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Yes, "Beer Clean" is an actual term in the bar and restaurant industry vocabulary. Nothing ruins the presentation of a beer -- from the head it throws off to the "Belgian lace" that clings to the side of the glass as the beer is consumed -- more than glassware that is not scrupulously clean.
The best way to get an idea of the effects of residue has on a glass, is to drink a glass of milk from a glass you don't intend to use to serve beer. Wash it out a few minutes with hot water (no soap). Now pour a beer. Is that the head you are used to seeing? Does foam continue to cling to the sides of the glass? Probably not.
Now wash the glass with soap (well, drink the beer first). Pour another beer. Same problem? Soap film can be just as nasty a villain as other residue (remember to drink the beer). Now wash the glass with baking soda. Pour another beer. (You're starting to like this exercise, right?) This one probably looks better.
Not only will residue you're not seeing affect how you beer looks in the glass, but it may also change the taste of that beer.
Bars have equipment that costs from hundreds to thousands of dollars just to wash beer glasses. That's a lot of money we all could be spending on beer, so first we suggest having glasses dedicated only to beer -- using a glass for anything else may leave residues that are extremely hard to get rid of. Wash them carefully after each use with very hot water, use detergent rather than soap if more than water is needed, and then consider cleaning them with baking soda.
Let the glasses air dry in a dish rack. If water droplets cling to the glass or if spots show while drying, then the glass is not clean. Wash them again. It's worth the trouble.
Don’t forget to drink the last beer.
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