Interest in traditional Czech beer culture has been growing outside of its homeland. This is in part due to a general renewed interest in varying lager styles of beer. It has been bolstered by Instagramable pictures of varying pours from Lukr side-pull faucets.

Here in the US, the breweries and bars with attention to detail serve Czech-style beer in a glass style generally found in the Czech Republic. Typically, that means a Tübinger. Yet this certainly isn’t the only glass used, and as their beer culture is evolving, it’s interesting to see glassware choices offered by establishments old and new. Before we get to that, let’s start with a quick recap of the Tübinger.

The Tübinger is a specific handled beer glass with dimples. Its origins go back to the late 1800s in Germany, but it’s a rarity there and it is much more common in the Czech Republic these days. Its design lends itself particularly well to the traditional hladinka pour, which you can see in the beers below. A proper pour will result in the foam ending right around where the dimple portion of the mug begins.

You can read more about the Tübinger here. It’s important to note that this mug is not the same as the British dimple mug and its modern replicas. There’s no need to be snobby about it. It’s just worth knowing that they’re different mugs from different cultures.

Branded Tübinger mugs by the Czech breweries Budějovický Budvar, Únětický pivovar and Vinohradský pivovar. Source: https://www.instagram.com/

In the Czech Republic, breweries like Budějovický Budvar (aka Czechvar in the United States), Únětický pivovar and Vinohradský pivovar have branded Tübingers. Even Pilsner Urquell has one. But Urquell and Budvar also have the luxury of creating proprietary mugs. For younger breweries with fewer resources that feel the impacts more from glass shortages and long production times, alternative styles can be appealing. Especially if they’re breaking from old traditions. More on that later.

Given Urquell’s size and popularity, their mug is one of the most iconic Czech beer glasses (to be clear, Urquell sells a variety of glasses, but the mug pictured below is the most well-known and ubiquitous). While the design is distinctive, it incorporates the elements commonly shared by most Czech beer glasses.

The classic Pilsner Urquell mug being used with a Lukr faucet. Source: Pilsner Urquell.

Typical Czech beer glasses are found in 0.3 (třetinka) to 0.5 (půllitr) liter sizes. They are handled mugs with thick glass, which some note is important to maintaining temperature (others disagree with this sentiment).

The mugs are generally referred to as a "krýgl", though they are sometimes called “sklenice s uchem”, which means “glass with an ear”. Kozel is known for its horned (rohatá) mug. Overall, these glasses work well with the increasingly popular Lukr faucet as noted by Mirek Nekolný, a Pilsner Urquell Master Bartender.

Kozel’s “rohatá”, or horned mug. Source: Pilsner Urquell.

While mugs and side-pull faucets have been around in the Czech Republic for a while, Lukr has only been around since the 1990s. Its unique design, with a ball valve, flow control regulator (compensator), and tap screen, create decadent foam.

According to Nekolný, tumblers (štucs) became popular in the Czech Republic in the 90s. Perhaps the shift back to mugs is due to the rise in popularity of the Lukr faucets and their inherent compatibility with stout-shaped glassware. The reason for this is the shape and length of the faucet, which is inserted into a glass when pouring beer. This is a practice discouraged in other drinking cultures.

Budvar’s new mug, manufactured by Sahm. Source: Budweiser Budvar (Czechvar)

Like Urquell, Budvar sells a variety of drinkware. However, the brewery released a new mug in 2020 (shown above) and has made it a point to highlight it ever since. It’s clearly something that’s important to the company.

Gabriela Kudrnacova, Budvar’s brand manager, says “the glass is one of the most impactful items we possess as it is in direct and natural contact with the customer.”

The new mug is manufactured by Sahm. In addition to the custom drinkware they produce, Sahm also makes several other commonly used glasses embraced by the Czech beer community. Some of these are depicted below.

A selection of glassware produced by Sahm that one might find in a Czech pub. Source: Sahm.

Czech beer culture continues to evolve though, and some are looking outside of their culture for inspiration. Pivovar Matuška is an excellent example. The brewery began in 2009 and makes a variety of beer styles. They do make traditional Czech lager, but they also brew IPA, Stout, Wheat beers, ESB et. al. To accommodate these varying styles, the brewery offers several types of glasses.

