# Beer Glass Cleaning



## SDJ (25/11/08)

Ok guys and gals, WTF do you use to clean your beloved beer glasses?? I have tried bicardonate of soda, it does get them sparkeling clean but, no lace and head retension aint that good, I do AG and never had this problem when the glasses where new, havent changed my recipes of brewing style for a few years so lets hear it, what do you wash your glasses with :icon_cheers:


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## peas_and_corn (25/11/08)

Hot water. It's all you need.


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## afromaiko (25/11/08)

A beer wench. :icon_cheers:


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## Beer&Kebab (25/11/08)

Hot water and with rubber glove on gets them squeeky clean.. I have used bi-carb and table salt with success.. Though you must rinse with hot water..


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## KoNG (25/11/08)

sugar soap


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## buttersd70 (25/11/08)

most of the time, just hot water. If I get them really greasy, like from food, I might use lemon juice or white vinegar, scrubbed out with a absorbant paper towel (wet with lemon/vinegar), then rinse thoroughly.....to me, this works the best imho. Cuts through grease, safe to use and non toxic.
Have used windex in the past (must have been drunk at the time), got them squeaky clean but as with any chemicals, needed a totaly thorough, super duper rinse. Worked, though...but probably wouldn't reccomend it....toxicity and all that.


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## robbo5253 (25/11/08)

Try giving the bottom of the glass a light sand...

Cheers

Robbo


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## Batz (25/11/08)

Wash you glasses in water with a bit of bi-carb soda dissolved in it
Now rinse in clean water with a dash of vinegar in it
rinse under a running tap and let them air dry

Don't knock it till you try it


I don't do this often enough,but it worth the effort,especially when impressing guests.

Check-out this old thread from 2004 http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...&hl=glasses


Batz


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## cliffo (25/11/08)

Batz said:


> Wash you glasses in water with a bit of bi-carb soda dissolved in it
> Now rinse in clean water with a dash of vinegar in it
> rinse under a running tap and let them air dry
> 
> ...



+1 here - works a treat.

I usually do a weekly glass cleaning routine and it doesn't take too long

cliffo


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## Sunshine_Brewer (25/11/08)

I just use detergent and give them a triple rinse. No head problems around here  .


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## Tyred (25/11/08)

Same as Sunshine_Brewer. Normal detergent and a good rinse with cold water. Dry the outside of the glass and let the inside air dry.


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## Batz (25/11/08)

Take the challenge guys,try a glass your way and one with the above method.
Your got nothing to loose.


Batz


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## Sunshine_Brewer (25/11/08)

Batz said:


> Take the challenge guys,try a glass your way and one with the above method.
> Your got nothing to loose.
> 
> 
> Batz



Ill give it a whirl, but my glasses look real shiny from here  .


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## Effect (25/11/08)

Batz said:


> Take the challenge guys,try a glass your way and one with the above method.
> Your got nothing to loose.
> 
> 
> Batz



Think this is a job for the side by side test....will do.

Now just have to go and dirty a few glasses :icon_cheers:


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## Batz (25/11/08)

Phillip said:


> Think this is a job for the side by side test....will do.
> 
> Now just have to go and dirty a few glasses :icon_cheers:




As I said in the other thread,great excuse to have two glasses of beer in front of you.Just doing an experiment honey :icon_cheers: 


Batz


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## 0M39A (25/11/08)

I clean my glasses in the dishwasher, no head retention problems what so ever. everyone says this is the worst thing you can do for glasses, will kill your head, etc etc. dishwasher, with those powerball tablets with rinse aid and all my beers pour with perfect head. hell, it takes a good pour to keep from pouring with too much head on some beers (stout is the main offender)

every now and again i'll give them a soak in sodium percarbonate, great for when they get greasy.

problem i have is that i inherited a heap of 10oz glasses from the tavern that the missus works at.

problem being is they are on bore water, and they are all stained yellow, and i cant for the life of me get them clean.

i made a thread on this a while back, but so far nothing has worked.


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## bell (25/11/08)

I seem to recall someone recommending a bit of coarse salt rubbed around the glass and then rinsed in hot water.


I might have imagined it though.


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## Bribie G (25/11/08)

A good squirt of concentrated dishwashing liquid like Blast or Aldi TANDIL, then a really good scrub out with a stainless steel pad (won't scratch them) and several washes out.

From a few hours ago:


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## muckey (25/11/08)

must try the bi-carb and vinegar sounds like a winner by all reports.

I'm normally lazy and put the glasses in the dishwasher - no rinse aid in the dishwasher though

really shouldn't matter if you use detergent as long as you rinse well though


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## Cocko (25/11/08)

peas_and_corn said:


> Hot water. It's all you need.



