The Perfect Pint?

Monday, September 28, 2009 by Allen

Labels: , , , | | |  


So you've seen the commercials, talking about how Boston Brewing Company has created a highly technical, seemingly well thought-out design for a beer glass.  Different than your typical pint glass or tall mug, this glass purports to "elevate the craft beer drinking experience" and that they have "create[d] a glass that offers beer lovers a full sensory drinking experience".  They've optimized it for drinking Sam Adams Boston Lager but the concept, to me, probably applies to most beers.  Here are the ways in which the glass hopes to accomplish delivering a superior taste, color and aroma when you drink your brew (this is from the manual they sent with the glasses).

  1. Bead inside the rim to create turbulence and release taste and aroma as beer enters the mouth - I thought there would be actual beading around the rim of the glass but this is actually a raised lip.  
  2. Narrowing the glass at the top retains hop aroma and head
  3. Rounded shape collects aromas
  4. Laser etching at the bottom creates bubbles for constant aroma release
  5. Outward lip delivers beer to front of the tongue where sweetness (malt) is tasted
  6. Thinner walls and rounded shape help maintain proper beer temperature longer
Apparently they've been out for a while but I finally got my hands on a set and was able to compare with the regular pint glass.  So - does this glass live up to the expectations?  Does their research and technical knowledge of beer enhance the drinking experience?  Do each of those 6 technical aspects do what they are supposed to?  In a nutshell, the glass didn't blow me away with its flavor boosting power, but compared to a regular glass, it definitely brings out the flavors of the beer consistently as you drink and overall works well.  They are a little expensive but I would recommend buying some if you can find them on sale or if you are getting serious about your drink.  Read on for details...

I tried two beers using this glass.  The Abita Turbodog that I reviewed previously and Brooklyn Pilsner (review forthcoming).  Both are very different beers, the Abita being brown ale, quite sweet and malty and the Brooklyn Pilsner a crisp, citrusy, hoppy lager.  The Abita I tried in a pint glass and the Sam Adams glass.


Look at that color!

Out of the 6 technical features of the glass, 4 affect aroma and the glass definitely doesn't fail here.  I guess it makes sense since aroma really helps you taste.  Seems that the main factor here is the shape of the glass which helps to bring out aroma and I think they succeeded here.  The smell of each beer was clear and at the forefront for each sip.  It really brought out the sweetness and mix of bitters of the Turbodog as compared to a sip of the same beer from a pint glass.  The sip from the pint glass seemed flat and shallow comparatively.  Aroma enhancement contributing to taste: check.


The bulbous shape brings out aroma!

In addition to the shape of the glass, there is "laser etching" at the bottom of the glass to create bubbles to release aroma.  You can kind of make out the laser etching in the picture below.


Circular laser etching at the bottom of the glass
I looked at the bubbles coming up from the bottom of the glass and did notice significantly more bubbles but not really sure in comparison to a normal pint glass since I never even noticed bubbles before (it's harder to tell in darker beers).  I will have to keep a look out for this in my next comparison.

The lip of the glass is the best part of it though.  The way it is shaped forces liquid to spread through your mouth like a flood.  Typically out of a pint glass, the liquid goes straight down your tongue which doesn't give you much chance to mix up some oxygen with the liquid which brings out flavor.  This glass, using the beaded lip to create turbulence allows air to mix with the beer prior to you tasting.  It really does do a good job in this area.  The lip is also turned outward so the liquid kinda of skips over the front of your mouth and as the liquid pours out, it spreads not only down the middle of your tongue but also to the sides and back and it does so evenly.  This way you get the full spectrum of flavor; combined with the air, this really enhances the beer experience and allows you to get more subtle flavors out of a beer than a pint glass.


Beaded and outward turned lip is key!

Boston Brewing has changed the way I will drink my beer from now on with this glass.  I think it delivers a more consistent beer drinking experience and instead of all that swishing and slurping you do to get out all those flavors while drinking you can get all that just through the shape of this glass.  I would recommend this to anyone who wants to start growing their palate and tasting more of their beer.

2 comments:

    On September 28, 2009 at 5:13 PM Anonymous said...

    who would've thought that the shape of a glass could enhance your drinking experience?

     
    On October 8, 2009 at 5:55 PM Memory Dunker said...

    Rebecca and I bought one when we went to Boston to see the Sam Adam's Brewery. The only problem is it's too delicate, i broke it while washing it. It just had a slight hit on the sink, and it shattered, cause the glass is so thin.

     

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)