Upgrade your glassware

Cheers, Sept, 2005

Restaurant and bar operators today agonize over selecting the right glassware for wines and spirits, but all too often, this careful process does not extend to beer glassware, according to a new InBev USA brochure.

The brochure pinpoints ways that operators can upgrade their glassware for beer and enhance its presentation. One important way is to use specialized logo glasses for each brand offered. InBev says its research shows that more than 50 percent of consumers prefer to be served beer in a branded glass, even though beer is often defaulted to the ordinary "mixer" glass.

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Each of InBev's European brands has a logo glass designed to enhance the flavor experience, deliver profitable pours, and support the quality of the beer and the establishment that serves it. For example, for Bass, the distinctive five-color Bass logo is used on a "tulip" pint glass, presenting the icon of British ale and UK pub tradition. For Beck's, the bold vertical logo is displayed on the traditional German fluted pilsner shape, which is also comfortable to hold. In another example, Stella Artois' glassware features a chalice-style glass that is a recognizable icon, seen in more than 80 countries.

InBev also suggests upgrading presentation rituals to help uphold beer's premium pricing, increase staff tips and enhance the operation's reputation. Bar service tips include serving each beer in a fresh glass, never refilling, and holding glasses on the bottom half, away from where the customer places his mouth. At tableside, servers can pour beer for customers, placing the bottle label forward, next to the glass.

In addition, InBev urges operators to ensure that target fills be measured and set for the establishment (leaving the right amount of head space). Then, staff should be trained and monitored for their pouring consistency. Finally, operators should double-check their dispense gas systems. The wrong gas system will cause beer inside kegs to go flat or get foamy at the end of every keg.