Give the Shaker a Break

It’s solid.  It’s utilitarian.  It’s iconic.  It’s fair to say that the shaker pint – commonly just the “pint glass”, the tapered, angular glass that resemble an upside-down thimble – is the most-used beer-serving vessel in the U.S.  But more & more aficionados – from stalwart brewmasters Vinnie Cilurzo & Garrett Oliver (Russian River & Brooklyn, respectively), to UC Davis brewing professor Dr. Michael Lewis, to renowned beer writer Andy Crouch – are calling for the disposing of this glass from its place as industry standard.  A common talking point among the brew literati is “the proper glassware”, making the demand that, if beer is going to secure a place of esteem equal to wine, it needs to be served in glassware to optimize its head retention, its aroma, its clarity, its serving temperature.  We also think that beer deserves to be put on a pedestal, & you’ll find an array of glassware at The House: tulips, for those heady Belgian ales; snifters, for those potent barleywines & strong ales; flutes, for those fruity sweetened lambics; vases, pilsners, nonick pints, goblets.  And we happen to hold the shaker pint in the same regard.

One argument in defense of the shaker is from the “anti-snob” position, basically “It’s beer.  Don’t be so patrician, just get over yourself & enjoy it.”  There’s some validity to that.  A good article from Charlotte Beer makes the point eloquently, saying that, yes, beer deserves to be experienced at its utmost, but there’s a time & a place, & if you’re too bent out of shape about the kind of glass that you fail to appreciate the beer, whose fault is that, really?  If your head is so far jammed in the glass that you don’t notice your company & surroundings, you’re missing out on at least 50% of the experience anyway.  And sure, a pint glass is certainly preferable to a plastic cup (I’ve drank at places that claim to be self-respecting where this was the delivery method of choice – ooooh boy). 

But I’d even go so far as to claim that the shaker pint is actually the best vessel for certain styles.  Doesn’t a good stout just look more appealing served in a tall, assertive glass?  Don’t the round body & straight sides feel good in your hand?  There’s something about picking up & putting down that sturdy pint of beer that just feels like it fits, that defines it as a hearty, robust beverage & separates it from the dainty “refinement” of wine.  The owner & brewmaster of Beachwood BBQ state that the shaker pint is their preferred glassware for IPAs & Double IPAs, & I agree.  Something about aggressively hoppy beers really shines from a shaker, the head holds up very well to deliver that aroma, & the thick, sticky lacing working its way down the sides is the icing on the cake.  It’s a beer that says “Here I am,” & the glass props that up.  It works great for many styles: browns, pales, ambers, stouts, bocks, most lagers, IPAs – a lot of the “work horse” styles.  This is not to knock any other sort of glassware; they’re all great & deserve to be recognized.  But the shaker pint fits easily alongside the curvy, aerodynamic styles.  Maybe we do need to just get over ourselves & enjoy the beer.  But maybe the shaker pint is just right for the time, the place, & even the brew itself.