An array Pivovar Matuška glassware reflecting its multicultural portfolio. Source: Pivovar Matuška.

More of a traditional Czech-style glass by Pivovar Matuška. Source: Pivovar Matuška.

The range of glasses serves their portfolio well, but the brewery isn’t militant about which should be used for a particular beer. Matuška Managing Director Matěj Šůcha notes “our customers can choose what type of glass they prefer. We are not pedantic in a way that if someone orders a keg of lager and a case of Nonic glasses, we don't tell them they can't do that, but we do offer some info about the glasses so they know what it should be used for.”

Matuška Co-owner and Head Brewer Adam Matuška is also a founder of the brewery Dva Kohouti. This newer venture is in partnership with the Ambiente restaurant group, which is also behind the Lokal tank pub chain and Pult, a craft beer bar.

Dva Kohouti is similar to Matuška in the range of beer styles they make. However, their glassware program differs. Dva Kohouti solely uses the dimple mug that is closer in design to the traditional British dimple mug. In a 2018 Instagram post, the brewery recognizes the mug is in the English style, but notes they find it ideal to serve their variety of beer styles.

Dva Kohouti uses a British-style dimple mug for its Czech and non-Czech style beer. Source: Dva Kohouti.

Opened in 2013, Vinohradský pivovar also follows these beer production trends. When it comes to glassware though, they use the Tübinger for their Czech lager. A shaker pint (aka straight glass) and a Teku glass meets the needs for their other brews.

In addition to their Tübinger shown earlier, Vinohradský pivovar also makes use of the shaker pint (aka the straight glass) and the Teku to serve their range of beers. Source: Vinohradský pivovar.

The recently opened Pult typically offers six lagers on tap and packaged offerings of varying styles from around the world. The bulk of their beer is served in a simple, unbranded panel mug. A stemmed glass is used for their other beer offerings.

This is reflective of one way to deal with the changing nature of Czech beer culture. Though not a tied house and free to serve an array of styles (they notably have both Pilsner Urquell and Budvar on tap, which is uncommon), Pult continues to keep its glassware program streamlined. This is traditional in a sense and has certain efficiencies. It’s in contrast to what you find at a beer bar in Belgium or even the United States.

Amid the thriving Czech beer scene, the Tübinger is still common, and likely will be for some time. Again, many breweries offer this mug with their branding. They’re common in pubs and restaurants, and offer an accepted and reliable alternative for tied pubs that, for example, may be connected to Pilsner Urquell and use their proprietary mug, but offer one or two other beers. Jan Fišera of Únětický pivovar puts it in simple terms, “this type of glass has been tried and tested for us for a long time and we are satisfied with it.”

One last item of note that came up repeatedly in the responses received for this post is glass/serving size. In the past, 0.3 and 0.5L have been common serving sizes. However, 0.4L is rising in popularity as the only serving size for some. Kudrnacova at Budvar notes this is “quite a thing in modern places” and Šůcha at Matuška says “people have gotten accustomed to it quite easily.”

For Dva Kohouti, their British-style dimple mug is a pint, which means when served with a proper amount of foam, consumers receive a 0.4L beer.

This is also the serving size at the famed brewery/restaurant U Fleků. While you can buy a variety of drinkware in differing sizes in their gift shop, they only serve their beer in an unmarked 0.4L Salzburg mug by Sahm.

Support for the 0.4L serving size is not universally accepted though. Fišera notes that many find it one sip too much, or one sip not enough. I see merit to all though and find it best for each establishment to pick whatever meets their needs.

Understanding the history and Differences Between the British Dimple and the German Tübinger

Long ago, the British dimple mug fell out of fashion in its homeland, but it is growing in popularity in the United States. With recent growth in lager production in the craft beer industry, breweries, media outlets and retailers often use a dimple when depicting lager styles of beer. However, more often than not, it’s the British dimple mug. This seems odd as the similar Tübinger Kugel glass, traditionally used in Germany and Czechia, is appropriate and readily available.

