Are Dirty Beer Glasses Really A Buzz Kill?

Just how important is clean glassware to the craft beer experience?

Obviously, pretty damned important. Most of us wouldn’t want to drink ANYTHING out of a dirty glass.

And we probably don’t need ‘experts’ to explain why…but they will anyhow…because that’s part of them being experts.

Let’s start with ‘experts’ we like, like the Boulder, Colorado-based Brewers Association who are firmly on record with their view that a “perfectly poured beer requires a properly cleaned glass.”

We couldn’t agree more with the BA. After all serious beer served up in a smudged glass is kind of a buzz kill…no?

But other experts detail the whole ‘Beer Clean’ Glassware thing to the point of ridiculousness…

According to the experts at CraftBeerRestaurant.com here are some of the concerning signs that you’re drinking from “non-beer-clean glassware with questionable matter on them.

• A beer flattened from a big initial foam up that knocks most of the carbonation out of a poured beer. Translation: dirty glasses can kill a beer’s head.
• A headless beer from a film or grease residue that attacks the beer’s effervescence causing it to disappear. Translation: and that may be the reason your beer also seems flat.
• A bad odor or taste caused by something left on glass from improper cleaning or added to the glass by improper handling. Translation: those chocolatey notes you’re enjoying may have nothing to do with your beer!
• A gag response when the drinker discovers the lipstick on the rim of the glass is not his. Translation: if your beer just made you GAG, chances are good that your glassware is seriously ‘non-beer-clean.’ Stay calm but slowly step away from your beer and alert the police immediately.

Bottom line: Any craft beer establishment that serves up beer in dirty glasses (or via dirty tap lines – another problem we increasingly run in to) NEEDS TO BE AVOIDED LIKE THE PLAGUE!

And you don’t need an expert to tell you that…