IPA in a WINE GLASS???

LarryBrewer

Active Member
Lifetime Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2012
Messages
1,728
Reaction score
10
Points
38
Went to Deschutes in the Pearl district in Portland this week. Had one of their seasonal IPAs - they used a Belgian yeast strain on it. It was okay but I probably wouldn't order again or try and brew it.

When they brought it to me in this glass, at first I thought there was some mistake. They call this a snifter? It felt wrong, wrong wrong... A snifter should be shorter, and not as angular. Call me a purist!
 

Attachments

  • 2013-05-16 19.26.12.jpg
    2013-05-16 19.26.12.jpg
    100.9 KB · Views: 769
I've read the glass doesn't matter nearly as much as we beer snobs would like to believe. But an IPA with Belgian yeast - that just sounds nasty, phenolic and bitter.
 
That does look it a little weird.
 
I've made IPA/DIPA with Belgian yeast. The result is usually a fruity mid-pallet along with the hoppy aroma which can be good as long as they are balanced.

The point of a wine glass (I'm both a beer and wine geek) is to concentrate the aroma of the wine since 90% of what we taste is really what we smell. Late hop additions (<5 min) and dry hopping give beers more hop aroma which a wine glass would accentuate more than a standard pint glass. The problem is a wine glass is designed to serve 6 oz of wine, not 10-16oz of beer so the stem is too long for correct balance. Dogfish recently partnered with a wine glass making company to create a "perfect" IPA glass (http://www.dogfish.com/store/glassware/ ... -glass.htm). I have a couple and there is a difference drinking an IPA in it vs a standard glass.
 
I need to add one of those glasses to my collection!

Indeed the balance did feel off with the beer in such a tall glass.

Here's to enjoying an aromatic IPA!
 

Back
Top