PERFECTION IN A BEER GLASS

Does the perfect beer glass exist? One Japanese designer believes so and says it has created the ultimate vessel to maximize “refreshment, aroma and richness” when drinking. The glass, which design studio Nendo made for Japan’s oldest beer brand Sapporo, has an asymmetrical silhouette that affects how the beverage interacts with the palate of the drinker and has straight sides on the front and back while the left side curves inwards and the right side curves outwards. It was created to enhance the taste of Sapporo’s first bottled draft, launched in 1977, known as Kuro Label after its black-colored label. Speaking about the invention, the team at Nendo explained: “Kubo Label is well recognized for its multiple distinct flavor profiles, beginning with the ‘first sip’, the ‘middle’ and ending with the ‘last sip’, taking your palate through a journey of complex flavors and pleasures in one drink. To maximize the richness and aroma of the beer, a glass with three different mouthfeels was designed.” The designers made the straight side of the Sapporo glass to allow the beer to trickle along the center of the user’s tongue to the back of the mouth to deliver a crisp, refreshing taste which allows the beer to be drunk in three different ways. The shape of the glass emphasizes these different mouthfeels and flavors that are contained within the beer, “offering a way to savor multiple experiences within a single glass”. Clearly, this is a glass for the next-level beer enthusiast. Other beer-centric designs from Nendo include a beer can that pours the ultimate head of foam which the company unveiled last spring.