The obvious answer is the standard Boston shaker pint does not bring out the full aromas and flavors of a beer. In fact, its design exposes beer to body heat across the surface of the glass, which can actually deteriorate the qualities of the beer. Other answers, though, are not as obvious.
GLASS SIZES
With more and more craft beers being bolder, high alcohol content types of beers like imperial stouts or triple IPAs, it doesn't make sense to serve them in larger pint glasses. In fact, a 16-ounce pint-glass of beer like Avery's Uncle Jacob's Imperial Stout can be like that real uncle who overstays his welcome. It's just too much.
PRICE POINTS
Likewise, glassware is changing because customers don't necessarily want a 12-dollar commitment. It makes more sense for brewpubs and beer bars to serve some of their bigger, more flavorful beers in smaller glassware. Much like the wine-by-the-glass trends, consumers like to try high quality without committing to high quantity.
IT'S TRENDY
Yes, glassware is trendy. There's no doubt about it. Any cruise up the coast(s), and you'll find it more and more difficult to see beer, especially craft beer, served in the standard shaker pint. But trends arrive slowly in some places. For example, Kansas City's Boulevard Brewing ambassador Jeremy Danner recently told the Washington Post "folks in the Midwest expect/appreciate fairness in pricing/portions, so bars are hesitant to reduce pour sizes." It is changing, though, and this gives bar operators an early shot at "being trendy."
There are beer glassware options that can help bring out the full potential of craft beer. Discover what they are in our Birrateque Guide to Craft Beer Glassware.
