# How To Fix A Beer Glass



## keef12345 (12/11/07)

If a beer glass has been washed out in soapy water can it be fixed or is it unfixable. 

Could you use sanitizer to clean the glass. 
Will the glass ever get a head back...


----------



## Steve (12/11/07)

keef12345 said:


> If a beer glass has been washed out in soapy water can it be fixed or is it unfixable.
> 
> Could you use sanitizer to clean the glass.
> Will the glass ever get a head back...




rinse out with plain hot water after its been washed in soap/detergent - simple!


----------



## ozpowell (12/11/07)

keef12345 said:


> If a beer glass has been washed out in soapy water can it be fixed or is it unfixable.
> 
> Could you use sanitizer to clean the glass.
> Will the glass ever get a head back...



No they're beyond help - better send them to me. 

Seriously, giving them a good rinse with tap water should do the trick.

Cheers,
Michael.


----------



## Fents (12/11/07)

i've found if you get some steel wool scrub stuff (not the stuff with detegant already in it) and wash it with that under hot water it comes good. also clean hard with the steel on the bottom of the glass.


----------



## sathid (12/11/07)

You may find that washing with fabric softener changes the charge on the glass surface, and may help your problem.

It's also a way of cleaning plastic cups without getting that "greasy feel" from normal detergent. 

I just avoid using detergent on my beer glasses (and anything other than beer is now banned )


----------



## sinkas (12/11/07)

I dont Belieeeeve it!


----------



## sathid (12/11/07)

don't belieeeeeeve what?


----------



## sinkas (12/11/07)

what constitutes worthy discussion on this bloody board.


----------



## DarkFaerytale (13/11/07)

it's actually a very interesting topic sinkas, some people like to keep there glasses perfect so they can really show off the head and body of the beer. detergent in a glass will make a beer look flat and lifeless


----------



## Trent (13/11/07)

Clean yer beer glasses with bi-carb and water, then follow that up with vinegar and water. Follow that up with a good rinse of clean water, and Robert's yer father's brother.
Read that on this forum years ago, and it works for me.
All the best
Trent


----------



## vchead (13/11/07)

My uncle used to have a special beer glass that no-one was allowed to touch or wash. If it got washed in detergent he would rinse it out with hot water then light a cigarette paper and drop the flaming paper in the glass until it burned out. He'd then rinse it out and put it in the fridge.

I don't know what the burning paper did but he sweared it reconditioned the galss for head retention,

Rodders


----------



## mattwalker19 (13/11/07)

shouldn't this thread be in the "humour and joke" section

if anyone is worried about dirty glasses you can always drink straight from the keg like i do


----------



## domonsura (13/11/07)

Steel wool?!!?!?(Were you serious Fents or were you taking the piss?) Fabric softener?!?!?!?!?!? Bicarb and vinegar?? Where's Chopper when you need him? - I think we need to bring out the HTFU stick again!

All due respect guys, but you are seriously over complicating the issue. It's only glass, it doesn't absorb the detergent & of course the glass will get 'head' back again.

Wash it out well with nice hot PLAIN water, put it in the fridge and then rinse out with nice cold beer which goes down your throat, and don't let your missus/flatmate etc near your beer glasses again. (Walks away from pc shaking head.......... :wacko: :blink: )


----------



## Brewer_010 (13/11/07)

domonsura said:


> Steel wool?!!?!?(Were you serious Fents or were you taking the piss?) Fabric softener?!?!?!?!?!? Bicarb and vinegar?? Where's Chopper when you need him? - I think we need to bring out the HTFU stick again!
> 
> All due respect guys, but you are seriously over complicating the issue. It's only glass, it doesn't absorb the detergent & of course the glass will get 'head' back again.
> 
> Wash it out well with nice hot PLAIN water, put it in the fridge and then rinse out with nice cold beer which goes down your throat, and don't let your missus/flatmate etc near your beer glasses again. (Walks away from pc shaking head.......... :wacko: :blink: )



I always wash my glasses with the rest of the washing up, with detergent. I then rinse three or four times with hot tap water, no problem.


----------



## KoNG (13/11/07)

i've been using bicarb/vinegar for quite a while.... works a treat. you really notice the extra lacing and longer lasting head.
much to the shock horror of some on here!! i dont see a problem in looking after and cleaning up your favourite drinking vessel.!?!? we spend half a day making our beer and a week or 2 looking after it in the ferm, then another hour or 3 getting it into kegs/bottles...so whats the big deal with taking 60 seconds to clean the last vessel, that you sit there and enjoy your efforts from??

And just to irk a little more.... of late i have been doing a weak sugar soap clean too..! (prior to then doing the above). You get a whole pint of lacing after that treatment. looks great


----------



## domonsura (13/11/07)

Each to their own Kong. I get lacing all the way down the glass anyway, without using anything other than hot water to rinse the glass if one has gone through the sink with the rest of the dishes. My mother in law put ALL my beer glasses through a soapy wash while she was here. I tried to explain why I was annoyed with her, but I ended up just walking away. It was like talking to a brick (except bricks don't look back at you with quite such a blank stare....) 

