Why does the US beer industry think 14.5 fl oz glasses qualify as pints?

A restaurant and bar I go to offers three sizes of tap beer. I go with the large (22oz) and don’t worry about a “pint.”

But I hear ya. I wish more places would use imperial pint glasses.

 

Because capitalism.

 

Because they can get away with it, because 98% of Americans have no idea what a pint is.

Hell, I grew up in a farming community and have no idea how big a bushel or peck is, but know that 4 pecks make a bushel. Tell me I'm getting a peck or a bushel, and I'll take your word for it.

Be glad that you're getting a beer poured into an actual 16oz glass. There are also 14oz shaker glasses that you'd have no idea were smaller unless presented side by side with a 16oz that are very popular.

I'm a big fan of the branded glasses that have a line on the side that shows the pour level for volume.

 

Just label it as a glass or pour. But, if you're going to call it a specific thing, you damn well have to accurate and true.

 

A fun, tricky thing in restaurants/bars are the "16 oz" looking glasses that have an extra heavy, thick bottom, and usually thicker glass all the way up. If you stand them side by side, it loooooks like a regular pint glass, but you're only getting 14.5-15 ounces of beer. For the same price. Shrinkflation? Ripoffery?

 

Find a different place that pours full pints.

 

Is it the beer industry or tavern industry selling us short?

I once visited a small local a few years ago and ordered something (probably didn't ask for a pint outright) and got a 20 ounce imperial glass set down in front of me.

I scanned the glasses behind the bar and didn't see another imperial -- just the usual shaker glasses.

When I finished my beer I asked the 'tender for something else, but I nonchalantly said, "You can use the same glass, no problem."

When I settled up I tipped well and told the bartender why I kept the same glass.

Never went back to the joint so I'm not sure about their glassware collection anymore.

 

Is anyone else old enough to remember the "top off," or the request to "Put a head on it"?

@jesskidden

 

In the Czech Republic, where beer drinking is as serious as grandma's liquid diet, the commonly used 'Plimsoll' line etched on the glass helps settle those life or death disputes over whether you got a proper pour or a little too much foam.

I shudder at the rioting and carnage that would ensue if a Czech bar would start filling glasses with 411 ml (14.5 oz) of pivo instead of the standard 466 ml pour. Serious.

 

Not really a huge problem for me these days. Most breweries I go to use proper glassware that have fill lines. In fact, if you let the head settle on most, a lot of the time I'm getting MORE than I paid for.

I typically go to good beer bars as well that have branded glassware with fill lines. Again, I'm usually getting MORE than I paid for.

I honestly don't see the shaker pint that much anymore. I've also heard that the head is about 1/3rd liquid anyways, so the short pour isn't as short as it looks at first...

 

That's a thing in Germany, too. It's a big deal if you get a low pour, although the staffers tend to be absolute wizards when it comes to hitting that line without even paying attention.

As far as glasses go in the US, most of them tend to be the smaller 14oz variety. Honestly, it doesn't bother me, either. It's not like everyone isn't just going to mark their prices up for an additional 2oz anyway. Plus, with so many special beers being served in 8oz or 10oz glasses (often based upon factors that aren't strength), it's tough to choose when to feel short changed.

The only thing that annoys me on this front = intentional deception. Those shaker pint glasses with the gigantic 2-inch thick glass bottoms that have to be filled to the rim to even be 10oz. Pitchers are barely a thing anymore, but there were places that had a big ass metal widget in the pitchers to "keep the beer cool." That widget took up the equivalent of a full glass, too. Haven't seen those lately, but they were a thing at bowling alleys for a few years.

 

Another story from a visit to a small, divey-type tavern (with an interesting tap list) a few years ago.

My wife and I always enjoyed this place's menu, so we would hit it now and again. When the waitress came to take our drink order I asked what was on the Goose Island tap. She could only answer, "Their seasonal."

Figuring it was the usual Christmas Ale, or something, I said sure, give me one.

Looking at the menu, talking with my wife, I noticed the pour at the bar out of the corner of my eye. "Hmm. Much darker than I expected."

As the waitress brought the drinks to our table (an actual shaker of my beer), I could actually smell the bourbon barrel Stout at arm's length.

Yeah, Goose specialty on tap, being poured into 14 or 16 ounces. I handed my wife the car keys and nursed that beer through dinner.

 

How the humble cocktail mixer became America’s favorite* personal beer delivery system

* _I_ didn't write the title. Maybe "America's brewers and beer retailers favorite"...

Some examples from Libbey's commercial glassware catalog.

 

Are they selling it as a Pint? Because a pint has an actual, legal definition. If they're selling it as a glass, serving, pour, or some other nomenclature, then that's just what it is.

 

I once got served a full pint of the original Eric's Ale (New Belgium's limited psuedo-lambic) in a borderline overflowing pint glass. At the Falling Rock Tap House of all places. I don't think I've ever been happier to get a beer in the wrong glass.

 

I also remember the 25¢ 30¢ 35¢ 6-8 oz. sham pilsner glass of beer, every third one on the house, too.

The industry agreed that that size range was a standard "glass (of varying designs) of beer".

 

Now I kinda wanna try to pour two glasses at once out of the same can. Someone find me a can opener!

 

A nice cafe in town serves healthy, tasty food and offers a nice selection of craft. Not a bargain meal, but you get quality and support local.

They irked me when they replaced their shakers with Willie Becher glassware for the lighter style beers. Sure, it's a preferred vessel – but not when you get 9 ounces of beer with a modest head and the prices stayed the same. Mrs. ElBirdos thought I was tripping when I insisted the glasses were not even 12 ounces. She was really pissed when I walked out with one to measure capacity at home -- right around 11 ounces to the brim. (I smuggled it back on premises upon our next visit.)

So they held firm on their price for a significantly smaller pour, and they already were priced a little higher than other places close by. I don't go there nearly as often.