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29-06-2022, 19:50
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There was a fairly simple plan, recreate the glassware experiment (http://www.fuggled.net/2012/03/you-need-glasses-mate.html) that I did a decade ago, but this time with Guinness rather than Victory Prima Pils. Having bought a four pack of Guinness Draught, the one in nitro cans, from my local Wegmans I picked out what I felt was a suitable selection of glasses for such an experiment...
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNhAvg33Lp-0trvrUvhY5cR8cFGL6NuW0Fte2uG3AMV_lBg_znFfpOTCosAYk PWYfaxZxz68TJd_7Zb3RRyWiiysxnIbW7bAXJ4yEvmOqqH7CpS 7itY0xbkvAasWnnRw1eiyaoI2I-PUuq8UT1APDnLLakKHnKJL4zWa3BTBSk76sX7s-c2fqylAz/s320/20220626_184044.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNhAvg33Lp-0trvrUvhY5cR8cFGL6NuW0Fte2uG3AMV_lBg_znFfpOTCosAYk PWYfaxZxz68TJd_7Zb3RRyWiiysxnIbW7bAXJ4yEvmOqqH7CpS 7itY0xbkvAasWnnRw1eiyaoI2I-PUuq8UT1APDnLLakKHnKJL4zWa3BTBSk76sX7s-c2fqylAz/s1800/20220626_184044.jpg)
The selection consisted of, in no particular order, a "Franconia" glass, dimpled mug, tulip pint, straight edged pint pot, and a Willibecher. My intention was to pour the beer from the cans in the exact same manner - straight down and slowly lift the can until it is drained - so that I could ascertain whether the glassware had any impact on the pour itself, and then see if there was any noticeable difference in aroma, flavour, and all that jazz.
First up was the tulip pint glass, in this case a Samuel Smith's branded glass as it is the closest thing I have to the classic Guinness glass that preceded the current one with all its angles and shapes.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtQ6S1bdRkOoK0Oz0RLYlLv6fDWMRPbP7ewOSDvRh8f YELIH7waK2ul7XxQK_r4H6_I9oA_uUbM97K7opORRzHbjICEHy DaAL5X02FXv8Eelw3wmump2t-TqxPK12fiY1aDQCyf3UzLDQOsKlv3ZROzCEyNPcWzwrDQeqRPV FXwkAwbCFFcWLvMag/s320/20220626_184709.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtQ6S1bdRkOoK0Oz0RLYlLv6fDWMRPbP7ewOSDvRh8f YELIH7waK2ul7XxQK_r4H6_I9oA_uUbM97K7opORRzHbjICEHy DaAL5X02FXv8Eelw3wmump2t-TqxPK12fiY1aDQCyf3UzLDQOsKlv3ZROzCEyNPcWzwrDQeqRPV FXwkAwbCFFcWLvMag/s4000/20220626_184709.jpg)
Obviously the can is smaller than a full imperial pint, hence the head space there that would send a "to the top" warrior into apoplexy. Still, it looks the part, decent half inch of foam, had a lovely bubble cascading thing going on, and took a couple of minutes to really settle out. It looked like a Guinness. It even smelt like a Guinness, with it's roasty notes and a bit of graininess, an aroma I know well from nearly 30 years of regularly drinking the stuff. The "like Guinness" theme continued with the flavours and all that other stuff that people go on about, it even had a goodly amount of foam that clung to the glass as I drank.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3nUCRrA03RsxLA8ZhlvGgPYVXu0qWrN3QcmPu69mhW axl0oJMo_ZJdr4OFlkDwmAJh4vQwiuqgu1sroBB4AxlPxbf0hM D5GL_Z6OaSCoHvw9uybAECyPuJcUrkX7xbhZGgTT0By_vc1EWb RyhF4uA3lr4AJTWBjMRNMFqV_gVSNWmlGuvCW9eXCa/s320/20220626_185258.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3nUCRrA03RsxLA8ZhlvGgPYVXu0qWrN3QcmPu69mhW axl0oJMo_ZJdr4OFlkDwmAJh4vQwiuqgu1sroBB4AxlPxbf0hM D5GL_Z6OaSCoHvw9uybAECyPuJcUrkX7xbhZGgTT0By_vc1EWb RyhF4uA3lr4AJTWBjMRNMFqV_gVSNWmlGuvCW9eXCa/s4000/20220626_185258.jpg)
Ok, time for the dimpled mug...
