Serving Sizes and High ABV Beers

Ditto. But there was a bar near me that was offering 20 oz pours of DFH 120 when they first opened up by mistake. It's a miracle that people didn't die.

 

I don't think any size serving is illegal in most places, but it might be irresponsible. I do agree with the above postings abv needs to be listed there's too wide of a range and many new people coming to craft beer who don't know how strong some beers are and what 9-10% really means.

 

I have a place near me that serves Community Mosaic IPA in large formats, its 8.7%. I think they advertise the glass being either 22 or 24 ounces.

 

I have been served a $5 full pint of W00tstout and $3 pint of Breakfast Stout at a bar back home in South Carolina

 

At bars & taverns here in Washington state draft beer glasses come in two sizes, pint and schooner (a smaller sized glass that is about 10 to 12 oz.) Most places don't tell you about the smaller option but I have seen a quite a few old timers order this smaller sized glass of draft beer. 22 oz beers ? Sign me up ! The only time I was offered a 22 oz option it came with a souvenir glass. I think it was the hard rock in Vegas.

 

To the OP, I've been in a similar bar. High ABV beers in a 22oz vessel never ends well at a bar. At least they offer a 9oz option. Personally, I would ask for an 8oz pour. 1/2 pint, half way home.

 

You're sure this was a 22oz pour and not a 22oz bottle?

 

Dude 32 oz of darkness is like 1000 calories!
2 mugs of that and u won't need to eat the whole day!

 

I don't want to drink half a gallon of a high Abv brew, kinda ridiculous IMO. I might of a great craft Pils though, kept ice cold. Love a buzz hate to get shit faced because I have a bit of vertigo, and i just get sick.

 

This used to be pretty commonplace 5-6+ years ago with most all ABVs up to 11% or so. Before the no Growler policy for Pliny the Younger, 22oz Schooners were $8 at my local watering holes at the time. Same for Undercover Investigation Shutdown and Nitro Old Raspy etc...

I wouldn't complian about what you ran into at all, so long as you weren't paying any more than $11-12 for the 22oz you mention.

 

In the past I have always drunk bottled beer when at a bar precisely so that I could accurately measure my alcohol consumption. It's not until recently that I've gotten into craft brews and appreciate the opportunity to drink a rare beer on tap. I suppose it's the safer course to avoid craft tap altogether if I'm driving. Or limiting myself to one, I can't imagine a beer that's going to push me over the limit with one. Still, it would be nice to have the information available.

 

Yeah a good nutritious day for sure..

 

The BEST question is did they have Backwoods Bastard? A 22oz draft pour of that 11% beast of a beer? MY GOD!!! :O

 

For what it's worth:

I've seen high ABV beers served in sub-12 oz. servings at many places.

I'm completely ignorant of the laws, but I do know some bars/brewpubs understand serving a six-pack of 12% barrel-aged RIS to one customer for a single session is not a good idea, so they in essence self-police their clientele with the smaller servings. I've heard one bartender say their 11 oz. serving size is not a deterrent or even a warning -- just a "friendly reminder" that you're not drinking Bud Light.

 

Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason to it. My favorite bar once had 9 oz pours of Creme Brûlée (which is probably more than enough for anybody), but also 16 oz pours of Old Rasputin, Lagunitas Imperial Stout, and Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster (all of which are around the same ABV as Creme Brule--like 10%) so who knows?

 

My favorite bar has reduced pours, like 8 or 10oz, for the hi-test stuff. I'm not sure about what % this changes from a pint. All of the employees at this place are trained really well and know their beer.

 

10 oz pours for high ABV is the norm in my area. 22 oz pour seems like overkill. The only thing I can picture is still having half the glass and the place announces last call. Hurry up and chug it, then face meets parking lot pavement.

 

Sitting down and drinking two BCBS would be the equivalent or better drinking a bottle of wine sole in that amount of time. Even if you allow an hour I'm quite sure there's a DUI in there somewhere, which is why the 500 ml bottles concerns me a bit, it's a lot of a really big beer.

 

When I am out on the town, I try to order craft beers in the 5% ABV range. It is just better that way. If I do occasionally have a stronger beer in the 7-8% range, then it is one and done. I rarely, if ever, order something higher than 8%. One must pay attention to these things.