Let’s be honest, serving a craft beer in the ‘wrong’ glass is hardly a social faux pas on the same scale as when former US president Richard Nixon (he of Watergate infamy) arrived in Brazil, stood on the steps of Air Force One and made the ‘A-ok’ hand gesture – which to everyone in South America’s most populous country meant he was calling them a bunch of a-holes. True story.
So if someone came to your house and you served them, say, a James Squire Nine Tales Amber Ale in a tulip glass, chances are they wouldn’t leave in disgust, ‘unfriend’ you on Facebook and demand you revoke your James Squire membership. After all, it’s not as if you simply handed them the bottle and expected them to drink straight out of it.
As any craft beer enthusiast knows, savouring a fantastic drop is a holistic experience that relies on more than just taste. Which is why experts like Jeff Potter, Head Brewer at the Malt Shovel Brewery (home to the James Squire craft beer range), strongly recommend pouring craft beer before drinking it.
‘Craft beer should be drunk in a glass no matter how it’s supplied,’ says Jeff. ‘Pouring into a glass opens up the aromas. There’s a whole world of aroma that you miss if you just suck it out of a bottle because your nose is not involved in the equation.’
But pouring into the right glass does so much more than that. It allows the true colour and clarity intended by the brewers to shine through, it enhances the taste and it allows the perfect head to form. In short, it maximises the whole craft beer experience.
So which James Squire craft beer goes with which style of glass? Funny you should ask…
A golden ale gorgeously combines elements of pilsners and wheat beers. Which is why we’ve given The Chancer Golden Ale, with its flavoursome blend of wheat plus Pale, Munich and Crystal malts, a hybrid Weizen (which means ‘wheat beer’ in German) and pilsener glass. Plus, this glass is ideal for showcasing The Chancer’s distinctive orange-golden colour and iconic crowning head.
Sometimes called a balloon glass and related to the popular tulip-style glass, the snifter’s wide bowl and tapered mouth is perfect for capturing Stowaway IPA’s earthy, resinous and malty aroma as well as its lingering bitter finish. Take the opportunity to give the glass a swirl to intensify those rich malt flavours.
Tall, slender and very shapely, this glass is like a beautiful woman – and given James Squire’s famed love of the ladies, it’s the ideal vessel for Four ‘Wives’ Pilsener. The glass bows out at the top to support the deliberately and impressively large head created by the perfect pour, making it better suited to this particular craft beer than a standard straight, thin pilsener glass.
How can you not want to capture and savour the coffee and chocolate aroma of the Jack of Spades Porter? And the snifter is great for doing just that. Plus, there are few things better than taking the snifter by the stem and raising it to the light to admire the Jack of Spades Porter’s rich black colour – raising the anticipation before that first, fantastic, foamy taste.
Also known as a ‘stange’, meaning ‘stick’ in German, this slender cylinder is technically a type of tumbler. Its ability to enhance the nuances in the hops and malts means it’s perfect for a full-bodied malty beer (with distinctive citrus hop notes) like Nine Tales Amber Ale. Looks great next to a steak, too!
The height and thin walls of this iconic Aussie pub glass showcase the summery, sun-enriched colour and clarity of the Sundown Australian Lager to perfection. It also maximises the crisp, refreshing taste provided by the unique malt and hop blend, with its hints of citrus and freshly cut grass.
With its blend of Pale, Munich and Wheat malts and Amarillo, Willamett, Nelson Sauvin and Galaxy hops, there’s plenty of brewing complexity in One Fifty Lashes Pale Ale that deserves to be highlighted. An Oxford pint (or other type of tumbler) can do that, while also showcasing the enticingly cloudy appearance.
There are many different styles of tumbler, including stange, shaker pint, most types of mugs and steins, but nothing beats the classic nonic pint shown here. With its distinctive bulge (perfect for supporting The Constable Copper Ale’s crowning head), the pint glass is also ideally suited to a mid-strength beer.
Eagle-eyed readers will have noted that Hop Thief American-style Pale Ale is missing from the above picture. But there’s still a glass for it – an American shaker pint to be precise. With its wider opening, this type of tumbler is ideal for enhancing the heady hop characteristics and aromas of the newest permanent member of the James Squire craft beer range.
