Branded glassware a clear winner

Just four years ago, as long as a glass had a logo on it, that was good enough. Today, however, having the right glass is almost as important as the quality of the beer. Customers are paying a premium for their beer, and they expect this to be reflected in the quality of glass.

'Branded glassware is very important, particularly if we are talking about draught. The way that a beer is poured and the way that it is presented all add to the total experience, says Tony Jennings, chief executive of Budweiser Budvar. 'We use a Continental-sized branded glass [for Budvar Dark], which has proved to be very popular. The idea is that you can get the full pint in there as well as the frothy head, an essential feature of any speciality beer.

This is supported by Interbrew UK's marketing manager for speciality beer brands, Julie O'Neill: 'We provide huge glasses to allow for the huge head half a pint, but with an extra 2cm added at the top. The head is incredibly important as it holds a lot of the speciality beer's flavour.

'The shape of the glass also helps to exploit the flavour, aroma and appearance of each individual beer. The drinks should always, therefore, be served in branded glasses.

But delivering the glasses can be a 'logistical nightmare, specialist Brand Development national sales manager Adin Wener finds: 'We have 200 outlets which stock Fruli, which is a lot of glasses to deliver. But this is not a reason not to stock them, he says: 'More and more retailers around 80% to 90% are starting to make room for branded glassware, as they realise how important it is.