Your cart is currently empty!
Steven Coulson
Steven has been drinking beers, wines and spirits for decades and has a propensity to go about them at length after a few drinks.
Latest Posts
- 57/m: Love beer, but it doesn’t love me as much anymore
- No Stupid Questions Wednesday – ask anything about beer
- Does anyone else get treated like a beer snob for ordering literally anything that isn’t a macro lager?
- Is there a polite way to refuse a beer that’s being served in the wrong glassware without making everyone at the table uncomfortable?
- # What’s the most pretentious thing you’ve ever said about beer that you secretly didn’t understand yourself?
Categories
Tags
Social Links
The Art of Declining a Beer: Navigating Glassware Etiquette
Dining out can often involve delightful culinary experiences, particularly when it comes to enjoying a well-crafted beer. However, there are moments that can lead to a bit of discomfort, especially when the details matter. One such scenario involves being served your favorite beer in the wrong type of glassware.
I recently had an experience while dining with colleagues, where I ordered a hefeweizen, a delightful wheat beer known for its rich flavors and aromas. To my dismay, the server brought it out in a standard pilsner glass instead of the proper hefeweizen glass, which is specifically designed to enhance the beer’s unique characteristics.
You might wonder why this matters. The shape of a hefeweizen glass plays a crucial role in concentrating the beer’s aromas and allowing for the ideal head formation. Enjoyment of a beer can genuinely be influenced by its presentation. But as I sat there, surrounded by coworkers who might not share my appreciation for glassware nuances, I hesitated to make a fuss. I didn’t want to come across as finicky or disrupt the flow of our meal by asking the server for a simple exchange. So, I opted to quietly sip my beer, trying to ignore my thoughts of how much better it could have been in the right glass.
As luck would have it, I later spotted the proper wheat beer glasses behind the bar, which made me realize that the server had likely just chosen the closest option available. This experience left me wondering: Is there a gracious way to address this kind of situation without causing discomfort at the table?
If you, too, have ever found yourself in a similar predicament, you’re not alone. Finding the right words to politely ask for a beer to be served in a different glass can be challenging. It requires striking a balance between asserting your preferences and maintaining a relaxed atmosphere with those around you.
Here are a few gentle suggestions for how to approach this scenario:
-
Be Casual, Yet Direct: When your drink is served, you might say something along the lines of, “I truly appreciate this, but if it’s possible, could I have my hefeweizen in a wheat beer glass? I know it enhances the flavor.” This way, you’re framing your request positively.
-
Express Enthusiasm for the Beer: You could share your excitement about the beer itself, stating, “I love this hefeweizen! Would it be