Origins

The origins of the Tübinger are connected to the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen in the mid to late 1800s. It was here that a glass called the Tübinger Igel, a stout, handled mug, was created for the Hedgehog Academic Student Association (Akademischen Studentenverbindung Igel.) Igel means hedgehog, and the bumpy texture is designed to match accordingly.

Tübinger Igel. Source: Stein Marks

Continental beer glasses with a dimple began to appear in catalogs as early as 1878, and are identified with the word “Kugel” (more on that below). Varying styles include the dimple. Perhaps most recognizable would be the Mass (you know, that big glass mug people hoist at Oktoberfest). The Tübinger Kugel begins to appear in catalogs as early as 1906, and was sold by a number of German, Czech and Austrian firms (examples were found in other places including France and the United States).

Stölzle catalog from 1878 depicting a variety of mugs, including several with a kugel design. Source: https://www.glas-musterbuch.de/

An early Tübinger Kugel as depicted in the 1906 catalog from Krug Mundt. Source: https://www.glas-musterbuch.de/

Tübinger’s were sold by the Germany company Brockwitz for most of the early 20th century. This image is from their 1915 catalog. Source: https://www.glas-musterbuch.de/

The Tübinger is depicted in varying forms here in this 1928 catalog from Radeberg. The upper left is a standard glass. On the right it is “mit Schild”, or “with shield”, which I believe is a flat space opposite the handle for branding. On the bottom left, the glass is “mit Bodenrand”, or with bottom edge. Finally, the bottom right is a Tübinger in a different form. Source: https://www.glas-musterbuch.de/

As noted in a prior post, I have been unable to determine why the word Kugel is used, though there are a couple of possibilities. Kugel can mean bullet, ball, or sphere, and the dimples are spherical. It could also be said that the mugs have the appearance of being struck by bullets.

Tübinger Augenkanne (eye can) is also used to refer to dimpled glasses. Historically, this term may have been more prevalent in Austria.

The Tübinger predates the creation of the English dimple mug by a few decades, as, according to Martyn Cornell, the English glass was first manufactured by Ravenhead Glass in 1938. That glass quickly rose in popularity and became a standard for many pubs.

According to Cornell, the dimple “may have been inspired by the glass beer mugs with a flat hexagonal faceted exterior manufactured in Newcastle upon Tyne in the 1920s and/or early 1930s”. That’s possible. Another theory would be that someone found inspiration from the Tübinger Kugel. Or it was a hybrid of the two.

Stout shaped mugs with a hexagonal pattern that Martyn Cornell notes are from Newcastle upon Tyne, and may have been an inspiration for the dimple. Source: http://zythophile.co.uk/2015/03/28/more-notes-towards-a-history-of-the-beer-mug/

Early Ravenhead dimple mugs that Martyn Cornell suggests may be from the 1940s. Source: http://zythophile.co.uk/2015/03/28/more-notes-towards-a-history-of-the-beer-mug/

Design Analysis

The Tübinger and the British dimple are somewhat stout, handled mugs, comprised of relatively thick glass. They will generally have two to three horizontal bands of dimples. A band of flat glass is above the dimples, and a rectangular pattern, or elongated dimple, is below.

The shape of the British dimple mug is nearly straight-sided, while the Tübinger has greater curvature. It also has circular dimples, though English versions include circular and square-ish dimples with rounded corners.

The Tübinger also has a line separating the dimpled section of the mug from the flat, upper portion. On my 0.5L Sahm Tübinger from Wayfinder, this band is close to, but not matching the fill line. The mug is made in other sizes, generally from 0.25L through 0.5L. They will typically indicate the proper fill line. Historically, in England, the crown stamp was provided to indicate the design served a proper pint, but this ended in 2007. Both style glasses can now be found with CE mark for Conformité Européene (European Conformity).

The British dimple mug on the left, and the Continental Tübinger on the right.

Sensory Components

As these glasses are often confused for one another, it’s clear that there is a large amount of similarity in their design. However, there are subtle differences that impact the sensory experience when drinking from them, particularly regarding appearance and aroma.

