Imperial Pint

Also known as the Nonic Pint Glass, Australians will be familiar with the cylindrical shape of this glass and the bulge that helps clumsy beer drinkers from spilling the contents inside. Of course, the wide mouth holds foam admirably and we recommend choosing a beer that’s not too strong to drink out of this one. Think of a beer type along the lines of an India Pacific Ale and you’ll be sorted. Unlike the 16-ounce American pint, the imperial pint holds a full 20 ounces or 590ml.

Also known as the American Pint Glass, the Shaker Pint sits down the pecking order from the Imperial Pint Glass thanks to its tapered sides and smaller size. You’ll struggle to find a pub in Australia that utilises these glasses, although we’ve spotted a few sneaky venues trying to short-change us recently as they’re noticeably smaller than the Imperial Pint 16 ounces vs. 20 ounces.

Modern, tall, and great for Guinness, the Tulip Pint glass is frequently given out by breweries during promotional campaigns. We’re big fans of the size of the glass and its form-meets-function design philosophy. Unlike the aforementioned pint glasses, we recommend drinking dark ales, stouts, and porters in this glass due to the wider opening mouth.

Snifter Glass

Whisky fans will notice the shape of the classic snifter glass, but in this case, it’s repurposed for beer, resulting in a larger and heavier in hand. Everything about the snifter – which bulges rotundly at the base and narrows toward the top – is designed to preserve the dense layer of foam and rich aromatics of your premium beer. We recommend filling it with a complex Belgian Ale, Dark Stout, or Russian Imperial Porter.

This fat-bottomed, delicate flower of glass sits (like a flower) atop a stem so that you may hold it without warming your beer. With its narrow mid-section and wide mouth, the tulip is designed to ably retain a thick and creamy layer of foam. That curvy body and wide mouth also keep the flavours and aromas from escaping. Like the snifter, this one goes well with something strong and complex.

Similar to the Snifter glass, the Goblet is the glass of kings so there’s little room for subtlety. These glasses host a thick stem and body which pairs well with a strong Belgian Ales. All that sturdy glass supports heaps of foam while keeping the beer cold and carbonated for long stretches of time. The only difference between the Goblet and Chalice and the thickness of the glass itself, with the Chalice typically made of a thinner material.

Stein

Also referred to as the Beer Mug, one look at the mighty stein and you know you’re in serious drinking territory. Lift one up and you’ll be impressed by the thickness, girth, and roomy size of the glass. This is the way Germans (aka real beer drinkers) like to drink their brew. Grab it by the handle so your beer stays cold and take a hearty sip of a good pilsner, lager, ale or any other quality malted beer. Then wipe the foam off your lips and keep drinking because these beasts can hold a lot of beer.

Like the stein, the Seidel is a popular German glass that’s thick, heavy and roomy. Above all, this is made to hold a lot of beer, with glasses ranging up to 1000ml (33 ounces) depending on where you’re drinking. We like to fill these glasses to the brim with a German pilsner, bock or lager and start pounding beer like the champion you are.

Pilsner Glass

Tall, good-looking, and rather sexy if we say so ourselves, the Pilsner Glass is often likened to a champagne glass with no stem. In keeping with that theme, this glass duly upholds a refined aesthetic while assisting with carbonation. Pair it with a vibrant, bubbly and colourful beer like a fruity Lambic, Brown Maibock, or even better, a Saison. Given the name, a nice golden pilsner would go wonderfully in this glass as well.

The smallest of all the beer glasses, the flute glass holds anywhere from 160ml to 250ml of beer so we’d save this for only the best European beers on the market. Think of everything from a German Lambi to a fruity Saison. Of course, the shape will at least give the impression that you’re drinking something special no matter what you pour into the glass.

Similar to a Pilsner Glass, the Wheat Beer glass or ‘Weizenbier Glass’ has a wider head and narrower base, than the aforementioned Pilsner. This is a specialty beer glass as we recommend only drinking Wheat Beer out of this one, however, there’s no reason you couldn’t experiment with a Hefe or wheat ale here either.

Legend says that a Prussian general promised to drink from his boot if his troops won on the battlefield, and thus the legend of the Das Boot became reality. While we don’t often come across these in Australia, YouTube personality BadlandsChugs has brought the 2-litre masterpiece to pop culture with his ‘Chugs’ that showcase the vast potential of the drinking instrument. Drink whatever makes you happy out of this one, in the case of old mate Chugs, that often means various flavours of Sprite.

Beer Glass Sizes Breakdown