A Complete Guide To The Best Pilsner Glasses

Beer is a beverage enjoyed around the globe. Whether you prefer a light lager or dark stout, you'll want to enjoy your favorite brew in style. The right glassware makes all the difference.

Beer glasses come in various shapes and sizes, and each has its own purpose. 

For example, stemless glasses are ideal for serving draft beers straight from the tap. On the other hand, tulip-shaped glasses are great for serving wine and cocktails.

A pilsner is a type of beer that originated in Germany. It's made with pale malt, which gives it a golden color.

There are many different styles of pilsners, including wheat, Bohemian, Munich, and Helles. Each style has its own characteristics.

With any pilsner, however, you're going to want a glass that allows for a thick head on top of the lager so that you can enjoy all of the flavors throughout the entire drink.

With this in mind, the perfect pilsner glass is a long shape with a wider mouth and a more tapered bottom.

If you're looking for the best pilsner glass to stock in your bar, look no further. We'll be looking into everything you need to know about pilsner glasses.

What Is A Pilsner?

Pilsner is a German lager that was first brewed in 1842 by Josef Groll at his brewery in Plzeň (now known as Pilsen). He called it "pils," meaning "spray" in Czech.

This name stuck, and today we call this style of beer a pilsner.

The original recipe consisted of just water, malted barley, hops, and yeast.

Today, there are many variations of pilsners available. Some include corn, rice, oats, honey, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and even bacon!

Pilsner is a pale lager that is slightly sweet and refreshing. It pairs well with spicy foods like curry dishes, but also works well with creamy desserts like cheesecake.

Types Of Pilsner Lagers

Pilsners are golden lagers that are very easy to drink thanks to their crispness and smoothness.

These beers are some of the most popular among the world thanks to how easily they go down.

Here are some of the most popular pilsner beers that you can find in most bars.

You'll probably only be able to find one or two pilsners in each bar, but thankfully they all follow the same basic palette and therefore taste as good as each other.

Alma Mader Premiant Czech-Style Pilsner

This pilsner was created in Kansas City and has strong notes of pepper and lemon, creating a perfect balance between crispness and bitterness.

This beer is light and delicate, but that doesn't take away from the huge impact that comes from all of the aromas and flavors. You're going to need a great pilsner glass for this one.

Rothaus Tannenzäpfle

This pilsner comes from Austria and is a bit darker than most pilsners. It has a slight sweetness and a nice malty flavor that balances out the bitterness.

This beer is a little stronger than others, making it perfect for those who prefer their pilsners with a kick.

Firestone Walker Pivo Pils

This American pilsner is rich and full bodied, making it an excellent choice for those who love bold flavors.

It's got a lot of citrus notes and a nice malty finish. There are lots of hops in this one, with a great head on every pint.

Sierra Nevada Nooner

This Sierra Nevada pilsner is a classic example of what a great pilsner should be. The aroma is amazing, with hints of grapefruit and orange.

The body is medium, and the carbonation is low. It is brewed in Germany and has a lovely golden color.

It's so easy on the way down that you'll have to stop yourself from ordering unlimited numbers of this one!

Bierstadt Lagerhaus Slow Pour Pils

This pilsner is a classic German brew that is made with both crystal and dark malts. It's got a deep amber color that makes it stand out from other pilsners.

The aroma is quite complex, with hints of caramel, bread, and toast. The flavor is balanced and clean, with just enough maltiness to make sure that there isn't too much hop presence.

Wayfinder Beer Czech AF

If you want something different, try this pilsner that comes from England. It's a bit lighter than most pilsners, which means that it's easier to drink.

It's got a nice floral aroma and a touch of fruitiness. The flavor is similar to a traditional English bitter, with a hint of spice.

There's a nice bitterness that comes through without being overpowering.

What Is A Pilsner Glass?

A pilsner glass is an elongated vessel with a wide mouth and a narrower base. It's designed to allow the beer to flow smoothly through the glass while retaining a thick foam on top.

