Tag: Witbier

The Tulip Pint Glass or Irish Imperial Pint

Tulip Pint with a Nitro Beer
Tulip Pint with a Nitro Beer

The tulip Pint is also known as the Irish Imperial Pint or Guinness Glass. While you’re likely to see this glass a lot it’s not quite as versatile as some of the other  styles of pint glass.

This glass gets its name from it’s familiar tulip shape.  Unlike shorter stemmed tulips its top lacks a flared mouth and instead ends with walls pointing straight up.  These glasses are almost always 20 ounces but some mild variation can occur.

Benefits of the Tulip Pint Glass

Like other pint glasses the most immediate benefit is volume.  The Imperial Irish Pint holds about 20 ounces which is plenty of space for a large pour while still leaving a generous amount of space for a beer’s head.

With it’s smaller base and more pronounced bulb some people might also find it a little easier to hold than the nonic pint.

These glasses also provide a good look at a beer’s deeper colors while the wide mouth helps support head retention.  Of course it also helps with taking large sips of “Nitro” beers that have thick frothy heads.  For nitros keep a napkin handy ’cause a milk beer-mustache is in your future.

Other Notes

There are smaller versions of this glass floating around in various different sizes.  Many will be branded “Guinness” but will only be 16 ounces.

You want to be looking for a 20 ounce glass.  Due to a quirk in how we deal with fluid ounces there might even be some small variation there but that’s OK.  A true imperial pint will measure just over 19 US ounces and for our purposes that’s pretty OK.

Just avoid the 16 ounce ones.

What  Beer Goes with a Tulip Pint Glass?

Most people know this glass as a Guinness Glass so that’s a good jumping off point.  Irish Stouts are so tied to this glass it almost feels wrong to drink them in anything else.  The same goes for Irish Ales.

After that any beer billing itself with the term “Nitro” is a safe bet. The wide mouth at the top of the glass makes a beer’s creamy head and body that much more tantalizing.

This glass also works well as a utility glass for any ales or lagers poured from a large bottle.  Personally, I’d avoid lagers and keep them in something like a large pilsner or a stange but it’s not a huge deal.  You’ll have to go back to the fridge to retrieve the bottle more often but it’s worth it.

I’d also avoid beers with really active carbonation, sour beers, or beers with higher ABVs.  Those are better suited to other glasses.

Where Can I Buy Tulip Pint Glasses / Irish Imperial Pints?

These are going to be some of the easiest glasses for you to get a hold of.  Every liquor store, box store, and some supermarkets are going to have them.  Just check for either a 20 ounce volume marker or the imperial crown either on the bottom or lip of the glass.

They’re also a common inclusion in most craft beer glass sampler boxes.

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.