The glass seemed attractive for a beer glass and I found it was quite comfortable to hold in my hand. I found my self placing my thumb in the star area at the bottom as it seemed comfortable. (The star looks pretty nice too). The glass has a attractive gold rim around the top and the thickness of the glass is sturdy and well designed. Since using it twice, I have only put it in the dishwasher once on top rack, and without the excessively hot sanitize cycle for fear of the gold or lettering rubbing off. So I think perhaps hand wash might be the best option for those who intend to use this regularly.
The Stella Artois beer comes in a green bottle. The beer is intended to be poured in a certain way and has a 9 step process. "Together with the 9-Step Belgian Pouring Ritual, the iconic Stella Artois Chalice allows your beer to flow, breathe and develop a pristine head."
Now I am not a beer expert at all. I usually drink wine, so I am not sure if all beer brands poured like this will achieve a better beer experience or if this brand is much better in that regard. I tried following the process to the best of my ability, but was not as successful as I had hoped. I must say it was quite a "fancy" set of steps for at home beer drinking, and I wonder if if this was ordered in a bar, how many bar tenders would look at me crazy if I ask them for a Stella Artois in a chalice, and "Please would you make sure to follow the 9 step ritual?" I think I would be laughed out of the bar or given some serious strange looks, lol!
I was quite confused those why the company chose to use a green bottle for the beer, as I have heard it causes the beer to absorb light and can produce an after taste or an undesirable taste from the beer. The green bottle is nice looking. The taste of the beer was decent, again, I am not a seasoned beer drinker and have not tried a lot of brands, so I am not sure if it is necessarily a higher quality of beer. I mainly have kept to the simple and easy to find Samuel Adams beers.
This is the first time I have had beer in a chalice, it definitely looks and feels fancy, but then again, in my opinion, beer is not a fancy drink and I feel wine is more of a fancy drink. I had my "fancy" beer with an "un-fancy" but delicious crispy fried jumbo shrimp and hush puppies.
I think unless someone is an avid beer drinker or avid Stella Artois drinker, I do not think many people will carry a glass chalice with them to their next meal at a restaurant or to a party. Any party I have ever been to that has beer, everyone is just drinking out of a bottle.
I think most people will use their chalice at home (MAYBE). Most of the people I know that drink beer regularly are not going to take the time to do a 9 step pouring ritual (unless they are trying to be silly with their friends). Most people in the mood for a beer will probably drink it straight from the bottle or in a regular beer mug.
I was grateful to bzz agent for sending me this chalice to test out. I will probably use it for wine, as I am not much of a beer drinker.