Hot Real Hot! - Thats all!

If it dies - thro it in the freezer over night!


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## darralew (26/11/08)

I have aproduct called brewiser bottles& glass washing powder.It works great.
Ive had it for ages-think i got it at the supermarket.


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## Cortez The Killer (26/11/08)

Never had an issue

SWMBO washes the glasses with normal washing up detergent and rinses with hot water and left to drip dry on rack

Cheers


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## MarkBastard (26/11/08)

Mine go in the dish washer and I'm happy with the head retention etc.


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## Fatgodzilla (26/11/08)

Mark^Bastard said:


> Mine go in the dish washer and I'm happy with the head retention etc.



If only washing one or two glasses, scrub with brush that never gets used for anything but glasses, then rinse with boiled kettle water and all is fine. Note, be careful as glass can be very hot ! 

Clearly its the style of detergent used in the dishwasher that makes the difference. Using anything to make glass "Sparkling" must leave a residual. I use cheaper brands when do a mass wash pf glasses and also have no head retention problems. 

Glasses with no head retention get the boiling water treatment and scrubbing brush (obviously not when water is boiling or else the brush melts) and thats seems to get them back in good meld. Stained glasses ?? chuck em. Glasses are cheap - if stained, I don't trust them.


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## gibbocore (26/11/08)

dishwasher, rinse aid, then i give em a blast with the steam wand on my espresso machine.


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## MarkBastard (26/11/08)

^ poof


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## tdh (26/11/08)

Hot sodium percarbonate soak and scrub/weak citric acid rinse once in a while, never dried and never washed with dishwashing liquid.

tdh


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## WEGGL (15/11/10)

SDJ said:


> Ok guys and gals, WTF do you use to clean your beloved beer glasses?? I have tried bicardonate of soda, it does get them sparkeling clean but, no lace and head retension aint that good, I do AG and never had this problem when the glasses where new, havent changed my recipes of brewing style for a few years so lets hear it, what do you wash your glasses with :icon_cheers:



GDay all,
This is my first post and I hope I can be of some help on this subject.
Some beer glasses are made with a ring in the bottom of the glass it is called a widget, Guinness cans use a small ball in the bottom of the can, both cause CO/2 to be continually released out of solution.
What I did with a glass that always poured flat, was to get a screwdriver which had a handle of around about 1 inch in diameter and place some wet and dry coarse sanding paper over the end of the handle, fold it up the handle and tape it to the handle. 
Most beer glasses are concave on the inside bottom so if you place the s screwdriver handle down into the glass and rotate it around the bottom you will cause a sanded ring on the inside bottom of the glass. 
This particular flat glass is no producing an excellent head. 
If the bottom of the glass is not concave it will not matter just roughing up the bottom is sufficient.
Got this from wikipedia.org/wiki/Widget.
Warren 

View attachment Widget.doc


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## milob40 (15/11/10)

0M39A said:


> I clean my glasses in the dishwasher, no head retention problems what so ever. everyone says this is the worst thing you can do for glasses, will kill your head, etc etc. dishwasher, with those powerball tablets with rinse aid and all my beers pour with perfect head. hell, it takes a good pour to keep from pouring with too much head on some beers (stout is the main offender)
> 
> every now and again i'll give them a soak in sodium percarbonate, great for when they get greasy.
> 
> ...


wow , i use finish poweball in our dishwasher (brand new) and the glasses come out mirror finish but are crap for pouring beer, no head or bubbles.
need to rinse thoroughly to get the glassese to behave, maybe something to do with water quality/softness ?


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## peaky (15/11/10)

My glasses go in the sink with hot water and dish washing detergent, then give them a rinse with really hot water and leave them to dry. All my beers pour great :icon_cheers:


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## DKS (15/11/10)

I don't bother anymore. Tried all the tricks., but.....
Brand new beer glasses labeled "Do Not Touch " end up used for milkshakes and washed up with dinner dishes. Sheesh! I gave up.
Etched brewmaster glasses can compensate somewhat.
Daz


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## Thunderlips (15/11/10)

I use Brewclean.

Some glasses are just better than others.
If all else fails you could always try those "Headmaster" glasses.
You'll find them over at Ebay.


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## bcp (15/11/10)

I remember the urban myth that you shouldn't use detergent on a beer glass. The problem is with water only that hop oils can leave a residue and eventually harm head retention. Dishwashing detergent is fine as long as it's rinsed off properly.


