My feelings on proper glassware are well-documented. I insist on drinking beer from a glass whenever possible. But, we all know glassware can get expensive. There are almost as many varieties of glasses as there are styles of beer. I remember when the Boston Beer Company released their specialty beer glasses, and many drinkers, myself included, balked at the price. Now, the Spiegelau glass makers of Germany have released their ‘Beer Classics’ line, in a sense taking things up a notch:

Throughout the world, there is a fast growing range of different beers just waiting to be discovered. In order to get most out of the characteristics of beer (appearance, aroma, taste, finish) it is essential to choose the right glass. To cover all these aspects, we at Spiegelau used our expertise and 500 years experience in making crystal to develop three elegant, especially thin blown beer glasses matching the world‘s most common beer styles.

I certainly agree with those first two sentences. The new glass designs include a 14 oz. stemmed glass recommended for Belgian-style beers and pilsners, a 16 oz. footed glass for general lagers and ales, and a 17.5 oz glass for wheat beers. These glasses come in sets of two in a unique tube package. And, they sell for about $15.00 per glass. That’s a lot of beer that could be had for the money one would spend to acquire a set of two in each style. How much is too much? Fine glassware for wines is not uncommon, and we often lament that beer doesn’t seem to merit same respect that wine receives. I am sure this is very nice glassware and I certainly wouldn’t mind adding these to my assemblage. Though I wonder if the apparent trend towards pricey beer glasses is the sort of equality we hoped for. However, if high-end glassware causes folks to sit up and take notice, then I’m all for it.

A color brochure for the new glass line can be found here.

(Via Musings Over a Pint.)

My own thoughts tend to follow David here. While no one would like to choose between paying for glassware and paying for the beer to put in it (since the former is pointless without the latter), drinking a beer from “the right glass” can and does impact the taste. A chalice or tulip full of murky amber Belgian trippel is almost a totally different beer than a tumbler or—gasp—a bottle of the same brew.

Local (and not so local) places like Novare Res, Great Lost Bear, and Ebenezer’s recognize this fact. That is why you will see rows and rows of barware hanging at each, and rows and rows of customers waiting to order. The beer at these three, and others like them, is generally better (and more expensive) than some other Friday night haunts, and so is the tasting experience. It’s not the whole equation, but it’s an important part.

So, what is a budding beer connoisseur on a budget to do? $15/glass crystal is not really practical, but there are cheaper alternatives to be had. First and foremost, realize that you only need a few different types of glasses to enhance your home sampling. Start with a good web beer guide, such as the one offered by BeerAdvocate.com. Find your favorite two or three types of beer, and pick up a few appropriate glasses. A pair of tulips or chalices if you like Belgian ales (the tulips are generally more versatile), a couple proper tumblers for you hopheads out there, or a set of nice tall Weizen glasses for wheat beer fans, and you’re on your way.

After acquiring your glasses, do a side-by-side comparison of your favorite beer in its new glass, in a straight-sided American pint glass, and out of the bottle. Invite some friends over and get their thoughts, too. A nice glass won’t turn a Bud Light into a great lager, but it can open your senses to some of the nuances of your latest trappist gem which you may have been missing. Cheers!

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The Expensive Glassware Conundrum

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Good luck with the contest, Luke, and congrats on a year in the beer blogosphere!

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Win Some Schwag from BlogAboutBeer.com

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Fellow MBWG Member Gets First Byline

Novare Res is a great idea. The deck is beautiful and the location is tucked away, which helps keep the ‘riffraff out,’ as Michaud says. The beer selection is astounding, and truly encapsulates every different type of brew you can think of. But Novare Res still has some kinks to work out…

and

The crowd is for the most part straight off work, and unlike many post-workday bars, Andy’s lacks any noticeable filth factor. It is well-lit, clean and carries a warm atmosphere that immediately induces comfort. The two TVs were tuned to ESPN, but this is no sports bar, as the talking heads of “Around the Horn” were uniformly ignored.

John is looking at the overall bar experience rather than just the beer selection, but I found his writing to be funny and most of his opinions spot on. I’m not entirely sure how he managed to skip Great Lost Bear, especially given that he ventured as far from the Old Port as CJ’s Place, but he did manage to visit a wide variety of venues. I’ve only been to maybe a third of the establishments he covered, so I’ve now got a new checklist of places to check out during upcoming weekends out. Thanks, John, for a great look at some good bars in our little city. Best of luck in your future endeavors.

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Loads of Portland Bar Reviews

Until now, that is.

The brainchild of Jay Brooks, International Brewers Day is a day to “honor the great men and women who make the beer we love.”

Brewers have given so many of us the pleasure of their artistry and enriched our lives with their beer since civilization began. So I think it’s time we recognized their efforts by celebrating their lives, their commitment and their craft. We’re all beer people, but without the brewers what would we be drinking?

