sweet chocolate and dry nuttiness side. Medium-heavy body - the mouth feel on this porter is one of the best ever. Silky, smooth, creamy, fluffy - carbonation is just right, letting the flavors pop without being astringent.

This porter is pretty amazing. The best one I've had to date. Even better than Eddy Fitz in my opinion (although that is some righteous shit, too). Great smell, amazing flavor profile, orgasmic mouth feel - and still only around 9-10$ for a sixer. You can't beat that.

What's a "hint of char"? I couldn't tell "creamy chocolate" from "cocoa powder" I don't think.

My review - damn good porter.

Personally, I just think they look really sharp and elegant. Whether or not there's any discernible difference in the way a beer tastes using different glassware may be a moot conversation. It's a small bit of hipster or beersnob or whatever in me, but I want one of each.

I went to a Spiegelau tasting at Yazoo and here's my take. I went into it thinking it was all bovine scatology, but we went through several beer styles, with pours in standard shakers side-by-side with an appropriate Spiegelau glass, and I must say that there is a difference, especially with the IPA glass. Also, for Belgians and the like, IMHO there is a huge difference in using a bowl or snifter as opposed to a pint glass. Yazoo was using various Spiegelau glassware paired with the styles for a while at the taproom, which was quite awesome, but too much of it walked off and they are now back to standard shakers except for the samplers and Sue (which are both in snifters). Again, this is all MHO, and maybe some of it was because I was being told there was a difference, but I like to think that I went into the side-by-sides with a very skeptical mindset and came away with my mind changed...

From my experience it seems that any glass that gets a bit narrower at the end really seems to bring out the smells. I've noticed it can make a big deal with IPAs and Rauchbiers.

I tried the same IPA from the Spieglau IPA and Stout glass but I didn't notice any difference. They were both better than the normal pint glasses though.


And RickBeer I think some of those people just feel better about being able to describe more tastes and flavors than others. They certainly can taste a lot more things than I would ever pick up on in a beer.