Draught Beer

• The most common usage of pilsner glasses is for draught beers. While many associate draught beer with pressurized kegs -- this is the most common variety of draught beer available today -- draught refers to any beer that is released by tap, including casks, which use gravity to pour beer. Pilsner glasses are used most commonly for their namesake, pilsner beer, however many bars and restaurants use pilsner glasses for any light colored beer.

Bottle Accompaniment

• Pilsner glasses are also commonly used as an accompaniment to a bottle of beer at a restaurant. The pilsner glass has an eye-pleasing design and the smaller size provides a more satisfying look for customers. A 12-ounce bottle of beer will fail to fill a pint glass, but pilsner glasses are smaller. With pilsner glasses, customers are not given their drink only to find that they don't have a full glass, which can be off-putting.

Beer Cocktails

• Pilsner glasses are also the preferred glass for cocktails featuring light colored beers. Using a pilsner glass maintains the familiar look of a glass of beer, even though the contents include other liquids as well. For example, a Brooklyn Tai is created by shaking 1 ounce Appleton Estate reserve rum, 3/4 ounce each of almond syrup and lime juice and a dash of angostura bitters with ice. This cocktail is then strained into a pilsner glass and topped off with Brooklyn Lager beer.

Collecting

• Not everyone who purchases pilsner glasses does so to drink out of them. Much like shot glasses and pints, pilsners are available in a variety of designs for those interested in collecting. Collections can be focused, such as on sports teams or locations the collector has visited. Simple designs feature a printing on the glass, while more expensive pilsner collectibles are available with gold or silver inlays as well as etched designs.