But as I said - each to their own


----------



## SJW (13/11/07)

I must be missing something here. But what needs to be FIXED? WHAT BROKE?


----------



## KoNG (13/11/07)

i definately note a change in head retention and lacing when a glass (usually the PHaT) gets a little grubby... quick clean routine brings her back sweet...


----------



## kook (13/11/07)

I'd recommend baking the glass in an oven at 180 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Remove with tongs and quickly dump into a sink of iced water.

The baking will break down the surfactants in the detergent and the ice bath will rinse it off. h34r:


----------



## KoNG (13/11/07)

Kook...
can you send a photo log of the process.? i'll try it tonight.


----------



## warrenlw63 (13/11/07)

kook said:


> I'd recommend baking the glass in an oven at 180 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Remove with tongs and quickly dump into a sink of iced water.
> 
> The baking will break down the surfactants in the detergent and the ice bath will rinse it off. h34r:



Ye gods! Sounds like a recipe for thermal shock. :blink: 

Warren -


----------



## KoNG (13/11/07)

Kook hasnt replied as yet... so i gather he is recovering from the photography session..!! :lol: :lol:


----------



## keef12345 (13/11/07)

DarkFaerytale said:


> it's actually a very interesting topic sinkas, some people like to keep there glasses perfect so they can really show off the head and body of the beer. detergent in a glass will make a beer look flat and lifeless



whats a beer without a great head...?? beer is nothing without a good head.


----------



## goatherder (13/11/07)

I soak mine in PSR for 20 mins and rinse well. Perfect every time.

I do not subscribe to the myth that beer glasses should be washed only with hot water. In my opinion, a beer glass needs 2 stages of cleaning - a detergent or solvent based clean to remove all grease, oil and beer residue which is then followed by a hot water rinse to remove every trace of the cleaning product. Then let it air dry as using a cloth inevitably just wipes more crap back into the glass.

I'm with SJW - there is no such thing as a glass ruined by soapy water. The problem is probably that the glass hasn't been well rinsed or has been dried with a dirty cloth.


----------



## alexbrand (13/11/07)

goatherder said:


> In my opinion, a beer glass needs 2 stages of cleaning - a detergent or solvent based clean to remove all grease, oil and beer residue which is then followed by a hot water rinse to remove every trace of the cleaning product. Then let it air dry as using a cloth inevitably just wipes more crap back into the glass.



This is the technique most barmen use here in our domain. they give it scrub with detergents and rinse it well. But they do not dry the glass, onlyin the morning when they close the pub... 

Just before they pour the beer they rinse the glass with cold water. Never pour into a dry glass...

Alex

EDIT:


----------



## sathid (13/11/07)

Actually I've just remembered, it's plastic cups only that you wash with fabric softener to get rid of the "oily feel" left by the detergent. And that you want to avoid using rinse aid if you wash your beer glasses in the dishwasher as it ruins the head iirc.


At the Fremantle Beer Festival a few years back, some friends and I watched in fascination a video of how to pour the perfect beer. I forget what brand it was tho.

IIRC it was the first time I'd ever seen anyone wash a glass _after_ it had beer in it 

I have since discovered the Belgian Beer Cafe...


----------



## Fents (13/11/07)

domonsura said:


> Steel wool?!!?!?(Were you serious Fents or were you taking the piss?) Fabric softener?!?!?!?!?!? Bicarb and vinegar?? Where's Chopper when you need him? - I think we need to bring out the HTFU stick again!
> 
> All due respect guys, but you are seriously over complicating the issue. It's only glass, it doesn't absorb the detergent & of course the glass will get 'head' back again.
> 
> Wash it out well with nice hot PLAIN water, put it in the fridge and then rinse out with nice cold beer which goes down your throat, and don't let your missus/flatmate etc near your beer glasses again. (Walks away from pc shaking head.......... :wacko: :blink: )




Dead serious chop chop. No rules in this game dom, people have different methods for everything on here. Seriously tho if your still tripping out come round for a beer (only an 8 hour drive ), my beer glass's are knackerd and i'll show you the ye' ol trick :beer:


----------



## Fents (13/11/07)

oh and i'll add too that i have one favourite pot glass, its a 250ml mini pint shaped glass, holds the most perfect head everytime does the whole lacing thing and everything. i've never washed it with just water, put it through the dishwasher everytime just cant kill it.


----------



## goatherder (13/11/07)

alexbrand said:


> Just before they pour the beer they rinse the glass with cold water. Never pour into a dry glass...




I've noticed a lot of pubs and bars in the last few years have picked up this trick. Does anyone know why a dry glass is bad?


----------



## alexbrand (13/11/07)

goatherder said:


> I've noticed a lot of pubs and bars in the last few years have picked up this trick. Does anyone know why a dry glass is bad?



Well, rinsing the glass cooles it down a little bit. This makes the bubbles in the foam smaller and more stable. Pouring into a dry glass produces more foam. It takes longer to serve the beer and it looses less CO2.

Alex

EDIT: Eat this: L'tranger! *lol*


----------



## rough60 (13/11/07)

My missus just washes them in Palmolive, and drys straight away, then into the freezer in my keg fridge, no head or lacing probs until after a few beers out of the glass. The glasses do have the rough bottom in them though.


