A Guide to German Beer Glasses for Oktoberfest!

Whether you are visiting Oktoberfest in Munich this year or having your own beer-swilling celebrations at home, you’ll need to know which glassware is the most appropriate for drinking your German beer from!

We’ve made it easy for you to decide, by showing you the range of Oktoberfest-worthy glassware we sell; plus given you suggestions for the kinds of German beer to serve in each one!:

Glass Description German beer

Pilsner Pilsner glasses are tall and slender and have a tapered shape. The narrower part reveals the colour and carbonation of the beer and the wider top helps maintain the foamy head. German Pilsner, Dortmunder, Munich Helles

Stange Being made of lightweight glass and having such an elegant and narrow design, the Stange glass is often referred to as the “champagne flute of the beer world”. Kolsch

Willi Becher The Willi Becher is the standard pint glass used throughout Germany. It is tall and fairly slim, but widens at the top to enable a good head and a secure grip of the glass. Altbier, Gose, Rauchbier, Marzen

Pokal Pokal is the German word for cup. Pokal beer glasses looks similar to the Pilsner flute, but with the addition of a stem. Bock style beers are typically served in these glasses. Bock, Doppelbock, Eisbock, Schwarzbier

Goblet

A goblet has a wide cup and base, and a narrow stem. It is usually used to hold water or wine and is made of cut glass. Berliner Weisse

Masskrug The iconic Masskrug is a staple of Oktoberfest. It is a one litre volume glass drinking vessel with a handle, often referred to as a beer stein or beer mug. Munich Helles, German Pilsner, Oktoberfest

Steins/Tankards The traditional way to drink beer in Germany is from tankards and steins. They are essentially large cylindrical cups with a handle, and tend to be made of silver, pewter, glass or ceramic. Munich Helles, Marzen, German Pilsner

Beer Boots Beer Boors (or Bierstiefels) are popular drinking vessels at Oktoberfest. To drink from correctly, the tip of the boot needs to point towards the drinker’s body until the glass is sufficiently drained. Beer Boots are made of either manufactured pressed glass, or glass mouth-blown by skilled artisans in the form of a boot. Munich Helles, Oktoberfest, German Pilsner

To see all of our German-style glassware in one place, check out our Oktoberfest category and raise a beer to this much-loved yearly occasion!

Cheers!