New stout glass developed by Spiegelau, Riedel, Left Hand and Rogue

The new Spiegelau x Left Hand Brewing Co. x Rogue Ales Stout Glass was developed over a yearlong series of design workshops and tasting panels led by Riedel crystal glassware owner Georg Riedel and Spiegelau Vice President Matthew Rutkowski. Eric Wallace of Left Hand Brewing Co., Brett Joyce of Rogue Ales and experts from each brewery tested a selection of stouts ranging from Rogue Ales’ Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout to Left Hand Brewing’s Milk Stout.

“Witnessing Stout beers explode onto the American craft beer scene was a light bulb moment for me. I realized we could do for Stout what we did for IPAs,” Rutkowski said. “Left Hand and Rogue are known leaders and innovators in the field of Stout brewing, so they were obvious partners, and I was thrilled when they wanted to get on board.”

Hundreds of glasses pulled from Spiegelau’s glassware archive were tested against a variety of the brewers’ own stouts with the ultimate challenge of finding a glass shape that had the most profound effect on the aromas and flavor profiles of each Stout beer.

After narrowing the archive glass options down to a handful of shapes, Spiegelau’s German factory created six, final prototypes for testing all stouts, varying by several millimeters in height, bowl width, angle and capacity. After many deliberations, Left Hand Brewing and Rogue Ales separately and unanimously determined that the Prototype “C” Stout glass delivered the optimal taste, aroma and mouth feel to enhance Stout beers.

“John Maier, our brewmaster, was intimately involved with the tasting and selection process of the stout glass,” Joyce said. “His proprietary palate and knowledge of the ingredients used in brewing was essential in choosing the right glass to highlight the rich, roasted malts that we grow on Rogue Farms. The final glass that Spiegelau designed and we selected highlights the flavors and nuances of stouts best.”

“At Left Hand, we are committed to constantly improving beer quality and the beer drinker’s experience glassware that directly impacts beer flavor is yet another step towards our goal, and Left Hand Brewing is proud to be a part of this,” Wallace said.

Spiegelau’s Stout Glass is available for purchase through www.SpiegelauUSA.com and retailers nationwide.