----------



## domonsura (13/11/07)

Fents said:


> Dead serious chop chop. No rules in this game dom, people have different methods for everything on here. Seriously tho if your still tripping out come round for a beer (only an 8 hour drive ), my beer glass's are knackerd and i'll show you the ye' ol trick :beer:



:lol: Deal! I'll be in Melbourne having a beer related holiday from the missus and young fella in February. Beer is beer, even if I don't understand your cleaning methods  (I can pretend I'm still tripping if that's a condition.........hehe........ who knows, I'll be in Melbourne, maybe I will be.....)


----------



## Tyred (13/11/07)

My glass is washed with the rest of the dishes and then rinsed with water, then left to air dry during the day. Before pouring a beer into it I give it a quick rinse with tap water. No problems so far.


----------



## Cortez The Killer (14/11/07)

rough60 said:


> My missus just washes them in Palmolive, and drys straight away, then into the freezer in my keg fridge, no head or lacing probs until after a few beers out of the glass.



Same here - not sure what brand of detergent though

Never had a problem with my AG efforts

Some of my older K+K efforts did have issues

But it was nothing a little Carapils didn't fix

Cheers


----------



## Boozums (20/11/07)

Never drink from the same glass twice. This is a creed I've lived by for decades. Sure, costs mounted, so I took the evolutionary step and bought a mobile kiln, I blew my own glass when I needed one.

I no longer drink as much as I used to though. The kidneys are fine but that asthma's a bastard.


----------



## schooey (20/11/07)

I dont tend to pour into the same glass again either. I have 12 of the old round short fat style schooner glasses which 6 of just so happen to fit perfectly into the steam steriliser we used to do the kids bottles in. After each beer, I rinse and stick in there. Whack it on for 10 til its finished and let them cool and into the freezer they go.


----------



## Bongchitis (22/11/07)

This is an interesting topic but I simply can't understand some of the beliefs at present!

A clean glass is a nessesity (sp?...sorry I did Engineering for a reason) for head retention and lacing....thats a given.

...but some of the things said here don't quite make sense:

Somone mentioned that glass does not absorb detergent??? Glass is porous/amorphous and just because it is clear doesnt mean that there isn't pores in the glass that trap contaminants such as detergent.

Someone mentioned not using rinse-aid in the dishwasher as it destroys the head but the rinse aid is actually there to clear the detergents from the pores in the glass and thus helping head retention. If you do your glasses in the dishwasher do use a product with rinse aid and dont wash the glasses with anything else such as a plate you used with your hamburger and chips.

Although I am a newbie to brewing, I have never had a head problem and I have only just started using hops and specialty grains. if I have treated the glasses in the way most of you seem to..... Wash, rinse well, chill glass and pour beer (not poor beer!) there doesn't seem to be a problem.

It must come down to the quality and constituents of the glass aswell, bigger and more numerous pores would yield more contamination...glass aint glass just as oils aint oils! Surely shape of the glass would play a part also.


----------



## ibast (22/11/07)

My glasses just go in the dishwasher with an all in one pellet. I don't have major problems but I do get a better head if I rinse in water first.

Mainly, however, I don't bother. I just poor about 25 ml out of the tap (would have been what was in the line anyway and therefore not the best) and swill it round the glass and (shock horror) throw it out.

From then on all's good and I keep using the same glass that night.


----------



## dibby33 (22/11/07)

Crikes. Yes I agree a clean glass is a must. Why spend some much time on making the beer to drink out a dirty glass.
Milk, now that is bad.

On the investigative side I may conduct an experiment (involving lots of beer of course!) with glasses in different states of wash / unwash / contiminated etx. Sounds like a fantastic excuse to sink some beers!


----------



## sathid (22/11/07)

Bongchitis said:


> Someone mentioned not using rinse-aid in the dishwasher as it destroys the head but the rinse aid is actually there to clear the detergents from the pores in the glass and thus helping head retention. If you do your glasses in the dishwasher do use a product with rinse aid and dont wash the glasses with anything else such as a plate you used with your hamburger and chips.


They make special rinse aids specifically so that they do not affect beer head retention, and to promote it.

It is mentioned as a property of many specialty commercial glassware rinse aids.

Rinse aid is actually added to help prevent droplets of water remaining, which dry and leave spots on your glassware. IIRC it does this by changing the surface charge on the glass.

From a patent document:



> Rinse aids are used in automatic dishwashers to help minimize water spotting on tableware, glassware and cookware (in combination, referred to as "ware") during the rinsing and drying steps. Rinse aids function by reducing the contact angle of the water on the ware surface, permitting water to sheet off the surface rather than being retains as water droplets. Water droplets, as they dry, cause water spots.


----------



## ian.doddy (7/3/20)

DarkFaerytale said:


> it's actually a very interesting topic sinkas, some people like to keep there glasses perfect so they can really show off the head and body of the beer. detergent in a glass will make a beer look flat and lifeless


Yep great topic. My missus washed my fave beer glass in detergent (not happy) & was hoping there was a cure


----------

