Podcast Episode CBA 002 – The Shaker Pint vs. The Snifter
Welcome
Welcome to episode 2 of the craft beer showdown. In today's episode, I'm taking a look at the epic battle that is waged daily in bars across this fine country of ours. It's the battle of the shaker pint versus the snifter. There's a lot more to this showdown than just what glass is better for what beer, though. It's a matter of pride and possibly even some snobbery. Well, enough introduction. Let's check out the battle and see who comes out on top. It's the shaker pint versus the snifter.
Shaker Pint Glass
Let's start by looking at the underdog, the classic shaker pint glass. This glass is the workhorse of the beer industry. You'll find a shaker pint glass in pretty much every bar you go to, and it's the standard glassware for sale and giveaways from bars and beer samplings. When the average person hears the term "pint glass", this is the glass they immediately think of. It has become the quintessential beverage glass in bars and restaurants far and wide.
The shaker pint is generally made from think glass and has been emblazoned with hundreds upon hundreds of logos throughout the years. Personally, I have close to a dozen shaker pints in my glassware collection, most sourced through giveaways and beer tastings.
The shaker pint got it's name from two key elements of this glass. First, it's called a shaker because that is what this style of glass is used for, to shake mixed drinks. Place it's metal counterpart on top and it's ready to mix those fruity drinks and shots. Second, it's called a pint glass because, well, it holds a pint of beer. Not too complicated of an etymology here.
Now that you have a rough idea what the shaker pint is all about, let's look at it's positives and negatives.
Trying to be optimistic, let's look at the positives first.
Positives Of The Shaker Pint Glass
The shaker pint is cheap, easy to make, and easy to stack and store. These are all reasons the shaker pint has become so popular in the bar and restaurant industry. While different glassware does indeed bring out unique aromatics and better head retention, there is something to be said for the feel of a "regular" pint glass with a good, simple pale ale or lager in it. I try to be as little of a beer snob as humanly possible, which is why I can always enjoy a good simple beer in a regular old shaker. Sometimes regular is good. Somehow holding a snifter while watching a hockey game just doesn't feel right. I might be wrong, but sometimes the shaker just seems like the right glass. Also, it's hard enough to get people to forgo the can or bottle and drink beer from a glass at all, making them use something they're unfamiliar with, like stemmed glassware, can lose the glassware battle altogether. The shaker can be a stepping-stone from drinking straight from the bottle, which is a very good thing.
Those are some decent plusses for the shaker pint, but since this is a showdown, we hafta look at the negatives, too.
Negatives Of The Shaker Pint
While there are some good points to the shaker pint, there are more than enough negatives to bring it back down from whatever pedestal it may have gotten to . The shaker pint has made more than it's share of enemies in the craft beer world, and with good cause. This glass pretty much does everything you don't want done to a beer. First, you have to wrap your hands around it every time you pick it up, which can warm your beer past it's ideal temperature. This alone can give off smells and tastes. If you went to the trouble of making sure your beer is being served at the correct temperature and then warm it up that much on every drink, it kind of defeats the purpose. Next, the shaker has an opening that really doesn't allow for the capture of any aromatics at all. This goes beyond being a beer geek and into just plain old science. Most of what you taste is actually smell. Hold your nose and take a drink and you'll see what I mean. This being said, if you aren't smelling the beer as intended by the brewer, you're not getting the full taste either.
On the lines of aroma, head retention in a shaker pint is terrible as well. The head fades away and leaves none to protect the volatiles in the beer. This also can be seen in the loss of carbonation in a shaker pint. This totally changes mouthfeel and the overall impression of the beer.
One of the most important parts of a beer is the overall impression of the beer. The shaker pint does nothing to make a beer look appealing, with it's straight sides and lack of head retention, the beer looks almost limp in this glass. If a beer doesn't look good, your brain doesn't process it as being as good as it could be.
Overall, the shaker pint does nothing to increase any facet of beer, and a lot to detract from it.