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## mika (15/11/10)

All scratching up your beer glass does is provide more nucleation sites for CO2 and the bubbles come out faster so your beer goes flat quicker


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## dicko (15/11/10)

tdh said:


> Hot sodium percarbonate soak and scrub/weak citric acid rinse once in a while, never dried and never washed with dishwashing liquid.
> 
> tdh


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## lagers44 (15/11/10)

I agree with peakydh , hot soapy water then rinsed with hot water I also dry them with the tea towel....never had a problem with flat beer.
Issues start when you dont rinse the soap off.


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## jonocarroll (15/11/10)

bcp said:


> I remember the urban *myth* that you shouldn't use detergent on a beer glass. The problem is with water only that hop oils can leave a residue and eventually harm head retention. Dishwashing detergent is fine as long as it's rinsed off properly.


Myth?

The oils on your lips can also affect head retention - if you've just eaten something oily, forget about having a heady beer afterwards.

I wash mine (read: the missus has been shown how to) with hot water only then drip-dried. A good rinse with water before use, and I get no problems with head retention on a beer that warrants it.

Headmaster glasses are only useful for kicking the head out of a beer that otherwise might not do it on its own. I only use mine for milds, proper bitters, or on rare occasions commercial beers. I would never use one for a well-made IPA with lasting head by construction.


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## drsmurto (16/11/10)

Still throwing my glasses in the dishwasher (powerball tabs), still having no problems with head retention. :beerbang:


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## Fourstar (16/11/10)

DrSmurto said:


> Still throwing my glasses in the dishwasher (powerball tabs), still having no problems with head retention. :beerbang:



d/w with aldi brand dishwasher detergent. quick rinse to cool the glasses before pouring and shes apples. :icon_cheers:


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## argon (16/11/10)

DrSmurto said:


> Still throwing my glasses in the dishwasher (powerball tabs), still having no problems with head retention. :beerbang:




mine get the occasional run through the dishy. But most of the time i just rinse after use with really hot water and allow to air dry. Seems to do the trick. Plenty of head on my beers... commercial and homebrew equally as good


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## Mattese (16/11/10)

argon said:


> mine get the occasional run through the dishy. But most of the time i just rinse after use with really hot water and allow to air dry. Seems to do the trick. Plenty of head on my beers... commercial and homebrew equally as good




+1 I got caught up in the hype of avoiding dish washing liquid when I was first starting out. Then I progressed to stealing the glass cleaning solution from the local pub (Consisted of me showing up at 10am on a Sunday with a clean Moccona jar for a refill).

Now I'm a strictly hot water man, and occasional cranky prick when the missus puts them in the dishwasher. 

I have read enough on this site from those more experienced than I to believe that detergent doesn't hurt, but old habits die hard.


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## Dazza_devil (16/11/10)

Three things touch the inside of my beer glasses.
Clean hot, hot water in a clean sink.
A clean dishcloth.
Beer.
No head problems here, in either department.
Seems to get the hop oils off my glasses now I just gotta find out how I'm gonna get them outa my beer.


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## pk.sax (16/11/10)

argon said:


> mine get the occasional run through the dishy. But most of the time i just rinse after use with really hot water and allow to air dry. Seems to do the trick. Plenty of head on my beers... commercial and homebrew equally as good


+2

Occasional dishy wash to make sure I'm not growing germs in there, hot water and elbow grease in b/w.


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## argon (16/11/10)

Mattese said:


> and occasional cranky prick when the missus puts them in the dishwasher.



haha :lol: :lol: i do the exact same thing "grrr.. don't put it in the dishwasher you'll ruin my glasses!!"
she doesn't care... just rolls her eyes at me


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## Dazza_devil (17/11/10)

Boagsy said:


> Three things touch the inside of my beer glasses.
> Clean hot, hot water in a clean sink.
> A clean dishcloth.
> Beer.
> ...




Make that 4,

I forgot a specially allocated one of those green non-scratch scourer pads that I give them a scrubbing with in the hot water, using a fork to get it into those unreachable parts of some of my glasses.


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## dago001 (17/11/10)

Boagsy said:


> Make that 4,
> 
> I forgot a specially allocated one of those green non-scratch scourer pads that I give them a scrubbing with in the hot water, using a fork to get it into those unreachable parts of some of my glasses.


The fork makes it 5 Boagsy


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## Dazza_devil (17/11/10)

LagerBomb said:


> The fork makes it 5 Boagsy




No, it's wrapped inside the scourer so it doesn't actually touch the glass, which I make all attempts to avoid.
Unless of coarse I'm careless while I'm cleaning and in that case it could be 5, but very rarely.


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