This large head allows you to enjoy all of the flavors and scents from the larger the entire time you're drinking it.

Lighter lagers often lose their aromas in larger glasses, which is why you'll have such a different experience when drinking your pilsner from different glasses.

The ideal pilsner glasses retains these aromas and allows them to flow out of the wider top as you bring it towards you.

The typical pilsner glass will be 12 ounces and clear so that you can see the golden color of your lager.

The trumpet shape is distinctive and highly associated with a pilsner, so any beer drinker will be able to tell what they're drinking from it.

Choosing The Best Pilsner Glass

When choosing a pilsner glass, you should consider several factors.

While there is a general shape that should be kept for every pilsner glass, you can have different glasses to perfectly suit the drinker.

Just like we all have a slightly different idea of what the perfect mug looks like, we'll all have a different idea of the perfect pilsner glass.

You need to choose the ideal glass for your personal preferences.

Here are a few of the most important things to consider when choosing the best pilsner glass for you.

Glass Shape

There are two main shapes of pilsner glasses: short and tall. Short glasses are usually around 8-10 inches high, while tall glasses are closer to 14-16 inches.

Tall glasses are always best for pilsners, as we have mentioned earlier, and they should be a trumpet shape with a wider mouth.

The glass should start quite skinny at the bottom and gradually get wider as it opens up towards the mouth.

This is the perfect shape of the glass for a pilsner, but you can customize it slightly with the design. Some people enjoy a wider bottom circumference so that the glass can sit more securely on the table or bar.

Some glasses come with geometric edges to add to the design, but this won't do anything to the flavor of your beer, so we'd recommend opting for a smooth rounded design for your pilsner glass.

Quality

The quality of your pilsner glass should be as high as you are willing to pay for.

You will be drinking from these glasses for many years to come, so you want the quality to enhance your experience rather than hinder it.

A high quality pilsner glass should take your lager experience to another level, while a subpar one might not.

While you might not see the point of spending more in the short term, you won't regret spending on quality. You might regret, however, sacrificing quality.

Size

The perfect pilsner glass will be 12 ounces. The tall shape of the glass will make it look like it holds more liquid, but this is simply down to the shape.

A 12 ounce glass will hold the majority of pilsner bottles and cans that you might want to pour into them.

The size of the pilsner glass will allow for all of the lager as well as the large foamy head.

Durability

You should look for a quality glass made from durable materials.

Look for a glass that doesn't easily break if dropped or knocked over. If you want to make sure that your glass won't crack or chip, then opt for a thicker glass.

A pilsner glass should be delicate still, however, so you should look for a good balance between delicate and durable. This will enhance your drinking experience.

When looking for a new product, durability is always important so that you can get the most out of your money. Pilsner glasses are notorious for breaking due to their shape.

This is why the most durable pilsner glasses are made from thicker glass at the bottom and slightly thinner glass at the top.

Another thing to think about in terms of durability is how you can care for it. Is the glass safe for dishwashers, or does it need to be hand washed?

Thinner glasses are much more commonly broken in dishwashers, so be careful with choosing the right ones.

Cost

Pilsner glasses aren't cheap, especially when buying in bulk. They are also very expensive compared to other types of beer glasses.

However, you shouldn't worry too much about price because you'll be using these glasses for many years. So, don't let the price deter you from getting some nice pilsner glasses.

There are many factors to influence the price of your pilsner glasses, such as the thickness of the glass, how many you're buying, and its overall makeup.

Bear in mind that higher price points don't always mean better quality. When choosing your pilsner glasses, make sure that you check them out in person first.

Differences Between Pilsner Glasses And Other Beer Glasses

All beers come with slightly different glasses, so it's not surprising that pilsners have a specific glass that they should be consumed from.

However, the pilsner glass does differ greatly from many of the other glasses that you'd find in a bar.

Here are some of the most popular beers and their glasses compared to that of a pilsner.

Stout Glasses

These glasses are used for stout beers. Stout glasses are usually wider than normal beer glasses, which makes them ideal for stouts.

