Quicklist: Beer Glasses
- Weizenbier
- Pilsner
- Footed Pilsner
- Tulip Pint
- Conical Pint
- Nonic Pint
- Willi Becher
- Stange
- Flute
- Pokal
- Snifter
- Goblet
- Chalice
- Oversized Wine
- Tulip
- Thistle
- Tumbler
- Hopside Down
- Yard
- Boot
- Stein
- Dimpled Mug
- Tankard
- Oktoberfest Mug
A pint is a pint is a pint, right? Think again. Amazingly, there are 24 different types of beer glasses for the many different types of beer. And that’s just beer glasses… when it comes to glassware, there are many types of glassware.
Related: Types of Bar Glasses | Types of Wine Glasses | Types of Decanters | Types of Cork Stoppers
Beer Glass Chart
1. Weizenbier
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Generally used to serve wheat beer, these glasses are often mistaken for Pilsner glasses, but they actually have a curve to them whereas Pilsner glasses feature straight, angled sides.
They are a little taller than a typical pint glass, and the wider top works to both provide room for the typical fully wheat beer head and also allow some of the aroma to escape.
While it’s popular for some bars and restaurants to stick a piece of fruit on the rim of this glass to complement the beer’s flavor, but be aware that doing so can destroy the foam head of your beer, so remove the fruit right away if you want the beer to keep its foamy head.
2. Pilsner
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These glasses are perfect for a lighter beer, such as a Pilsner, from which they get their name. While they do vary in size, their standard shape is formed to allow your beer to stay carbonated.
The broader top ensures that your beer keeps its head. These skinny and tall glasses will have a little curve towards the bottom, but will straighten out up to the top.
The skinny shape of the glass ensures you can see the carbonation of your beer, while the broader opening enhances the aromas of your beer.
Pilsner glasses come in a variety of sizes, so choose ones large enough that you are not always filling up your glass.
3. Footed Pilsner
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Very similar to a Pilsner glass, these have a small foot on them, generally an inch or less. It is not a long enough stem to hold your glass, the way a wine glass stem is, so it does not do much in terms of keeping the warmth of your hand from affecting the flavor of your beer.
Pilsner glasses, however, are ideal for drinking a lot of different kinds of beer. Footed Pilsner glasses are also known as a European Pilsner.
They are often compared to taller and stretched out fluted glasses, or tulip pints. The crisp and bright Pilsners you pour in these glasses will stay light and bubbly.
4. Tulip Pint
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The bulb shape of this bowl allows you to gently swirl your beer so you can really enjoy the flavor and aroma of what you are about to drink.
With a slight outward curve in the lip, they are designed perfectly to keep a large head on the beer. These glasses are appreciated because of how well they improve not only the aroma, but also the physical appearance of the beer.
They have a short stem, but it is large enough so you can hold onto your glass without worrying about warming your beer. In addition, the broad base of the glass ensures it will not fall over if you accidentally knock into it while drinking.
5. Conical Pint
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Pint glasses are some of the most common beer glasses you will find on the market. If you go to a local bar and order a beer, it will most likely be served in a regular, conical pint glass.
While this is not a specialized glass that will bring out the best in your beer the way a Pilsner or tulip pint will, it’s still a great option, as they are open enough at the top so you can really enjoy the aroma of the beer you are drinking.
While many different kinds of beer glasses are available in a number of materials, pint glasses are generally only available in glass, crystal or acrylic.
6. Nonic Pint
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These pint glasses are very similar to conical glasses, but they have an outward bulge in the glass a few inches from the top. Besides being attractive, this bulge serves a number of purposes.
It reduces the likelihood that a beer will be dropped because it is easier to grip, keeps the rim from chipping, and makes them easier to stack. Besides all that, they have all of the benefits of the conical pint glass, including making it easy for drinkers to see their beer.
The bulge can be a little more difficult to clean than the straight-edged conical pint, so you will have to make sure you thoroughly clean these glasses when you are done using them.
7. Willi Becher
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Long considered the standard German glass, this glass is very popular for a number of reasons. The glass is conical up to a few inches below the top, where it very gently curves back inwards a little.
This opening, while not as small as some other beer glasses by any means, is still a lot smaller when compared to a typical conical pint glass. Again, it is due to the opening and the overall shape of the glass that makes drinking out of them so pleasant.
While many beer glasses have been optimized for a certain type of beer, most any beer will be delicious when served in this glass, making it a great choice for a home bar on a budget.
