Tulip glass
the elegant glass shape

The tulip glass was created

Drinking cups were once made of metal or wood, while tankards, a pre-cup shape, were made of clay. The tankards were straight, later they were given a handle, some even had one on both sides. Tankards were designed to hold one and a half liters or more. The drinking cups, on the other hand, had a base, which was the measure.

In past centuries, guests who stopped off at a tavern were keen to have their brew poured for the whole day and the tankard was used for this purpose. In contrast to the tankard, the drinking cup only held half a liter. The drinking cup was given to guests who always wanted their drink to be served fresh. The drinking cup could be brought to the mouth with just one hand, as it could not usually hold more than a cup in use today. Like the other vessel shapes, the drinking cup had a dimensional mark, a horizontal line on the outside. The vessel had to be filled up to this mark. The drinking cup was initially symmetrical in shape and the shape of the vessel was repeated in the foot.

This design led to a slight tilting angle of the drinking cup, so that it was given an improvement, a foot that flared downwards. The filigree shape of the drinking cup became extremely popular among the upper classes of society. The profession of cupbearer emerged, who poured the drinking cup for the lords and ladies of the estates and castles. With the noble drinking cup, banquets also made their way into high society. The term glass tulip remained unknown for the time being.

From ceramic to glass

The drinking cup was mainly used by wine drinkers, the tankard by beer drinkers. The lightweight and therefore practical drinking cup also found more and more supporters among beer brewers. Wine drinkers preferred drinking cups made of ceramic. Semi-solid ceramic was poured into a special ceramic mold and fired. The ceramic mold consisted of components that could withstand higher temperatures than the ceramic of the drinking vessel. Artisans in the foothills of the Westerwald adopted the mold in their glassblowing workshops. Glass manufacturers refined the drinking vessel, and different forms of this drinking glass were created in different regions. From a simple glass, with or without a handle, the drinking vessel finally developed with an initially short stand and a foot that widened towards the bottom. The stand became slimmer and longer, the foot a disk.

A vessel made of glass was produced more quickly than one made of ceramic. Although both materials were fragile, they did not transfer the taste of the previously poured drink. The wooden tankards absorbed the flavors of the liquids, while the metal vessels reacted with their natural acids. The glass, which was quickly produced in large quantities, became increasingly popular with beer and wine lovers. The shapely vessel was also popular with guests in pubs because of its transparency, and the measurement markings could be precisely compared with the height of the pour. This gave guests the certainty that they had received exactly the quantity they had ordered.

As already mentioned, glass was quickly produced by skilled artisans, but this art of blowing had to be painstakingly learned piece by piece, creating a specialized profession. Over time, the glass jar was given a conical silhouette by these skilled craftsmen. The artisans allowed the air supply to slowly fade out during glass processing. This allowed the glass shape to become narrower at the mouth. Meanwhile, other glassblowers worked on the base and stand. The narrow foot had to be attached to the drinking vessel immediately, followed by the disk. All three parts had to be processed and joined together with absolute precision.

The filler markings and, in later times, the embellishments were pre-painted by glass painters. The respective motif was transferred to transparent or white cellulose, moistened, placed on the glass and heated until only the image without the cellulose edge remained. This process was also used to mark the dimensions on the upper edge of the glass.

The precious flower as a role model

The conical shape of the tulip glass was particularly popular with beer drinkers, as it meant that the head of foam remained intact and did not flow down the glass. When the tulip came to Germany in the 18th century, the vessel was given the name tulip. The tulip glass was created because it reproduced the outline of the tulip flower. The drinking glass was particularly popular in pubs, as landlords had the name and sometimes even the emblem of their establishment put on it.

The first forms of drinking glass with a foot became popular among lovers of fine drinks. The material was tasteless and the drink was clearly visible up to the mark. The head hardly ran at all and formed into beer so that the guest was able to enjoy it to the full. The beer was enjoyed in the glass and the foamy head decomposed into beer.

The mushroom tulip is visibly distinctive in its shape, tapering significantly more towards the top than the classic tulip glass. The head of pilsner breaks down quickly, but in the glass shape with a narrow mouth it remains intact for longer.

The elegance of the mushroom tulip was the inspiration for other types of glass in which golden brew is served. As wheat beer has a pronounced head, it requires a glass with a mouth that gives it strength. The taste of wheat beer can best develop in a tall glass. A wide mouth and a broad glass body are suitable for Hefeweizen. Helles is usually served in simple glass shapes.

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