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrLUFa4n_n12MBK9EkjDa0pY6dkCcrp0wtqPABAX96S lVeMqQ5tVm_Hp3iSEhbjVJLknAGzH5mh00t-AUIgegsNau6eV5UJrtQD-sy5qEQCfr02NaOwqGAOfA6PuSF4MKERaP3Jv_P1lgCl0kVPdx5 uGkYyIRjJS7Ux5EnUhQsI6KTERziJZGIg21/s320/20220626_185752.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrLUFa4n_n12MBK9EkjDa0pY6dkCcrp0wtqPABAX96S lVeMqQ5tVm_Hp3iSEhbjVJLknAGzH5mh00t-AUIgegsNau6eV5UJrtQD-sy5qEQCfr02NaOwqGAOfA6PuSF4MKERaP3Jv_P1lgCl0kVPdx5 uGkYyIRjJS7Ux5EnUhQsI6KTERziJZGIg21/s4000/20220626_185752.jpg)
If there was one glass that I thought might make a difference to how the beer poured, and therefore looked, it was my trusty old man dimpled mug. As I said earlier, the pouring method was exactly the same for all the cans I drank, so imagine my surprise when it looked basically the same as the previous pint, with the foam cap almost identical. It also smelt, tasted, and all that other stuff, imperceptible from the tulip glass.
Third time's the charm so they say, on then to the straight edged pint pot...
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSGTfee5Suv2zBCCXEin5AHjcqT8oPfj4vzV9J9kwn6 vkcRra9YUASMftLnhoHVN9ARuKxnRBImu8nQX6lfErfpxnFw6e huOttoujuziSOYlPFFkYtO_RhQnotxpQ5y6oOxrLZvF7LNMLcv uoFARl7DXh8MTRFFCmCMFVwjGLG39SNL02Zsc9175l/s320/20220626_191158.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSGTfee5Suv2zBCCXEin5AHjcqT8oPfj4vzV9J9kwn6 vkcRra9YUASMftLnhoHVN9ARuKxnRBImu8nQX6lfErfpxnFw6e huOttoujuziSOYlPFFkYtO_RhQnotxpQ5y6oOxrLZvF7LNMLcv uoFARl7DXh8MTRFFCmCMFVwjGLG39SNL02Zsc9175l/s4000/20220626_191158.jpg)
Erm...the same again. Looks, smells, tastes, other stuff, the same, again. I was starting to think that to get something even marginally different from the tulip pint I would have to get out a wine glass - I don't own any of those fart arsey stemmed glassware Teku things so beloved of true believers. Maybe next time I will try that, as it was I just knocked the experiment on the head, pretty sure that the Franconia glass and Willibecher would make next to no difference.
The whole notion of "proper glassware" is something that I find deeply suspect, like the old imperial dude wandering around in his birthday suit with nary a bairn to point out his nudity. That's not to say I don't like different shaped glasses, take one look in my cupboards and you'll find mugs of various kinds, pints of various kinds, snifters and goblets, and even a hand blown glass from Williamsburg. I just don't buy into the idea that a particular shaped glass is the proper option for a given style, or even beer from a particular country. Take a look on Ebay at the range of glasses available for Guinness (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2499334.m570.l1313&_nkw=guinness&_sacat=3920), Pilsner Urquell (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2499334.m570.l1313&_nkw=pilsner+urquell&_sacat=3920), or even PBR (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2499334.m570.l1313&_nkw=pbr&_sacat=3920), and it is clear that breweries are more than happy to slap their branding on basically anything transparent and used in a bar.
Having done this experiment twice so far I am still in the "nope, doesn't make a difference unless you want it to" camp, but as a marketing tool, glassware is pure genius.
