The Beer Glass Test To Suss Out Restaurant Cleanliness

Beer has come a long way since its probable inception as a lucky mistake millennia ago. Now, with tons of different brew types, beer can be found in practically any place that has a culture of alcohol consumption, and is one of the most consumed beverages in the world. It makes sense, then, that you may find yourself ordering a pint of the sudsy stuff next time you dine out. But did you know that your beer can actually act as a sort of litmus test for the cleanliness of the restaurant? Specifically, it can tell you a perhaps-unsettling story about the cleanliness of your beer glass.

You may know how vital the role of your beer glass is for your drinking experience. But aside from affecting your beer taste-wise, your glass can tell a story of how clean (or dirty) that particular restaurant's glassware is. Beer, of course, has carbonation, giving it its characteristic effervescence and helping with the beer's nose and mouthfeel. But if those same carbonation bubbles stick to the side of your glass instead of rising to join their bubbly brethren, you've got a dirty glass in your hand. If you find this happening when you order a beer at a restaurant, kindly ask for a re-pour in a clean glass.

All those carbonation bubbles in your beer want to rise to the top of your glass, and in a clean glass, they would do exactly that. So if they're getting caught along the side, that means there's something preventing them from joining the soapy head of your beer. This could be something as well-intentioned as residue left from dish soap or the cleaning product the restaurant uses, or even a post-wash sanitizer. However, it could also be gunk, food debris, or other undesirable substances picked up either in the restaurant or from the dishwasher. Either way, some non-beer hurdle is preventing those bubbles from giving you an optimal (and sanitary) drinking experience.

Though there's some debate about the best method to store glassware, there should be no question that you want the cleanest glass possible when you're dining out. Maybe your glass just needs a simple rinse at the bar before pouring, or maybe it needs to be put through a proper wash again. Either way, you can now interpret the tale written in the bubbles of your beer to determine whether your restaurant passes this cleanliness test.