I have finally given in and decided that it was time to upgrade my glassware. I’ve been drinking mostly out of pint glasses, and it finally struck me that I was missing out on some of the finer pleasures of drinking a good beer, especially the nose.
My goal was to find a single type of glass that would be good for drinking all styles of beers. I know there’s a recommended glass style for each style of beer, but cabinet space is limited, and I’m not that much of a purist. So I went looking for the best one-size-fits-all-beer glasses I could find. I think I found a real winner.
I mainly wanted something that would hold a 12oz beer and it’s head, one that narrowed at the top to capture the aroma of a beer and better deliver it to my nose, and something that didn’t have a stem – there’s something about stemware that turns me off. Too fancy maybe?
After a little research, I quickly discovered that stemless wine glasses were the way to go. There we lots of options online (my preferred method of shopping) but a couple of folks also mentioned Target as having a small selection of stemless glasses. Figuring this is something that I needed to see and hold, I headed off to Target to check them out.
My perfectly sized Libby Charisma Stemless Wine Glass filled with a fast-poured 12oz can of Dale's Pale Ale
What I discovered are, in my estimation, the finest cheap-o beer glasses out there. I found a set of four Libbey Charisma stemless white wine glasses that are perfect. They hold 17oz (perfect for a foamy head) and have a nice teardrop shape, which expertly delivers the bouquet to my nose. The best part was that they were $9.99 for four of them. At $2.50 a glass, they are far cheaper than any online alternative I saw. And their low price also takes all the stress out of owning fancier glassware – if one breaks, no big deal. But they are of a decent thickness, so they should endure fairly well.
So far I’ve had oatmeal stouts, barrel aged ales, IPA’s, and a Gueze out of these little miracles, and I can say they definitely enhance the beer drinking experience. They also feel good in the hand and make it comfortable to hand-warm a beer that might need a little heating up. All in all, I can’t recommend these babies more. They definitely beat what i was using before, and at $9.99, picking up a set is a no-brainer.
Beer & Whiskey Brothers 
Hey Jim. Good choice. I have been using red wine stemless glasses for my beers and they are perfect. Mine were also from Target and I think they were about 12 bucks for four of them. Probably because they are 22 ounce glasses Instead of 17. I also use them for whiskey and I can highly recommend them for that as well. Good choice.
Jim, Good to see you moving from the plain pint glasses for everything. I too found my “goblet” glasses that I use most often at Target for 9.99. Love the glass. But, I think you will find there you’ll want to have several types of glasses for different styles of beer. Tulip, snifter, weizen, nonic, and goblet, but that is just me. I like to get as close to the type of glass the style or brewer defines.
I’m trying to resist taking that step where I wind up with 20+ beer glasses in the house. I think there’s merit to each type, but once I get rolling in that direction, I won’t stop. It’ll end with a home bar and a five-tap kegerator. Hmmm…now that Ive thought it through, I should pick up more glassware!
Smart move Jim. I think that the glass people have created a need that wasn’t really needed. I have a few of the basics, but most of my reviews are in pint glasses which work fine. I have a fancy (to me) German made wheat glasses and a goblet, but that’s as far as I’m going right now. The stemless wine glasses are a great idea though.
The real advantage to stemless wine glasses is that they narrow at the top, better capturing the nose. I can smell so much better with these puppies and it makes the whole beer drinking experience better. Pint glasses are great, but these little beauties make me feel more connected to what’s inside.
Look out Jim…it could turn into another odd obsession/collection. We buy all our clothes at thrift stores. My wife goes straight to the kids’ clothes section, I head straight away to the used glasswear. I like to drink out of brandy snifters and goblets quite a bit. On a rare occasion I’ll bust out my kwak glass.
Thrift stores are a great idea for glassware. I only need one or two of each kind, and I like the idea of an eclectic mix of glasses. Don’t want it to look like I’m opening a bar.
And my wife does the exact same thing when we go. Thank goodness for this immobile generation of tv weened kids-they leave behind pristine second hand outfits!
“Thank goodness for this immobile generation of tv weened kids-they leave behind pristine second hand outfits!” Amen to that!
Do you have “Savers” over there in NJ? I just picked up crystal tulip glasses for $.99 from a Savers in Toledo!
We don’t have Savers here, Nate. It’s mostly church run places around where I live. But we do have T.J. Maxx, which has housewares. I’m not going to resist so much the next time the wife drags me in there…
Yeah I have at least 40 different pcs of glassware, including a set of 6 from Germany that my great grandfather brought back in 1950. I truly do not use most of my glassware, I just like the way they look and display them. My favourite to drink out of though is a stubby little Bitburger goblet. I use it for tasting when I am brewing. It’s a lot like the stemless wine glass but with a short stem. I like the stem because if the beer is to the right temp I can keep from over warming it.
My mom collects decorative steins, and I think they’re pretty cool. I’d love to start collecting glassware myself, I would just have to resist getting strict about the whole “right glass for the right beer” thing. Too much work.
My beer is usually stored cold, so stemless glasses help me to warm them up. They typically don’t last long enough to get too warm 😉
Can’t say I have ever drank beer out of a wine glass before
Wine glasses are great for beer. It looks silly, but it’s quite effective in a pinch.