More... (http://www.fuggled.net/2022/06/the-genius-of-marketing.html)
There was a fairly simple plan, recreate the glassware experiment (http://www.fuggled.net/2012/03/you-need-glasses-mate.html) that I did a decade ago, but this time with Guinness rather than Victory Prima Pils. Having bought a four pack of Guinness Draught, the one in nitro cans, from my local Wegmans I picked out what I felt was a suitable selection of glasses for such an experiment...
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNhAvg33Lp-0trvrUvhY5cR8cFGL6NuW0Fte2uG3AMV_lBg_znFfpOTCosAYk PWYfaxZxz68TJd_7Zb3RRyWiiysxnIbW7bAXJ4yEvmOqqH7CpS 7itY0xbkvAasWnnRw1eiyaoI2I-PUuq8UT1APDnLLakKHnKJL4zWa3BTBSk76sX7s-c2fqylAz/s320/20220626_184044.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizNhAvg33Lp-0trvrUvhY5cR8cFGL6NuW0Fte2uG3AMV_lBg_znFfpOTCosAYk PWYfaxZxz68TJd_7Zb3RRyWiiysxnIbW7bAXJ4yEvmOqqH7CpS 7itY0xbkvAasWnnRw1eiyaoI2I-PUuq8UT1APDnLLakKHnKJL4zWa3BTBSk76sX7s-c2fqylAz/s1800/20220626_184044.jpg)
The selection consisted of, in no particular order, a "Franconia" glass, dimpled mug, tulip pint, straight edged pint pot, and a Willibecher. My intention was to pour the beer from the cans in the exact same manner - straight down and slowly lift the can until it is drained - so that I could ascertain whether the glassware had any impact on the pour itself, and then see if there was any noticeable difference in aroma, flavour, and all that jazz.
First up was the tulip pint glass, in this case a Samuel Smith's branded glass as it is the closest thing I have to the classic Guinness glass that preceded the current one with all its angles and shapes.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtQ6S1bdRkOoK0Oz0RLYlLv6fDWMRPbP7ewOSDvRh8f YELIH7waK2ul7XxQK_r4H6_I9oA_uUbM97K7opORRzHbjICEHy DaAL5X02FXv8Eelw3wmump2t-TqxPK12fiY1aDQCyf3UzLDQOsKlv3ZROzCEyNPcWzwrDQeqRPV FXwkAwbCFFcWLvMag/s320/20220626_184709.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVtQ6S1bdRkOoK0Oz0RLYlLv6fDWMRPbP7ewOSDvRh8f YELIH7waK2ul7XxQK_r4H6_I9oA_uUbM97K7opORRzHbjICEHy DaAL5X02FXv8Eelw3wmump2t-TqxPK12fiY1aDQCyf3UzLDQOsKlv3ZROzCEyNPcWzwrDQeqRPV FXwkAwbCFFcWLvMag/s4000/20220626_184709.jpg)
Obviously the can is smaller than a full imperial pint, hence the head space there that would send a "to the top" warrior into apoplexy. Still, it looks the part, decent half inch of foam, had a lovely bubble cascading thing going on, and took a couple of minutes to really settle out. It looked like a Guinness. It even smelt like a Guinness, with it's roasty notes and a bit of graininess, an aroma I know well from nearly 30 years of regularly drinking the stuff. The "like Guinness" theme continued with the flavours and all that other stuff that people go on about, it even had a goodly amount of foam that clung to the glass as I drank.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3nUCRrA03RsxLA8ZhlvGgPYVXu0qWrN3QcmPu69mhW axl0oJMo_ZJdr4OFlkDwmAJh4vQwiuqgu1sroBB4AxlPxbf0hM D5GL_Z6OaSCoHvw9uybAECyPuJcUrkX7xbhZGgTT0By_vc1EWb RyhF4uA3lr4AJTWBjMRNMFqV_gVSNWmlGuvCW9eXCa/s320/20220626_185258.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3nUCRrA03RsxLA8ZhlvGgPYVXu0qWrN3QcmPu69mhW axl0oJMo_ZJdr4OFlkDwmAJh4vQwiuqgu1sroBB4AxlPxbf0hM D5GL_Z6OaSCoHvw9uybAECyPuJcUrkX7xbhZGgTT0By_vc1EWb RyhF4uA3lr4AJTWBjMRNMFqV_gVSNWmlGuvCW9eXCa/s4000/20220626_185258.jpg)
Ok, time for the dimpled mug...
