The Foam Rangers Glass

Now here's a rather odd-shaped glass. Then again, maybe that's fitting, considering the organization whose name this vessel bears.

The Foam Rangers are the oldest homebrew club in the Houston area. They host the annual Dixie Cup, one of the country's largest homebrew competitions. Their ranks include some of the best and most decorated brewers in the U.S. Many of them are certifiably bonkers.

I say that with all the love in the world.

The irony behind this official Foam Rangers tasting glass is that rarely do the Foamies limit themselves to such modest portions. All it means is the glass has to get refilled that much more often.

Foam Ranger meetings are organized around a specific beer style or styles. Massive numbers of commercial and homebrewed examples are gathered, and these beers are then "sampled" into the wee hours. The FR tasting glass gets a good workout these nights.

I'm sort of at a loss to explain the glass' shape from a functional standpoint. The thick base gives it some measure of ruggedness, but given that the slight taper at the very top hardly makes up for the appreciable flaring of the glass up until that point, I'm not sure what -- if any -- enhancement to the drinking experience is being accomplished here.

No matter. This is a funky little glass for a funky club. If you ever find yourself in Houston, give the Rangers and their "sampling" glass a try.