Catalogue no. BBG136
Glasses
Exhibit information
Glass style Ale Glass A versatile, usually straight-sided glass with a wide opening, designed for easy drinking while leaving room for a good head and the beer's aroma.
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Explainers
Capacity 25cl Curator’s Notes This older-style Petrus ale glass has a tall, gently tapering bowl, short sculptured stem and simple circular foot. There are no capacity, date or manufacturer markings, leaving the Petrus branding and beer style designation as the glass’s only identification.
The decoration is deliberately restrained: the Petrus name appears simply across the front, accompanied by the bilingual description “Oud Bruin / Vieille Brune”. The use of both Dutch and French reflects Belgium’s linguistic heritage, while also making clear the beer for which this glass was intended.
Unlike many modern branded glasses, this is a glass designed around a style rather than a single product name. Oud Bruin — Flemish brown ale — is one of Belgium’s traditional beer styles, with deep roots in the brewing culture of Flanders but often less internationally recognised than lambic, Trappist ales or strong blond beers.
The glass itself is understated but elegant. The gently shaped stem provides the only real flourish, adding character to an otherwise simple form. It feels appropriate for the beer it represents: traditional, unshowy and built around heritage rather than spectacle.
I paid 50 cents for this from a brocante and it represents the first example in the Museum of a glass designed for Old Bruin beer.