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrLUFa4n_n12MBK9EkjDa0pY6dkCcrp0wtqPABAX96S lVeMqQ5tVm_Hp3iSEhbjVJLknAGzH5mh00t-AUIgegsNau6eV5UJrtQD-sy5qEQCfr02NaOwqGAOfA6PuSF4MKERaP3Jv_P1lgCl0kVPdx5 uGkYyIRjJS7Ux5EnUhQsI6KTERziJZGIg21/s320/20220626_185752.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifrLUFa4n_n12MBK9EkjDa0pY6dkCcrp0wtqPABAX96S lVeMqQ5tVm_Hp3iSEhbjVJLknAGzH5mh00t-AUIgegsNau6eV5UJrtQD-sy5qEQCfr02NaOwqGAOfA6PuSF4MKERaP3Jv_P1lgCl0kVPdx5 uGkYyIRjJS7Ux5EnUhQsI6KTERziJZGIg21/s4000/20220626_185752.jpg)
If there was one glass that I thought might make a difference to how the beer poured, and therefore looked, it was my trusty old man dimpled mug. As I said earlier, the pouring method was exactly the same for all the cans I drank, so imagine my surprise when it looked basically the same as the previous pint, with the foam cap almost identical. It also smelt, tasted, and all that other stuff, imperceptible from the tulip glass.
Third time's the charm so they say, on then to the straight edged pint pot...
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSGTfee5Suv2zBCCXEin5AHjcqT8oPfj4vzV9J9kwn6 vkcRra9YUASMftLnhoHVN9ARuKxnRBImu8nQX6lfErfpxnFw6e huOttoujuziSOYlPFFkYtO_RhQnotxpQ5y6oOxrLZvF7LNMLcv uoFARl7DXh8MTRFFCmCMFVwjGLG39SNL02Zsc9175l/s320/20220626_191158.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbSGTfee5Suv2zBCCXEin5AHjcqT8oPfj4vzV9J9kwn6 vkcRra9YUASMftLnhoHVN9ARuKxnRBImu8nQX6lfErfpxnFw6e huOttoujuziSOYlPFFkYtO_RhQnotxpQ5y6oOxrLZvF7LNMLcv uoFARl7DXh8MTRFFCmCMFVwjGLG39SNL02Zsc9175l/s4000/20220626_191158.jpg)
Erm...the same again. Looks, smells, tastes, other stuff, the same, again. I was starting to think that to get something even marginally different from the tulip pint I would have to get out a wine glass - I don't own any of those fart arsey stemmed glassware Teku things so beloved of true believers. Maybe next time I will try that, as it was I just knocked the experiment on the head, pretty sure that the Franconia glass and Willibecher would make next to no difference.
The whole notion of "proper glassware" is something that I find deeply suspect, like the old imperial dude wandering around in his birthday suit with nary a bairn to point out his nudity. That's not to say I don't like different shaped glasses, take one look in my cupboards and you'll find mugs of various kinds, pints of various kinds, snifters and goblets, and even a hand blown glass from Williamsburg. I just don't buy into the idea that a particular shaped glass is the proper option for a given style, or even beer from a particular country. Take a look on Ebay at the range of glasses available for Guinness (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2499334.m570.l1313&_nkw=guinness&_sacat=3920), Pilsner Urquell (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2499334.m570.l1313&_nkw=pilsner+urquell&_sacat=3920), or even PBR (https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2499334.m570.l1313&_nkw=pbr&_sacat=3920), and it is clear that breweries are more than happy to slap their branding on basically anything transparent and used in a bar.
Having done this experiment twice so far I am still in the "nope, doesn't make a difference unless you want it to" camp, but as a marketing tool, glassware is pure genius.
More... (http://www.fuggled.net/2022/06/the-genius-of-marketing.html)