8. Stange
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Perfect for carrying multiple beers at once, as they can be easily slipped into a special tray, these tall, cylindrical, and narrow glasses are not only enjoyable to look at, but to also drink out of.
They showcase the color and carbonation of the beer due to their shape. There are a number of other names you may use for this glass, including rod, pole, or stick glass. While more recent stange glasses are getting larger and larger, they are typically only able to hold about 6.5 ounces.
They are used with very delicate types of beer so that the volatiles will be concentrated, allowing the drinker to really be able to enjoy the flavor. You wouldn’t want to drink a very strong or heavy beer out of this glass, as it may make it not as enjoyable to drink.
9. Flute
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These glasses are incredibly similar to champagne glasses due to the shape and the benefits they offer. They are usually used to serve fruit beers, and their shape showcases the color and active carbonation, making them fun to drink out of.
They differ from champagne glasses in that they don’t have as long of a stem, making it easier to accidentally heat up your drink — the heat from your hand can ruin the carbonation of your beer.
10. Pokal
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These classy glasses can be used almost interchangeably with the conical pint glass as well as add a little more flair to the beer that you are enjoying. They sit on a stem that is about an inch tall and have a foot to ensure you can’t easily knock over your glass.
The narrow mouth combined with the slightly larger bottom ensures all of the aroma of your beer is directed to your nose and mouth when you take a sip, which greatly increases the pleasure.
It’s important for you to look for a glass that has a smooth curve between the lip and the bowl, as you don’t want your beer to be interrupted when you are drinking from an uneven surface. A smooth transition between the bowl and the lip ensures the best drinking experience.
11. Snifter
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These glasses are generally only used when serving cognac and brandy, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use them for your beer. They are great at enhancing the flavor and aroma of your drink, just as they do for certain liquor.
They are rather small and bulbous, with a much smaller opening than the other glasses. Sitting on a very small stem, they look like you can easily fill them up with a lot of beer, but it’s best to resist this impulse. You don’t want to fill the glass too full, as that will stop you from being able to fully enjoy your beer.
Their unique shape allows the drinker to swirl their beer, which will improve the aromatics and overall drinking experience. Beer lovers generally use sniffers when they are going to be drinking very strong beer.
12. Goblet
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This is a large, bowl-shaped glass that sits on a thick stem. They are perfect for serving heavy beers and offer a wide opening which makes it very easy to fully enjoy your drink.
The stem is there to ensure you do not accidentally warm the beer with your hand. Goblets tend to have much thicker glass walls than chalices, and sometimes this is the only way to really tell them apart. Goblets also have taller stems than chalices do, although it can be very difficult to tell the two types of glasses apart.
When selecting a goblet for home use, you will want to make sure it fits comfortably in your hand, is large enough that you won’t have to fill it repeatedly, and that its style and décor matches your personality.
13. Chalice
Source: Houzz
Incredibly similar to goblets, chalices are perfect for a hearty type of beer. Choose one that has straight sides if you are going to be drinking a beer that does not have a large head, otherwise you will want sizes that slightly curve in so they can hold the large head in place.
Chalices have thinner glass walls than goblets do, and this presents your beer in a very dramatic fashion. They look great if you are going to have a vintage party, and will remind people of drinking at feasts in castles.
14. Oversized Wine
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These glasses are very similar to a goblet or a chalice and are generally used to serve craft beers. They offer a lot of flexibility of what kinds of beer you can serve, which is making them very popular among homebrew enthusiasts.
The bowl can generally hold more than 20 ounces, and the long stem ensures it will remain at a constant temperature while you are drinking. When you have trouble finding an oversized wine beer glass, you can easily substitute a large chardonnay or cabernet glass.
They have a similar size and shape, although the beer glass will be a lot larger.
15. Tulip
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Not only does a tulip glass work perfectly to trap the aroma of your beer so you can enjoy the smell with every sip, but it also helps build and maintain a large head, which can be visually pleasing.
Their bulb-shaped bowl will allow you to gently swirl your beer to increase the aroma, and the curved lip is functional as well as attractive.
Tulip and pokal glasses are often mistaken for each other, but you can tell them apart by the curve below the lip of the tulip glass.
16. Thistle
Source: Houzz
The thistle glass is a little shorter than the tulip and has a much more pronounced bulge at the bottom. This works to trap the aroma of the beer so you can enjoy every sip.
This glass also has a lip that doesn’t curve as much as the tulip does, and is generally used to serve Scottish ales. While it does have an opening at the top about the same size as the tulip glass, it appears to be more pronounced because the glass has a more pronounced curve in it between the bowl and the lip.
