GLASSWARE FOR BEER

Styles of glassware

A customer’s ‘drinking experience’ is made up of more than just the taste of the product. The smell and appearance of the drink are vital to their enjoyment too. Good glassware plays a large part in the proper presentation of beer, thereby enhancing its visual impact. Several different styles of beer glasses have become popular to use with different styles of beer.

Branded glassware

Glassware is often used to display drinks brands; this is known as ‘branded glassware’. It is an excellent way of promoting drinks and enhances the overall presentation of the product. Train your staff to make sure that they serve drinks in correctly branded glassware.

Branded glassware is often supplied free of charge from drinks suppliers or it can be offered to you at a reduced price. Speak to your brewery or pub company to obtain stocks of these. Unfortunately, branded glassware does tend to attract souvenir-hunters, and you will need to ensure that you have sufficient supplies of these to take account of stolen glassware, as well as the usual breakages.

Legal requirements of serving draught beer and cider

Draught beer and cider must be sold in quantities of ⅓ pint, ½ pint or multiples of ½ pints. (Serving beer in ⅓ pint measures is no longer popular today.) Draught beer and cider must be correctly measured using either Government (Crown) stamped beer meters or Government (Crown) stamped glasses. There are 3 main categories of beer glass that should be used in specific circumstances. It is important not to mix these up if using freeflow and handpull and metered forms of dispense:

• Unstamped ‘oversized glass’.
• Government stamped ‘lined glass’.
• Government stamped ‘brim glass’.

These are explained here:

Unstamped ‘oversized glass’

These glasses are not Government stamped and are legal only when using a Government stamped meter to dispense beer or lager. These glasses are oversized, ie the beer will not come to the brim of the glass, but will have been correctly measured by your metered dispense unit (subject to the unit being correctly calibrated).

Government stamped ‘lined glass’

These glasses display the official ‘Crown stamp’ and are marked with a line which denotes the level that the liquid part of the beer or cider should reach. These glasses are oversized to allow the beer to be served with a reasonable head. When beer is dispensed into these glasses, sufficient beer (liquid and head) must be dispensed to ensure that if the head totally collapses, the liquid in the glass will be level with the line defining the measure. These glasses are to be used with handpulls and freeflow forms of dispense.

Government stamped ‘brim glass’

Government stamped ‘brim glasses’ will hold at least ½ pint or a pint when filled to the brim. However, when allowing for the head on certain beers, the glass may not contain 100% liquid (ie liquid and head are measured to the brim). Under the Code of Practice agreed between the brewing industry and the Government, a maximum of 5% head is allowed on a pint or ½ pint of beer; and customers should be given a top-up if it is requested.

Glasswashers

Nothing ruins the appearance of a pint (or any other type of drink) like scratched or dirty glasses. Grease, lipstick marks and strong odours, as well as being visually off-putting, will also make certain beers go ‘flat’. It is essential to present your drinks in well-cleaned, scratch-free glasses and always provide your customers with a clean glass for each drink. (Though some customers like to keep the same glass, this practice is unhygienic and should be avoided on health grounds.)

Modern day glasswasher units are a good investment and make the task of cleaning glasses a simple operation. Glasswashers must be kept clean and the correct settings and doses of cleaning agent must be used to ensure the best performance. Poorly cleaned and maintained glasswashers are responsible for many customer complaints about poor quality beers. (They can contaminate the glassware, which then affects the beer.) Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

Glasses can be renovated by adding strong chlorinated powder products to your glasswasher. These deep clean both your glasses and glasswasher.

How clean are your beer glasses?

Check your beer glasses regularly by doing the following:

• Holding your glasses up to the down-lighters above the bar canopy illuminates the glass and shows any imperfections.
• Wiping the inside of a clean glass with a moist white serviette will show up any protein build up as a brown deposit.
• Turning a pint or half pint glass upside down and looking at the outer ring of the base, will magnify any deposits as a brown ring.
• Checking for films of bubbles on the inside of a filled glass as these are a sign that the glass is not properly clean. (Bubbles only adhere to an impurity.)