Thursday, 22 February 2024

In search of the perfect beer glass

Is this the perfect beer glass?

It looks a bit wonky to me, but industry website the drinks business reports that the design by Japanese design studio Nendo is intended to maximise “refreshment, aroma and richness” when drinking draft beer.

The glass, which Nendo has made for Japan’s oldest beer brand Sapporo, has an asymmetrical silhouette which affects how the liquid interacts with the palate of the drinker. 

It has straight sides on the front and back while the left side curves inwards and the right side curves outwards.

It was designed by Nendo as the “perfect” beer glass to enhance the taste of Sapporo’s first bottled draft, launched in 1977, known as Kuro Label after its black-coloured label.

The team at Nendo explained: “Kuro Label is well recognised for its multiple distinct flavour profiles, beginning with the ‘first sip’, the ‘middle’ and ending with the ‘last sip’, taking your palate through a journey of complex flavours and pleasures in one drink.

"To maximise the richness and aroma of the beer, a glass with three different mouthfeels was designed.”

The designers at Nendo pointed out how they had made “the straight side of the Sapporo glass to allow the beer to trickle along the centre of the user’s tongue to the back of the mouth to deliver a crisp, refreshing taste” and explained that “this allows the beer to be drunk in three different ways”.

Nendo says the shape of the glass emphasises these different mouthfeels and flavours that are contained within the beer, “offering a way to savour multiple experiences within a single glass”.

Nendo was founded in 2002 by Oki Sato after he had completed an architecture degree at Tokyo’s Waseda University.

For more details see https://www.nendo.jp/en/works/the-perfect-3way-glass-for-sapporo-draft-beer-kuro-label/

My bet is we can now expect glasses designed specifically for drinking IPAs, fruit beers, stouts etc.


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