17. Tumbler
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Easy to hold and drink out of, the tumbler is very similar to a conical pint, but does not have completely smooth sides the way a pint glass does.
This design makes it a little easier to hold. There is plenty of room at the opening of the glass to allow your beer head to form, and you will be able to easily get your nose near your drink so you can smell it.
They are easy to stack and clean due to their straight walls, making them a favorite at home bars and in restaurants.
18. Hopside Down
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This double-walled beer glass does a great job insulating your drink while making everyone laugh due to its clever shape and appearance. It makes a great gift for anyone who loves to drink beer and enjoys humor with their beverage.
It is shaped like an upside down beer bottle inside of a regular conical pint glass. With a large opening, you’ll experience all of the benefits of a conical pint glass, including less chances of accidentally warming your beer due to the double-walled insulation.
While drinking out of this beer glass, you will enjoy all of the benefits of a pint glass without having to worry about warming up your beer. In addition, beer drinkers who love their bottled beers will still be able to enjoy a pint with their friends.
19. Yard
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This is an extremely tall beer glass that is generally used for drinking about 2.5 pints of beer. The actual volume will depend on the diameter of the glass.
There is a bulb at the bottom and a gently widening shaft to the top. Because of their shape, height, and difficulty in staying upright, they are often served with a supportive wooden structure. While you can drink out of them at your favorite bar, they are often more common at celebrations such as Oktoberfest.
Don’t forget to set your glass down with its wooden support, otherwise it will easily fall over.
20. Boot
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This glass has a long history with soldiers who enjoy drinking out of the boot to celebrate a successful victory.
It’s important to know how to drink from them correctly so you do not end up with beer spilled all over you. Instead of holding the boot with the toe away from your body, make sure to drink with the toe pointed towards you.
21. Stein
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These mugs are generally ornamental and can be made out of a variety of materials, including glass, stoneware, silver, wood, crystal, porcelain and pewter.
They usually have lids that are operated by a hinge you can control with your thumb, come in a number of different sizes, and are generally well-decorated. Steins are available in many places nowadays, but they are mostly used as ornaments and not for drinking.
Most people would prefer to drink out of a tankard, mug, or pint instead. Of course, at an Oktoberfest celebration, your stein may fit right in with the ones your friends are using.
22. Dimpled Mug
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Traditionally used in England, these mugs are now very popular in America, where people love how sturdy they are. The sides are mostly straight, while some do have a slight curve to them.
They come with a strong handle, and the dimples serve a dual purpose. Not only do they make the mug easier to hold so you are less likely to spill and have an accident, but they also make it easy to measure how much beer you have poured.
This is great when you are at a party and want to make sure you can monitor how much beer you are putting in each mug. They are shorter than a tankard or a tumbler, and many people are quite taken with their squat shape.
23. Tankard
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Very similar to the more popular beer stein, these beer glasses don’t always have lids on them. They do have one handle and are cylindrical. Made of many materials, including glass, pewter, ceramic, wood, and even leather, they are often given as gifts more than they are used as a functional glass.
They have a very thick wall, which ensures your beer will be insulated from the warmth of your hand and of the air.
The clear glass enables you to enjoy the color and clarity of your beer, as well as keep an eye on the head, and on the carbonation, while you are drinking.
24. Oktoberfest Mug
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These are huge mugs that will generally hold about 33 ounces of your favorite beer. Like an oversized dimpled mug, they have a sturdy handle and the dimpled pattern that is so popular on German beer mugs.
The thick walls help to insulate the beer and will prevent the mug from chipping easily if you set it down too quickly on a hard surface.
These thick walls also make sure that when you are clinking glasses with your family or friends you won’t accidentally damage your glass. They are hard to stack and to store, but make a great conversation piece when you have people over for a party.
Top Brands
Libbey
Source: Amazon
Known for its well-made glassware, Libbey is a leader in all things drinking vessels. The brand’s line of craft beer glasses is beautiful and designed to last. Check out the Libbey Craft Beer Belgian Ale glasses that feature a stemmed, tulip-shaped design.
Not only are these glasses specially designed for serving and sipping on this specific type of beer, but they’re also quite stylish and highly functional. They make a great gift for a craft beer lover or to stock up your kitchen at home.
Many people appreciate how a specific silhouette elevates the experience of drinking beer, and these glasses definitely fit the bill. You can find them on Amazon in a set of four 16-ounce glasses and they come securely packaged. They’re also dishwasher safe, so you can clean them easily after a party or gathering.