These glasses are often clear in color and are designed to keep the foam on top.

Stout glasses are otherwise known as goblets because they have a distinctive mug shape. The bottom half of the glass is wide and it gets thinner around the middle before opening up even wider for the top half.

This type of glass has much sharper angles than a pilsner glass, which is shaped like a trumpet.

Stout glasses tend to be heavier and thicker, making them ideal for making toasts with friends and family.

Stein Glasses

The stein glass was originally created to help people drink beer without it getting too warm too quickly.

Traditionally, steins would come with a lid to keep the drink cooler for longer, although it could also double for keeping hot drinks warmer for longer.

These glasses are very thick and therefore suit darker beers best. They come with a handle to make drinking easier, and they often have a distinctive angular pattern pressed into the glass.

You wouldn't often compare a stein glass to a pilsner glass as they are so different. The former is wide with no tapering and has a handle to hold with one hand.

The pilsner glass, on the other hand, is longer and thinner in shape. It is also made from much thinner glass.

Mug Glasses

Beer mugs are commonly found in bars and they are similar to steins. They're thick without tapering. They're much thicker in width than a pilsner glass, similar to a stout glass.

You'll often use a mug for thicker beers with lots of hops and barley. The mug will enhance the scent of these beers, much like a pilsner glass does for a pilsner.

Pint Glasses

Pint glasses are perhaps the most common type of glass that you'll find in a bar. They can be used for all beers and lagers so they're the easiest option.

A pint glass is similar to a pilsner glass in that it goes from a narrow bottom to a wide top. However, there is no tapering, so the angle is straight on either side of the glass.

A pint glass is also wider and shorter than a pilsner glass, so it won't do as much for the aromas of the pilsner as its proper glass would.

However, it's still the second-best glass for a pilsner.

Snifter Glasses

Snifters were originally designed to allow people to smell scents more easily. They're typically used for aromatic or floral beers such as Belgian ales.

Snifters are generally smaller than pint glasses but they're also narrower at the base with a short stem.

On top of the stem the glass has a wide bottom with a slightly more tapered mouth. Imagine a brandy glass but large enough to hold a pint of beer.

Much like the pilsner glass, the snifter has its specifications on which ales should be used with it and which shouldn't. 

Best Pilsner Glasses

Now let's take a look at some of the best pilsner glasses on the market right now.

All of these glasses have excellent reviews by pilsner lovers and have the perfect shape and design to enhance your favorite lager. 

Pouring The Perfect Pilsner

While the glass is going to enhance the flavor of your pilsner, the pour also has to be perfect.

To pour a perfect pilsner, follow this guide:

1. Hold your glass by the most tapered part. This makes it easier to control the glass as the beer pours out of the tap. You will easily be able to alter the angle as the beer continues to pour. Begin with a 45-degree angle and hold it underneath the source of the lager. 
2. Flick the tap straight down so that the lager begins to pour, and stop it at around halfway. Pilsner pours quickly, so keep your focus on the task at hand. Once you have stopped halfway, wait for a moment so that the foam has a chance to settle.
   Pour a little more before letting the foam settle again. Continue this process until you have filled the glass. Pilsner drinkers have found that it can actually take up to seven minutes to pour a perfect pilsner, so be patient!
3. Once the glass is full, you should be able to see a thick, creamy head on top of the lager. Now you get to enjoy your beer in all its glory! Make sure to note the aromas so that you can enjoy the full experience. Enjoy each and every one of those seven minutes of pouring time!

Summary

In conclusion, we hope that you've enjoyed our list of the best pilsner glasses available today.

We know that there's a lot to choose from, but we tried to narrow things down to only the best pilsner glass sets on the market.

Hopefully you've learned more about pilsner and how to choose the best glass for your preferences.

Remember that a pilsner glass should be tall and thin, and it can take up to seven minutes to pour the perfect pilsner pint! 

Your glass should be durable and high quality with plenty of room for the lager and its foamy head.

Cheers!