I'm with you and understood your mention of "preceived." I'm just refined enough to get that big of a difference. All I know, as you picked up on what I was sayign, is that I need to smell while drinking and straight from the bottle can significantly impair that.

Perception...yes...'actual' flavor...no. Does a Celebrator still taste malty and sweet in a snifter, tumbler or a flute?...Yes. Does MGD still taste like crap? Yes. Will certain glassware enhance what you're looking for in certain beer styles, yea it will. Beer rules. PS American Wheats are underrated :)

I rhink that a glass that will enhance the aroma of the beer will help you preceive the taste better. Aroma has a good deal to do with taste. The big factors in glass ware is that it should be glass, Plastic metal etc. influence the taste and the glass has to be clean. If I am doing a tasting with friends I have a way for them to rinse their glasses. Otherwise you end up tasting party mix.

quote: Originally posted by FoamDome I searched the forum and am surprised this topic hasn't come up before. Favorite glasses, yes, but not whether the particular style of glass has any bearing on the perceived flavor. Just curious if any of you have any thoughts or experiences on this theme. Topic is inspired by a recent article by the Brews Bros. They actually did a little experiment to test the hypothesis that the glass matters. http://www.gazette.net/200531/entertainment/brewsbro/289483-1.html

Actually, Foamy, I think the answer to your question is both Yes and No. The only reason I say that is because I think it might not necessarily have to do with the glass, but what you do with the glass. If you are looking to enhance the tastes and and aromas of your beer in it's confines, it is highly recommended in many a book from by beer library that you should swirl your beverage gently, thus brining out and making more noticeable the aromas that waft from the glass. I would recommend you pick up a few of Mike Jackson or Roger Protz's books and you will see what I am talking about, that is if I am not telling you anything new. [;)]

quote: Originally posted by Upstate Dave ...party mix.

Ha! Good one!

quote: Originally posted by Oiznop ...it is highly recommended...that you should swirl your beverage gently, thus ... making more noticeable the aromas...

Yeah, swirling makes sense, to a point, Oiz. But swirling alone is not enough, otherwise, you could just swirl it in the bottle. Swirling works for releasing the aroma just like pouring releases aroma. So, I guess one must swirl it enough to produce the same effect as pouring. How does it work with wine? As I recall, the 5 S's of Sampling: Swirl, sniff, sip, swish, spit? Part of sampling is swirling. But with wine, swirling's mostly to see if the wine forms streaks, or legs, on the bowl of the wine glass. Legs are an indication of alcohol content. There is generally less alcohol in beer, so the primary reason for swirling your beer is to release aroma. But this only works until all the CO2 comes out of solution, which would be counterproductive in the long run, right? Another way to swirl your beer is to drink so much of it that the room starts to spin. But by then, the aroma is not so important anymore!

I wonder about the glass changing perception, also. I definitely do not enjoy beer as much out of a plastic cup. But that might all be in my head. I like to use a glass appropriate to the style when I can, but I think that appearance and maybe aroma are the main factors here. Aroma has an influence on taste, but I doubt the shape makes a large difference.

quote: Originally posted by FoamDome <blockquote id="quote"><table width=90% cellpadding=10><tr><td bgcolor=FFFFCC><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote: Originally posted by drewseslu Perception...yes...'actual' flavor...no. </font id="quote"></td></tr></table></blockquote id="quote"> Well, perception = reality, is it not? So please help me understand your point. There's the physics of taste, then there's the psychology of flavor perception. And which is more real? Which more VALID? By the way, and not to get too far off topic on my own thread, that is a cool new photo you have there. Nice set up!

Thanks, my old man's got quite a setup. I'll post my rag tag machine sometime soon.

quote: Originally posted by heemer77 I wonder about the glass changing perception, also. I definitely do not enjoy beer as much out of a plastic cup. But that might all be in my head.

Isn't that what perception is, in your head? I could drink the same beer twice... once in a plastic cup (been done many times) and once in a nice beer glass/mug, etc. I would be willing to bet that the second one would be more enjoyable. Although dont get me wrong, I have no problem with drinking it out of a little plastic cup at a party.

quote: Originally posted by southerncoronas Isn't that what perception is, in your head?

Yeah, Southern, I think you're right. Think of all the psychological factors that could influence the perception of beer flavor. Here are some:

• How much you paid (more infers quality)
• Advertising (Budweiser is a good case study in effective ads)
• What your friends think about it, for better or worse
• How it looks, sounds, and smells

And the Brews Bros essentially said that the kind of glass improves the perception of beer flavor primarily by influencing how the beer looks, sounds, and smells. I think this realization drives home the importance of blind tasting in competitions and at tasting parties. The only way to control for those psychological factors mentioned above is to serve all the brews in similar glasses, with no labels, prices, or names in view. In other words, yes, the type of glass does make a difference in how the beer tastes.