Drinking beer straight from a can or bottle restricts how we smell and essentially taste beer. This can be compared with drinking beer from a glass. Pouring a glass of beer will release aromas and carbonation, both of which are essential to the way we taste it.
Beer manufacturers go to great lengths to perfect their beer. Serving it the way it was intended enhances the beer’s overall taste and experience. It’s your job to replicate that as best you can.
We’ve outlined 5 reasons why you should drink beer from a glass instead of a bottle or can:
1. Get the Full Flavor of Your Beer Through It’s Aroma
Researchers have found that 80% of the flavors we taste come from out smell which is why food tastes rather bland when you have a blocked nose. The small opening in bottles and cans makes it hard to smell the aroma of the beer.
It is also widely known that beer on tap (or draft) tastes better.
2. Carbonation Provides Flavor
Beer glasses are designed to assist in head retention. This allows the slow release of carbon from the beer to form a good head. The aroma found in the head is picked up by the nose allowing us to detect different flavors. You want plenty of carbon to be released into the air and not in your stomach (See Reason 5).
3. Aesthetics Are Important (And Learn About Your Beer)
When you pour beer into a glass, you can learn a lot about it: color, thickness, type of head. The color gives you an idea of the beer’s maltiness, the clarity tells you about it’s creaminess. These traits help form an opinion on what type of beer it is and whether you like it. They are never seen from a bottle or can so the only opinion you can form is purely on the limited taste that you get.
The look of a beer can alter our perception on how it tastes so be sure to serve it in the right type of beer glass.
Remember… we drink with our eyes as well as our nose!
4. Residual Yeast in bottom of bottle
Many craft beers inherently will have some residual yeast in the bottom of a bottle or can. Pouring your beer into into a glass allows you to make sure that yeast stays in the bottle. This yeast won’t hurt you but it won’t taste real great either and will give you a rather unfortunately taste in your mouth to finish the beer.
5. Avoid Stomach Ache (Beer Bloat)
Pouring a beer without letting any of the CO2 out means that instead of that CO2 forming a head on the beer, it ends up in your stomach. The carbonation happens in your stomach… causing stomach ache or beer bloat.
Some people try their best to pour a beer so that it has no head on it. This is a recipe for disaster. Not everyone is affected by this stomach ache but those who do know how to avoid it.
Beer Temperature
When pouring beer into a glass, it’s important to remember the temperature you want to server the beer. Quite often, beer glasses need to be chilled to keep your beer at the ideal temperature. If the temperature is warm, consider putting your beer glass into the freezer.
Final Thoughts
Beer served in a glass gives so many benefits as described above. On occasions, it is just easier to drink beer out of a bottle or can. While there is no harm in that, serving in a glass will give you and your friends a much better tasting beer.
Remember, try to pour your beer straight down into the clean glass to activate the carbonation. This will give you a nice foamy head.
Only downside is the washing up.
Cheers!