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When you’re served beer in a frosted glass, what’s your initial reaction? Are you pleased, surprised, confused, or something else entirely?
Since it’s not a common practice in today’s taphouses, I typically find myself wondering whether it’s a secret that remains well hidden or simply a drinking gimmick.
With that in mind, are frosted glasses ideal for drinking beer?
What frosted glasses get right
As we’ve discussed in previous posts, glassware is important for a variety of reasons. Proper glassware can heighten aromatics (IPA Glass), be fun to drink out of (Juice Orb), bring honor to tradition (Maßkrug), communicate a style of beer (Stange), and so much more. In a tangential way, frosted glasses seek to improve drinking by enhancing aesthetics and controlling temperature:
- Aesthetics – Being served in frosted glassware feels special. It’s icy to the touch, it looks cool, and it feels indulgent – someone put in extra work for you!
- Temperature – Given that “serving (beer) between 38°F and 44°F delivers the best taste experience for most beer styles”, the idea is that less heat will be transferred if beer is poured into an ice-cold, instead of room temperature, glass.
At face value, both of these seem to be an argument for frosting ALL of our glasses, right?
Sort of.
Where frosted glasses go wrong
Although there seem to be clear benefits to frosting glasses, the primary issues reside in storage practices:
- Freezer Storage – Freezers are wonderful at chilling glasses quickly, but the unfortunate side-effect is ice crystal formation inside the glasses. Ice crystals hurt the experience in two ways:
- Carbonation – Ice causes excess foaming during the pour, leading to a frustrating experience for bartenders and a less carbonated beer for the drinker.
- Nucleation Points – Ice crystals can also act as nucleation points, further accelerating CO2 loss.
- Storage with Food – Just like how your fridge absorbs odors from your leftovers, storing glassware in a cooler with food produces the same effect. As you might imagine, “cooler food” is not typically a desired tasting note in beer.
- Wet Storage – If clean glassware is not properly air-dried, cold storage will only hinder the process and can exacerbate the previous two issues.
Damn. Does this mean we should STOP frosting our beer glasses altogether?
Sort of.
How to frost glasses correctly
If the primary issues stem from storage practices, what can be done differently? Here are three changes that can be made to frost glasses correctly:
- Ensure Glassware is Dry – Properly air-dry your glassware to ensure liquids don’t remain when cooled.
- Cooler (not freezer) Storage – Glasses should be chilled between 36–40°F. This temperature is warm enough to avoid ice crystal formation but cool enough to minimize temperature swings while pouring beer.
- Dedicate a Cooler to Glassware – By giving food and glassware their own storage units, you’ll reduce (and hopefully remove) any off-flavors contributed by the cooler.
By following these steps, you’ll ensure beer quality isn’t sacrificed to the process of frosting your glasses.
Final thoughts
So (back to our original question) are frosted glasses ideal for the drinking experience or not?
If proper steps are taken, frosted (or perhaps ‘cooled’ is a better term) glasses can absolutely enhance beer drinking. Where shit goes awry is when shortcuts are taken.
Thankfully, there’s nothing wrong with room temperature glassware, so if you can’t logistically ensure you’re frosting glasses correctly at home or at work, keep things simple and focus on good beer, glassware, and technique*.
Cheers!
*Make sure you’re not making these three common pouring mistakes!