Now that we thoroughly bashed the shaker pint glass, let's take a look at it's contender, the snifter.
The Snifter
A snifter is a type of stemmed glassware that has a narrow opening that balloons out as it reaches the short stem. Snifters are seen most often used with brandy or whiskey. Many snifters that are used primarily for liquor can only hold six to eight ounces, however. Snifters used for beer generally hold 12 ounces but can be as large as a pint.
The reason the snifter is used so often for liquors is because of the importance of aroma with these alcohols. The aroma in a brandy is vital to the overall experience. This is why the snifter is such a perfect fit for the craft beer industry. The snifter can also be called a tulip glass when the opening bows out to give the glass a tulip shape.
Higher alcohol beers and beers with strong aromatics are the best fit for the snifter. Those would include russian imperial stouts, barleywines, imperial IPAs and even a strong belgian dark ale. Let's look at the plusses of this glass.
Positives Of The Snifter
The snifter is designed less for cost, cleaning, and storage, and more for giving the best experience possible. Most hold a 12 ounce pour, which is perfect for higher ABV beers, and they give the drinker a near perfect experience, both with aroma and taste. The snifter holds carbonation and head very well, and allows the drinker to cup the glass to warm the beer up, or to hold it by the stem to keep the beer colder. This lets the imbiber control the temperature his or her self. The snifter holds aromatics in the glass due to the smaller opening, and keeps your nose closer to the opening when you drink, to give you the full intended experience.
Beer just looks good in a snifter, too. If I see someone at the bar with a snifter full of beer, I'm always curious what they're drinking. This goes to show the experience of a snifter helps the overall impression of a beer when used. Basically the snifter can be used as an analog for many of the unique beer glasses out there that are meant for specific beers. It's a good overall glass.
Even with such a strong contender, there are still some negatives to the snifter. Let's see what they are.
Negatives Of The Snifter
While a great overall glass to use, the snifter has a bad reputation of being a beer snob's glass of choice. The snifter can give the impression that you're trying to show off that you have a craft beer. Both these statements are dependent on the place you are using them.
Now, when i say beer snob, I don't mean someone that is a fan of craft beer, or even someone that is well educated in beer. I'm talking about those people that want to ACT like they know everything about beer, and think they're better than other people because of it. Beer is fun, keeping it fun is what keeps a craft beer fan from being a snob.
Now that my little caveat is out of the way, back to bashing the snifter.
Snifters are not easy to come by in bars that are not craft beer focused, even if they serve the beers that go in this glassware. It can be a pain to ask for a snifter and you can sometimes get dirty looks from bartenders that aren't wise to the ways of craft beer. They are hard to clean, hard to store, and break very easily. While this is a much smaller list of negatives than the shaker pint glass, it's still negative.
The Winner
So, now that we have both contenders laid out, who's the winner?
The victor in this showdown is the snifter.
Most craft beer people probably feel it was a quick KO for the snifter, but I wouldn't go that far. While I fully agree the snifter is the best overall glassware, the shaker still has it's place, in my opinion. The shaker is most cost effective for bars, and it's easier to get a new pint glass with every beer than a new snifter each time, since the bar probably has way more shakers than snifters.
I say the snifter wins with a TKO because it is definitely the technical winner here with the best overall beer experience, but unlike some others in the craft beer industry, I don't think the shaker pint should be put out to pasture. I feel it still has a place in beer culture and will always be around. Focus more on enjoying the beer and less about needing the perfect glass every time, and you'll enjoy more beer more often.
Conclusion
Well, that's about all I care to talk about in regard to these two glasses. If you learned anything in this episode, I hope its keeping beer fun, and not being a snob. Use the right glass when you can, and enjoy every beer no matter what.
That's about it for episode number two, I hope you like it and as always, check out craft beer academy dot com for more information on glassware, and tons of other beer-related goodness and knowledge. I'll have a new podcasts out every week, so make sure to check back and subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher radio.
Until next time, cheers!
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