Hi there beer fans! It’s been two weeks since our last article came out and we hope you had the chance to try a Black and Tan. If not, head over to Molly’s right now and order one, or at least after reading this article! Today, we are talking about two topics: choosing the right glass for your beer, and reviewing one of our favourite beers, Dead Elephant by Railway City Brewing.
Proper Glassware
As you begin on your beer adventure, you will notice that most beers have their own branded glassware in which they are best served. This is because different styles of beers are best suited for particular styles of glassware. There are many different kinds of glassware commonly used for beer, and the picture in this article gives an idea of this. Below we will talk about seven of the most common styles of beer glassware.
The Shaker Pint glass is represented by the Mill St. glass and is the standard glass used in much of the United States and Canada (at least for Microbreweries). This glass is not particularly flattering for the flavour or aroma of the beer and was originally invented to be used as a cocktail shaker.
The English tulip pint is very recognizable-it is represented by the Guinness glass and has found a home with Irish stouts and ales. It serves a similar purpose to the shaker glass and is used to measure a proper pint and to give the beer a bit more flourish.
The ‘Nonick’ (no nick) pint glass has been used with English ales since the 1960s and is designed with functionality in mind. The bump makes it easy to hold while standing and protects the rim from chipping if dropped on its side. This is represented by the glass with no branding in the picture.
The Stemmed Tulip glass is designed to augment the physical characteristics of the beer, and it represented by the Duvel glass. The inward taper holds aroma, and the outward flare supports head retention and fits the lips. This is one of the most varied glasses out there and can be used with both strong Belgian ales, and IPAs.
The Weissbier vase is designed to hold the large amount of head generally associated with wheat beers. It is represented by the Lowenbrau glass, which is a large German brewer of wheat beers. The inward taper at the top of the glass concentrates the head, and helps retain it.
The Tapered Pilsner glass is represented by the Bitburger glass, and is designed to showcase the beer. The narrow shape of the glass shows off the pale colour of the Pilsner, the outward taper of the glass supports head retention, and the footed design adds elegance to the glass. Fun fact: Did you know that the Pilsner style got its name from a town called Pilsen in modern day Czech Republic?
The final beer glass style we wanted to discuss is the Goblet, which is represented by Maredsous. This glass has found its home with very strong beers because it is designed to concentrate the head and aroma.
Dead Elephant
Now that we have been talking about beer glassware we are getting really thirsty – so let’s talk about beer! We are looking at Dead Elephant by Railway City Brewing. The Railway City Brewery is situated in St. Thomas, Ontario and handcrafts their beers using a small 10-hectoliter system. This ale is named after Jumbo the Elephant who was killed in an unfortunate railroad accident in St. Thomas in 1885.
The beer is amber-coloured and pours with a white medium density head which dissipates after a minute or two. Our noses detect flavours of citrus fruit, followed by the usual bready malt. The stemmed tulip glass we used in this pour definitely served to amplify these aromas. This ale tastes similar to its smell – fruity, with some bready malts and tastes of hops coming through. It has a rather strong taste and smell for an ale, but is very smooth. For those of you who tend to shy away from stronger-tasting beers, this may be one you could consider as a gateway to some of the high IBU IPAs out there (IBU stands for International Bitterness Unit, a scale that rates the bitterness of beers). The hop flavours linger long after you have taken a sip and makes you want more of this delicious brew! This beer is 6.8% alcohol by volume, so it is stronger than most average beers (average beers tend to sit around 5.0%).
This has been one of our favourite beers since we tried it last summer at the Kitchener Rib and Beerfest. Kickoffs has it on tap every few weeks, though the keg tends to last only 24 hours before it is finished. The LCBO on King St. regularly has Dead Elephant in stock and we highly recommend you give this drink a shot. As we always say, Fear No Beer!
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