Tag: Maibock

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Color: deep amber in color, Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale looks a lot like an amber ale.  The head is frothy and white with little to no lacing as it settles.

Aroma: Bready notes of malt and a little biscuit without any suggestion of hops.

Taste: Sweet and malty with hints of honey and cane sugar.  There are some slightly floral hop characteristics backing it up but the finish is smooth and clean.

Body: Medium bodied and slightly sticky this is an easy drinking beer.

Other Specs

  • ABV: 6.8%
  • No date visible on bottle or packaging but it’s the new label so we’re pretty sure it’s fresh.

Why That Glass?

Rogue’s Dead Guy Ale is an ale in the maibock style which gives us couple of different options for a Maibock. For Maibocks I’ll typically look for either a pilsner or a seidel.

For presentation purposes the pilsner is the way to go. You get a good look at the beer’s color while the narrower body and mouth help with head retention.  With it’s spicy notes, the Dead Guy Ale, would go really well in a pilsner glass.

So why did we go with a seidel?  When I opened the bottle and got my first whiff of the beer’s bready aroma I knew I was gonna have two or three of these. I could have gone for a pint but the aroma was so inviting I really wanted a little extra sense of it.  Hence, seidel.

More About this Maibock

The Dead Guy Ale is a beer that I’m kind of surprised I haven’t had before.  I’ve tried a lot of Rogue’s beers but  for some reason this one has alluded me (or didn’t make an impression).

The Beer Flute or Flute Glasses

The beer flute is one of those glasses that kind of exists in between other styles. We’ll also use the word “flute” or “fluted” to describe certain categories of other glass.

By design these glasses are tall, very narrow, stemmed and hold smaller volumes of beer.  Some are cone shaped, some are tulip shaped, some are just straight edged like a stange.

With their tall and delicate stature you can’t help but turn up your nose a bit while drinking from them.

Benefits of a Beer Flute or Fluted Glass

In a lot of ways the flute matches the stange in both form and function.  Like the stange, the tall narrow body helps showcase the beer’s sparkling carbonation.  It’s narrow mouth also helps with head retention and concentrating volatiles right upfront and into your nose.

This is similar in many ways to what’s going on with the narrower versions of the pilsner glass as well.  What we dubbed the “European Pilsner” can also be called a “fluted pilsner” first, because it looks like a flute, but also because it shares some of these benefits.

What Beer Goes in a Beer Flute?

Generally speaking a beer flute will work for any light colored, crisp beer with lots of bright, sparkling carbonation.  If the bottle has a cork that might serve as a clue.

For specific styles, I really only reach for a flute glass when I’m drinking a lambic. Outside of that I’m typically happier using a pilsner glass, stange or chalice.

Where Can I get a Flute Glass?

For unbranded glassware you’re best bet is just to pickup some champagne glasses.  These are easily available at most Target, Walmart and Home Goods locations.  For fancier flutes you’ll want to look for lambic glasses or “fruit beer” glasses.

If your local beer bar serves lambics just ask if they turn their glasses over regularly.  These glasses are often decorated with a gold rim and brewery artwork that can wear down over time.  Restaurants and bars will sometimes throw faded glasses out or offer them up to regular customers as they replace them.  Amazon also has Lindeman’s lambic glasses for $15- $20 each.

The Pilsner Glass and European Pilsner

Mama's Little Yella Pils in a Pilsner Glass
A Conical Pilsner Glass

Like the tulip glass, the pilsner glass comes in a variety of different shapes.  A basic pilsner glass typically has a narrow base with sides that flare outward.  Some versions of this glass look like an elongated tulip pint.  Others are more cone shaped.  Some are also very similar to a wheat beer glass.

A stemmed version of the pilsner glass is also known as a European pilsner.  European pilsner glasses typically have a short stubby stem which blends seamlessly with the glasses tapered walls.  They can resemble stretched out versions of tulip pints, willi bechers or fluted glasses.

You may also see taller stemmed pokal glasses referred to as pilsner or lager glasses.  I’ve included several pictures below for comparison.

Pilsner glasses can be 12 to 16 ounces depending on the style.  Bigger glasses exist but tend to overlap into the Wheat Beer Glass category.

Benefits of The Pilsner Glass

With it’s tall narrow body the pilsner glass behaves a lot like the stange.  It’s shape showcases a beer’s clarity while it’s top narrows the surface area helping with head retention.  Because pilsners are crisp and bright beers this helps with delivering some of the beer’s more delicate aromas.

What Beer Goes in a Pilsner Glass?

As the name implies, this glass is ideal for beers of the pilsner style.  This includes most pale lagers.

Because the glass is so similar to the stange and fluted glassware it can also be used for for  kölsch-style beers or even lambics. I also sometimes use my pilsner glasses for 12 ounce bottles of wheat beer.

The basic idea is that you’re looking for beers that share characteristics with the pilsner style.  That includes beers with clear pale colored bodies, medium to sparkling bright carbonation, and a crisp bubbly head.

Where can I get Pilsner Glasses?

Libbey has a four-pack of “Classic Pilsner” glasses for around $14 on Amazon. They’re 15 ounce glasses making them a bit big for your standard bottle of beer but they’re high quality glasses.  The same glass is also available in the Libbey Craft Brew Sampler Glass Set we’ve already reviewed.

Libbey also offers what they call a “Midtown” Pilsner in the same price range. These glasses are more like a narrow version of a wheat beer glass.

The quintessential pilsner is probably Pilsner Urquell.  They offer a couple different types of branded glassware including a stemmed pokal glass and a tulip-flute style pilsner glass.  Both of these also make great additions to your beer glass collection.