Will Becher
If you’re looking for an awesome, go-to pint glass, check out the options by Will Becher. These sleek, tall, and stylish beer glasses are perfect for a variety of applications. Will Becher makes delicious ales, lagers, and German wheat beers, so if you’re a fan of these beverages, definitely check out their pint glasses.
The traditional design has a touch of contemporary styling with tall, tapered sides that encourage proper head retention as you sip. They’re also quite comfortable and easy to hold, and they’re pretty durable, too.
Look for the Will Becher pint glass in a variety of fun prints and designs, too. Whether you want to get some pint glasses specially printed for your business or as a gift, you can get these awesome glasses custom-made using a digital printing process.
JoyJolt
Source: Amazon
Grab a set of JoyJolt beer glasses to get the party started. The brand’s Grant set of four Bar Glasses have a nice, hefty weight and feature a 5.75” height. These glasses can hold up to 10 ounces of a variety of different beers including ale, stout, craft beer, lager, bitter, or home brews, just to name a few.
Not only are they stylish and extremely versatile, but they’re also dishwasher-safe and will fit easily on the top rack of most machines.
Every ale glass is made with a thick, rolled rim. The set of four beer glasses arrives to you securely in bubble wrap inside of a thick box, so they’re perfect for gifting. as well.
Not only does JoyJolt sell these everyday glasses, but the brand sells fun, Star Wars-themed glasses, and other designs, too. You’ll also find other fun themes, including Disney and Mickey Mouse designs, colorful rainbow glasses, trendy can-shaped glassware, and a whole lot more all available from JoyJolt and its participating retailers.
The company sells everything from fun stemless wine glasses to double-wall insulated coffee glasses and a ton of other options. You can find many of their products on Amazon or visit the brand’s website to see what other new, fun products they have available.
Rastal
Source: Amazon
The Harmony Wine Glasses by Rastal work for all kinds of drinks, from water and wine to beer. These sleek glasses have a smaller mouth tapering that gradually goes down to a wide bowl. This allows the aromatics of your beer or wine to be concentrated, providing you with a better sipping experience.
While these stemless glasses were once only used for wine, they’re growing in popularity for use with beer, too. The glasses are made of lead-free, high-quality crystal and are dishwasher-safe for easy cleaning.
Of course, Rastal also makes several different “official” beer glasses, including the beautifully made Perl Goblet Pilsner Glass. This glass works well for Lager and Kolsch beer styles and is a favorite of beer-tasting professionals and enthusiasts.
The fancy glass is also a ton of fun to serve colorful cocktails and other beverages. The glass sits atop a durable, footed base and features a tall, elegant, and slim cylinder for an ultra-modern look. All Rastal products come from the family-run business in Germany and the brand makes approximately 120 million glasses every year.
The brand has been doing business for 100 years and is now a highly regarded company that offers products to consumers as well as professional clients working in the national and international hospitality, beverage, and catering markets.
Where to Buy Beer Glasses
Webstaurant
Webstaurant provides restaurants with an online shopping portal that has everything they need, from beer glasses to beer dispensers.
Each variety of glass will have dozens of potential options from which to choose. Even without venturing into bulk purchases, the price and quality of their products will satisfy most customers.
Kegworks
If it’s something you need to make a drink, you can get it at Kegworks. While they have a business-to-business side, their online storefront focuses on sales to individuals.
Amazon
The monstrous online marketplace offers an enormous selection of products in all categories, including beer glasses.
While you can sometimes score better deals elsewhere, the savings on shipping from the Amazon distribution network can more than make up the difference. It’s still worth it to check out a product’s own site and do a price comparison, if available.
Cocktail Emporium
The beer glasses from Cocktail Emporium don’t have the mighty array of options of sites like Webstaurant, but the refined list still covers the essentials.
Grandstand
Grandstand’s online store has a clean user interface for purchasing beer glasses of every variety with printed labels to remind customers who is providing the drinks with every sip. Their prices per glass start fairly low, but a healthy minimum order size makes it a better option for restaurants than home kitchens.
Home Wet Bar
Home Wet Bar offers the same glass customization options as Grandstand, but the prices and order sizes are aimed at households rather than commercial kitchens. Their store features hundreds of glasses in all varieties of shapes and sizes, so it’s a great store to check out for a special gift for a small number of beer connoisseurs.
Waterford
At the other end of the spectrum, premium glassware companies like Waterford create beer glasses that are as much works of art as they are drinking vessels.
On top of their excellent quality, the ornate surface decals and the option to personalize the glasses make these worthy of passing down through the years. As you might expect, the craftsmanship and detailing of such glasses increases the sticker price.
