Beer Glassware Guide for Taprooms: Which Glass for Which Beer, and How to Brand It
Updated September 2026 by Brad Lugar, owner of Steel City Tap Co., Birmingham, AL.
Quick answer: A taproom needs three glasses, not fifteen: a 16 oz shaker or nonic pint for lagers, ales, and IPAs; a 10 to 13 oz tulip or teku for high ABV and Belgian styles; and a 5 oz taster for flights. Add a 20 oz mug if you sell a lot of lager. Brand all of them with the same logo that is on the tap handle, and the customer sees your name three times before the first sip.
We are a tap handle shop, so we spend a lot of time looking at bars. The best taprooms run a short glass list, pour to the line, and brand every glass. This guide covers which glass fits which beer and, at the end, how to get glassware printed so it matches the wall.
Which glass for which beer?
Shaker pint (16 oz)
The American workhorse. Straight sides, stackable, survives the dishwasher. Right for pale ales, IPAs, lagers, and anything sold as "a pint." Its only flaw is that it does nothing for aroma. Fine for 80 percent of what a taproom pours.
Nonic pint (20 oz imperial, or 16 oz)
The English pint with the bulge near the top. The bulge is a grip and a stacking ring, and the glass is tougher than a shaker. Right for English ales, stouts, and porters. If you want one pint shape that reads as craft, this is it.
Tulip and teku (10 to 13 oz)
Stemmed, bowl shaped, flared rim. Holds the head and concentrates aroma. Right for Belgian styles, double IPAs, sours, and anything over 8 percent ABV where a 16 oz pour would be a mistake. Duvel built its brand on the tulip for a reason.
Pilsner (12 to 14 oz)
Tall, narrow, slight taper. Shows off clarity and carbonation. Right for pilsners and light lagers. Skip it if you do not pour lager; it is fragile and it tips.
Weizen (16 to 20 oz)
Tall with a curved top to hold the big head. Right for hefeweizen and wheat beers only.
Snifter (8 to 12 oz)
Short stem, wide bowl. Right for barrel aged stouts, barleywines, and anything you would sell in a 10 oz pour at a premium price.
Mug or stein (16 to 20 oz)
Thick glass, handle. Keeps the hand off the beer and survives being set down hard. Right for lagers, Oktoberfest, and volume nights.
Taster (4 to 5 oz)
The flight glass. Every taproom needs a case of these, and they are the glass that walks out the door most often, so brand them.
Why standardize on three glasses?
Every extra shape is another SKU to buy, store, wash, and replace. The taprooms that run a shaker, a tulip, and a taster pour faster, break less, and brand cheaper because every order is the same three items. Add a fourth only when a style you pour a lot of demands it.
How do you brand taproom glassware?
Screen print or sandblast, one or two colors, logo sized to sit above the fill line. Screen print is the standard: durable, exact PMS match, and cheaper per glass at volume. Sandblast (etching) reads premium and never wears off, at a higher unit cost. Either way, use the same logo art that is on your tap handles, at the same weight. A customer who sees the same mark on the faucet, the glass, and the tin tacker behind the bar remembers the name.
Printed glassware is a screen printing job, so it is built by our sister shop Classic Printing & Signs. You can also browse what we have posted on our glassware page. Send one art file and we match the glass to the handle.
What about cocktail, wine, and spirits glasses?
If your taproom serves them, the same rule applies: pick one glass per category (a rocks glass, a highball, a stemmed wine glass, a coupe for cocktails) and brand it. A full bar glass list is a restaurant problem, not a taproom problem.
Want the glass and the handle to match? Send us your logo and we will spec both.
Frequently asked questions
What glasses does a taproom need?
Three: a 16 oz shaker or nonic pint, a 10 to 13 oz tulip for high ABV and Belgian styles, and a 5 oz taster for flights. Add a mug if you pour a lot of lager.
What is the best glass for an IPA?
A 16 oz shaker or nonic pint for standard IPAs. For double IPAs over 8 percent ABV, a tulip or teku concentrates the aroma and keeps the pour to a sensible size.
How many ounces is a pint glass?
A US shaker pint is 16 oz. An imperial or nonic pint is 20 oz. Many bars pour 14 oz into a 16 oz shaker once head is counted, so mark a fill line if you advertise a pint.
How do you put a logo on beer glasses?
Screen printing in one or two PMS colors is the standard and the cheapest at volume. Sandblasting or etching costs more per glass and never wears off. Both are done by our sister shop, Classic Printing & Signs.
Should glassware match the tap handle?
Yes. Use the same logo art at the same weight on the glass, the tap handle, and the wall sign so the customer sees one brand three times before the first sip.