I Prefer Craft Beer | Glass Cleaning & Drying
The craft beer industry prides itself on following the most important rule in producing great quality beer - a clean and sanitized work environment. Therefore, it is imperative that your beer glassware is "beer clean".
Have you ever served or been served a craft beer with tons of small bubbles adhering to the sides of your beer glass?
If so, you were served a delicious craft beer in dirty beer glassware. Those small carbonation bubbles clinging to the sides of your beer glass are a sign that you are drinking from a dirty beer glass.
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) clings to the contaminants (food residue, dirt, and oils) on the glassware surface; therefore, small carbonation bubbles form on the dirty surfaces of the beer glass. Generally, when a beer is poured into a clean stout or IPA glass, the carbonation bubbles float straight to the top of the beer glass and release the volatiles (flavor & aroma compounds) that we look forward to.
How does a dirty beer glass influence the sensory experience?
A dirty beer glass might seem like a small issue; however, dirty beer glassware negatively affects the sensory experience.
- Muddles flavor & aroma.
- Poor head retention
- Less enjoyable drinking experience
- Appearance
- Carbonation
How do I clean my craft beer glassware properly?
Cleaning your glassware properly is pretty straightforward.
2. Scrub the glass with a dedicated glass cleaning brush ( we prefer using a long-handled brush with a foam head).
- We push the brush head inside of the beer glass and agitate all of the surfaces.
4. It's best to air dry your beer glassware; however, you can use a lint-free drying towel as well.
BONUS: **Spot Free Glass/No Towel Drying**
Use DISTILLED water as a final rinse. Run the glass under the cold tap water to thoroughly rinse out any detergent, but use DISTILLED water to rinse the glass again.
**NOTE** Unlike tap water, distilled water contains no minerals, so there is absolutely no chance of hard water spots unless you do not rinse the detergent out properly.
**TIP** We typically leave our craft beer glasses drying upside-down on the dishwasher rack because it provides good air circulation.
How can I test to see if the craft beer glass is "beer clean"?
There are three tests that you can perform to see if your gose glass, stout glass, or IPA glass is "beer clean".
- Sheeting Test: Submerge the glass in water. If the glass is free of contaminants, the water will evenly coat the glass when removed from he water. If the beer glass is not "beer clean" the water will break up into small drops.
- Salt Test: Salt sprinkled on the interior of a wet glass will adhere evenly to the clean surface; however, poorly cleaned beer and pint glasses show an uneven distribution of salt.
- Lacing Test: Fill your beer glass with craft beer. If the glass is "beer clean", the foam will adhere to the inside of the glassware evenly, which will form a uniform lacing pattern. If the glass is not "beer clean" the foam will stick to the beer glassware unevenly.
Thanks for tuning in, and if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us:
info@iprefercraftbeer.com
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