July 18 was chosen because that is the feast day of St. Anou of Metz (a.k.a. St. Arnold), the best known patron saint of brewers.

How to celebrate? Well, drink beer for one. Profile your favorite brewmaster. Hold an event. Hug your favorite brewer. Petition Hallmark to create greeting cards for the occasion. Whatever you do, tell the world about it.

For more information, please check out the official International Brewers Day website. And get ready to Hug a Brewmaster on July 18, 2008.

Thanks to Al at Hop Talk for bringing this event to our attention.

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International Brewers Day – July 18

(Via Beer Activist.)

Wow, where can I get me a mom like that?

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Drink, Don’t Drive

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Finding Great Beer in NYC

After a “get together for a beer” at Great Lost Bear last week, Russ from Beer, Maine & Me, Luke from A Blog About Beer, and I formed the Maine Beer Writers’ Guild. Beer and Maine seem to go together like beer and, well, just about anything really. Microbrewed “craft” beer flourishes here, as does its appreciation. So it should come as no surprise—especially with the recent rise in popularity of both craft beer & blogging—that a number of beer-themed blogs and print publications have been popping up across the state. But there has been no way to connect these local beer writers and enthusiasts with one another—until now.

While similar organizations exist on a national scale (The British Guild of Beer Writers & the North American Guild of Beer Writers), the Maine Beer Writers’ Guild is believed to be the first such organization which exists on a local, state level.

Our goals are simple: to promote better beer writing and celebrate Maine’s craft brew culture. Meetings will be held on a monthly basis, beginning with an April 2nd meeting at Gritty McDuff’s on Fore Street in Portland.

For more information on the Maine Beer Writers’ Guild and its members, to join (writers), or to help with a future meeting (publicans & brewers), visit www.mainebeerwriters.org.

Update: Giving credit where credit is due, the MBWG is apparently not the first state beer writers’ organization. The New Jersey Association of Beer Writers pre-dates us by at least a year. Oh well.

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Announcing the Maine Beer Writers’ Guild

If you love beer, you’re probably familiar with Portland, Oregon. But it may surprise you that America’s original Portland, in Maine, is a top beer destination in its own right. This old port city of 60,000 turns out an amazing quantity, and variety, of good beer.

Portland’s evolution into a beer Mecca began in 1980, when Alan Eames, who later won fame as a beer historian, opened Three Dollar Dewey’s (241 Commercial Street). While its name comes from the favors offered by Klondike prostitutes, its atmosphere is reminiscent of Britain, not the Yukon. According to a Portland beer writer, Eames’s pub “educated an entire generation of beer drinkers.” Having discovered a world beyond mass-market lagers, they were ready when craft brewing came to Maine.

The pub is large and roomy, with brick walls, wooden floors, and low ceilings. It’s full of long wooden tables where locals meet and visitors relax after shopping or a harbor cruise. The three-sided bar in back is perfect for reading the paper and munching popcorn while enjoying one of the three dozen beers on tap. Most are brewed by New England micros, but there’s also a good selection from the British Isles, including an “Irish Blacklist” of combination drinks made with stout.

I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never actually been in Three Dollar Dewey’s. For some reason I’ve always just walked by on my way to other Old Port destinations. I will have to correct that oversight the next time I’m downtown. The article goes on to mention such other Portland beer stalwarts as Gritty McDuff’s and the Stone Coast Brewing. And, of course, what description of Portland Maine would be complete without a mention of our nationally acclaimed beer destination, The Great Lost Bear?

Overall, this was a very nice little write up. I might have added mention of the Sebago Brew Pub as well, it certainly hits most of the highlights. Plan your own trip up here and see for yourself. And if you’re looking for a beer festival near you, be sure to browse over to BeerFestivals.org.

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Portland, Maine – A Beer Destination

Jasmine of Beer at Joe’s was kind enough recently to write about herself on Hop Talk as part of our Women of the Beerosphere series. She pointed out that she prefers pubs and microbreweries that offer half pints of beer so that she could sample more than one brew. One full pint would fill her up, not to mention that women absorb and metabolize alcohol differently than men.

I received a good review from a friend of The Pub Shoppe, an online store that sells all sorts of pub related items, including 10 oz English style pub glasses. They actually list them as ‘ladies size.’ The Pub Shoppe also sells things like signs, dartboards, and clothing.

If you know of a good place to get beer glasses and other beer related items, please let us know!

© Hop Talk — A Pub Glass for the Ladies

(Via Hop Talk.)

I think I’ll need to order a few of these to complement my beerware collection. We both drink some stronger beers at home and having a proper sized glass would allow us the opportunity to enjoy more than one. It would also make splitting those 22 oz. corked, caged bottles I’ve been buying lately a bit easier.

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A Pub Glass for the Ladies