Better Brews Pairing beer with appropriate glassware enhances the experience—and profits.
To many a beer snob, drinking from the bottle is unthinkable. The average guest likely isn’t so demanding. Nonetheless, guests are increasingly interested in getting more from the beer experience, which ultimately requires proper glassware corresponding to the particular style of beer served. For hoteliers, it should be a no-brainer: Improve the experience and tally up more orders, bigger checks, and repeat business. So why don’t more restaurants and bars use proper beer glassware?
“The on-premise environment in the past didn’t embrace different glassware for beer,” says Davis Martin, director of draft beer operations at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis. “In the wine and spirits alcohol segments, specialized glassware was embraced, but beer was still relegated to a 16-ounce pint glass. Meanwhile, the same bar is likely to have specific glasses for Manhattans, Martinis, and Margaritas.”
Delivering an experience worth coming back for can and often should trump practical concerns, and this is increasingly the case in hotel bars, lounges, and restaurants. “If you’re looking to pride yourself on a craft beer selection that’s varied, complex and balanced, then you’re going to want to express those styles with appropriate glassware,” says Matt Simpson, the Atlanta-based “Beer Sommelier,” who consults, educates, and advises on the burgeoning world of craft beers.
Here we showcase the latest options for profitably enhancing beverage service, with a focus on the draught beer experience. –TW
BIA offers a varied collection of glassware shapes to complement fine dining needs, from decanting wine tableside to serving iced tea or beer in stylish glasses or pitchers. All of BIA’s glass products are made in Slovakia where the history of glass making stretches back more than 500 years.
Schott Zwiesel offers a complete line of beer glasses, perfect for today’s growing beer connoisseurship trend. From tall, thin glasses for golden pilsners to footed, wide bowls for deep amber and dark brews, all Schott Zwiesel beer glasses are made of Tritan crystal, a unique patented glass that is highly resistant to breaking, chipping, and the corrosive effects of commercial dishwashers.
Bauscher’s Club line of bar glassware is discreet and multifunctional. The glasses are made of scratch-resistant, lead-free cut glass and are designed to serve guests with style and quality in any setting. Whiskey, campari, juice, and macchiato glasses are available.
Steelite International has partnered with Bormioli to bring the Italian glassmaker’s unique designs and innovative shapes to life through the Bormioli Rocco barware collection. Sorgente, shown here, is a natural, organically inspired design.
The pint glass with Royal Seal from 10 Strawberry Street features signature curves and comfortable feel. The 20-ounce glass has a bulge near the top of the rim to enable easy stacking. The Royal Seal, etched on the side of the glass, is the official pint seal of Europe. Glace barware is a chronicle shaped glass with a hammered texture. It comes in a 12-ounce double old-fashioned and an 18-ounce cooler.
Libbey offers an extensive line of foodservice barware, including shooters, beer glasses, beer samplers, mugs, and tankards. In addition to extending their line of international beer glasses, Libbey has introduced five new tumbler lines this year. Many of the new items feature Libbey’s Safedge rim guarantee or the DuraTuff heat treating process.
PourSure, a recent innovation by Rolf Glass, is a creative answer to controlling beverage costs. The four- or six-ounce pour line is designed to stop overpouring issues and save money. The sheer-rim PourSure glasses are lead-free, restaurant quality, and commercial dishwasher safe.
Outdoor Perfect Barware from Arcoroc is the new collection of transparent plastic barware made from environmentally friendly recyclable material. The full Outdoor Perfect line includes wine glasses, hurricanes, pitchers, and pilsners.
