Regional Beer Slang

When I moved to Philly from MN, I was dumbfounded when the Liquor store didn't have any beer. Felt like an idiot trying to figure that one out.

In a similar sense, I would add "Bottle Shop" to those who live in PA as that strange middle-ground between distributors and bars that sell six-packs and bombers.

In college, we definitely went through a few "racks" of Hamm's.

 

We call all beers Fernando Valenzuela

 

If you ever visit the UK please don't go asking around for a packy store!

 

Tall boy (for 16 ounce cans), "car bottles" for the old 7 ouncers, and "liquid sunshine".

 

In Perth (Australia):
We buy beer from "the bottlo" (bottle shop)
"King Brown" is a 750ml bottle
"Stubbie" is a 375ml (old style) or 330ml bottle.
"Carton" but increasingly "case" of 24 x stubbies
"Slab" of 30 cans
"Cube" is new here but applies to 16 bottles.
"Boutique beer" is what we called craft before it was craft.
"middie" is a 285ml glass - although fading out in favour of 425ml schooners.
"Pint" is 568ml like UK

 

Liquor stores in Alabama are referred to by some as State Stores because the state govt owns and runs them. 22oz "Bombers" and 750's are called "Big 'Ol Bottles" at the C-Stores (Convenience Stores). In many restaurants here, servers don't realize that craft beer is not Imported. Many times I have asked what's on tap to be told they have domestics...Bud/Miller/Coors and Imports Sam Adams/Heineken and other beers made locally. LOL

 

Okay, I'll bite. What does packy mean in the UK?

 

In wisconsin they've always used the term Loose pack for a 24 pack/case.

 

It's spelled differently, but it's a derogatory version of 'Pakistani'.

 

Yeah I was gonna agree with both of these comments. Been to my fair share of party stores.

Also in Michigan and more so a U.P. accent will lead to someone asking you if you want a burr. What's a burr you may ask, well that's beer pronounced with a heavy MI/yooper accent.

As well my buddies and i would always screw around while getting drunk/high. Bernie Williams meant we wanted to go burn one or smoke a joint. Get me a Teddy Bruschi meant, get me a brewski or beer. Yeah I know we were idiots.

 

Heard stubbie used here, but I'm sure it was usurped from either the UK or OZ...

 

Yup. U of I called a 30 of stones a brick. So did University of Nebraska.

 

And in some parts they'e known as pots, right?

 

That's right, and a lot of our bottle shops and off-licences are ran by Pakistani families and are known derogatively as p____ shops, which is a very offensive term in the UK. A friendly warning to everyone visiting the country

 

Doesn't look like anyone has mentioned cockney rhyming slang yet:

Rub-a-dub - pub
King Lear - beer
Gary Glitter - bitter
Salmon and Trout - stout
We're going out for a couple of Britney Spears - beers

 

Yep in Melbourne/Victoria mainly.

 

Oh, yeah. Back in the day, we always called 'em Big Mouth's or Grenades ... never Mickey's.

 

American brewers and glass bottle manufacturers (specifically Owens-Illinois) both used the "Stubby" (w/ a "y") terminology when the first "No Deposit- No Return" bottles of that design were released in the mid-1930s. Olympia even printed it on their labels, as shown in this Dec. 1935 ad:

 

"Pony Keg" (based on the same usage for "small" as "pony bottle" and "pony glass") was an accepted industry term for the now all-but-extinct 1/8 bbl. kegs (supposedly Straub still was using some old ones up until a few years ago, sold to regular customers only).

From The Master Brewers Assoc. of America The Practical Brewer (1946 ed.):​

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At some point - I've always guessed 'cause it is such a neat term - it was re-adopted for quarter barrel kegs after the demise of the "eighth". Have never heard of it used for sixtels.

What I've never understood is how the term began being used for beer stores in southern Ohio.