Brooks Beast GTS 26 vs Brooks Glycerin GTS 23:
Which to Choose

On paper these two look like siblings — same 38/28 mm stack, same ~10 mm measured drop, same 5/6 cushioning and moderate 4/6 responsiveness, and neither uses a plate — so the honest headline is that geometry and cushioning depth are effectively identical. Where they genuinely diverge is support and weight. The Beast is a true motion-control shoe (stability 6/6) with a wide, heavily sidewalled platform meant to arrest serious overpronation, and it pays for that structure in mass: about 354 g in a men's US 9. The Glycerin GTS dials the guidance back to a stability rating of 5/6 — enough to gently rein in a mild overpronator's stride without ever feeling corrective — and comes in meaningfully lighter at roughly 306 g. The foams tell the same story: the Beast's nitrogen-infused DNA LOFT v3 is soft and pillowy with a cushioned, deliberate rebound, while the Glycerin's DNA Tuned dual-cell midsole lands just as plush but firms up slightly at toe-off through its smaller forefoot cells for a touch more push. Neither is snappy and neither wants to be rushed, but the lighter, more responsive-feeling Glycerin carries speed a little better — its usable ceiling sits around 4:45 min/km versus the Beast's roughly 5:15–5:30 min/km before the weight and soft foam start to drag. That difference in structure also shapes range: the Beast is happiest on protective half-marathon and marathon-distance long efforts, whereas the Glycerin's sweet spot is the steady daily run stretching out to a relaxed 10K or half.