Those that understand how important an inward curve is at the top of a glass for aroma will quickly note the difference between these two glasses. It makes the British dimple less appealing with its somewhat wide opening and lack of curvature. The Tübinger, on the other hand, with a bowl shape, has an inward curve in its upper half. It fosters better head retention and bolsters the aromatic qualities. For most styles of lager, this is important. Liz Olive, Tap Room General Manager at Notch Brewing, says “the different drinking experiences between a pub mug and a Czech mug are probably pretty subtle. But lager is subtle.”

Both glasses have handles and thick walls, and this can impact the temperature of the liquid as it is consumed. This is generally not a problem, assuming the beer is served at a proper temperature. One potential scenario where it could be an issue would be with English ales in the US, where they tend to be served too cold. Sadly, though, demand for these styles is deleteriously low.

Current Status in Europe

As noted above, the dimple mug fell out of fashion in England. While it can still be found, it is not as ubiquitous as it once was. This is despite a brief renewed interest a few years ago, according to this article in BBC News Magazine.

While it seems the Tübinger’s origins are in Germany, and still sold by German glassware companies, you are more likely to find these glasses in Czechia. But even there, it is one of many glass styles that are used. A few examples of Czech breweries that have branded Tübinger’s include Budějovický Budvar, Únětický pivovar and Vinohradský pivovar.

Branded Tübinger mugs by the Czech breweries Budějovický Budvar, Únětický pivovar and Vinohradský pivovar. Source: https://www.instagram.com/

Contemporary Manufacturers

A few contemporary companies selling Tübinger mugs include Sahm in Germany, Oberglas in Austria, and Condec in Czechia. Sahm actually has two stout dimple mugs. One is a traditional Tübinger, and the other is called Praha (Prague). The latter is not as round as the Tübinger and lacks the horizontal band.

Oberglas, who have made this glass since at least the 1930s, gives it high praise, noting in their catalog “European beer culture is virtually unimaginable without the TÜBINGER beer mug.”

Cornell noted in his above-cited post that most British dimple mugs these days are made in China by companies like Zibo Hondao Trading Co Ltd, Bengbu Longyu Glass Products (they call it a pineapple shaped glass), or the Shanghai Jingsheng Glass Co Ltd.

The British Dimple is also made by the French brand Arcoroc, and their name for the glass, “Britannia”, suggests there is an understanding that the design has a connection to England and English ales. Oddly enough, their description for the glass states it is “favoured for tasting white or Gueuze beer”.

Finally, in the United States, Libbey sells a British dimple mug. However, perhaps in an effort to generate sales, they take a very broad and erroneous approach by calling it the “Dimple Stein Beer Mug”.

In the United States

How did a dated British mug become the go-to glass for lager beer in the United States? It’s unclear, though simple ignorance could certainly be an answer. A google search for things like “dimple mug”, “beer mug”, or “German beer mug” will lead you to the Libbey glass noted above. Those not knowing the difference could easily think this glass, designed in the British tradition, is the appropriate vessel for lager.

There are lager breweries with attention to detail that properly use and sell the Tübinger. This includes Notch Brewing, Dovetail Brewery and Wayfinder Beer.

It’s incredibly hard to find breweries in the US making traditional British ales. Even harder to find one using a dimple mug. Seattle’s Machine House is the only one that comes to mind. However, there are many examples of breweries using the British dimple for their lager.

A Czech lager poured in a Tübinger mug at Notch Brewing, Salem, MA.

A Dark Mild by Suarez Family Brewery in a Libbey British dimple.

Does Any of This Matter

Yes. The distinction between these two glasses matters based on history and tradition. Aside from the subtle differences in design, they come from different places and have been vessels for different styles of beer.

Further, getting it right adds to our experience when we drink, which is important for breweries in today’s market. Ms. Olive from Notch says “I enjoy drinking a beer while watching tv or folding laundry - in a glass or straight from the can. But the EXPERIENCE, of being in the taproom, a clean, Czech mug and three fingers of dense velvety Lukr foam? There is no comparison.”

If you took out all the other experiential components, closed your eyes and tasted the same beer from each of these glasses, the experience could very well be the same. But again, there’s value in understanding the differences and the history they represent. A history that is still not well documented.

* This post was updated to eliminate a reference that suggested Pilsner Urquell does not have a Tübinger Kugel mug. They do.