American "Pint" vs European PINT!

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Lunarpancake

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I recently toured Ireland and Scotland and noticed that the pint poured there seemed to not only be a larger amount of liquid but also fit into the glasses a little better. I purchased two Guinness Pint glasses from one of the pubs in Ireland and decided to check out my theory when I was back home.

I found that the pint glasses in Europe hold more than a pint, in fact they hold a pint of beer leaving the perfect amount of room for head. American Pint glasses are a pint when poured to the brim of the glass.


Further research led me to this website, http://thebeergauge.com/. It seems others have been angered by this and have done some investigating......


Taken from thebeerguage.com :

"As it turns out, the majority of the volume in a standard US pint glass is in the relatively small height in the top part of the glass. In fact, if a beer is poured to within about 1/2 inch from the top, 13% of the beer is GONE. If the beer is poured to about one inch from the top of the glass, an astonishing 25% of the beer is missing from your pint."





*Updated Info*


Lets say your local bar pours an american pint where 15% of the beer is missing due to headspace. Every 6.66 beers you drink you will have been missing 1 entire beer.

So technically.....you order 7 beers, and you've really only drank 6 beers. But you still pay for that 7.

Each keg that is supposed to serve 120 pints actually ends up serving 145. At $7 a pint the bar ends up making $175.00 more than they really should be making if they were pouring fairly.



Does this piss anyone else off as much as it does me? I know we are all home-brewers but still, knowing that all those people out there on any given night are missing a good portion of each brew really bothers me!
 
Well, you have the imperial pint, and the plain ol' pint. Then, you have folks that don't care to be jerked around, and those who pay to have such done to them.

There is a small, grass roots, real pint movement going on in the U.S. Join it.


TL
 
Oh, wait until you hear this my friend...
The next time you go to a draft serving establishment and order a beer, I want you to take a close look at the bottom of the "pint" you receive. A 16oz pint glass is the exact same exterior dimension as a 14oz glasss. The only way you can tell the difference is in the thickness of the bottom of the glass.
Thats right: Probably more than 50% of the places you frequent are serving you 10 or 11oz of beer with 3oz of head.
Now you are prepared to be sufficiently pissed.

I actually had one of my customers ask me if there was a 12oz glass the same size as a pint because he was too chicken**** to take a price adjustment but was perfectly fine with straight up ripping his guests off.

With regard to the head poured, I have sent more than one glass back to the bartender to have to get the rest of my beer.
 
There's a very cool organization in Portland that certifies& recognizes 16oz pints in pubs. The name escapes me but what a great idea.
 
In England a Pub can be fined heavily if they do not sever you a perfect pint, and that is in both size and temp. I was at a Pub that an inspector walked in, asked for 3 pints and after they were pored he showed his badge, took the temps of the beers and made sure they were all the correct size. It was awesome to see someone keeping the Pubs honest.
 
In England a Pub can be fined heavily if they do not sever you a perfect pint, and that is in both size and temp. I was at a Pub that an inspector walked in, asked for 3 pints and after they were pored he showed his badge, took the temps of the beers and made sure they were all the correct size. It was awesome to see someone keeping the Pubs honest.

That is really cool, actually!
 
Well, you have the imperial pint, and the plain ol' pint. Then, you have folks that don't care to be jerked around, and those who pay to have such done to them.

There is a small, grass roots, real pint movement going on in the U.S. Join it.


TL

Good! The mandatory "Pint line" on English glasses that denotes the exact pint and leaves room for a separate head was put into law by public demand. Getting a whole bunch of people pissed off about this kind of rip off really works! :)
 
The difference between the size of an American pint and a UK/Irish pint is the difference between an American Fluid Ounce and an Imperial Fluid Ounce. Both American and Imperial pints are 16 fl oz, but because of the different ounce you get a much smaller 16oz beer in the states. An American pint is 473ml and the UK one is 568ml.

The head thing is true too, in the UK/Ireland the head shouldn't be below the pint mark on the glass, whereas in the states its often the top of the head there with air space above. American's like a frothier, more carbonated beer though, so there's a much thicker head on American beers. I think this is because the BMC beers are a central European style, and in central Europe they like super thick head on their beers.

A European pint is something else entirely, if you're on the continent and ask for a pint they'll give you a metric pint, which is 500ml. On the continent the standard beer size is different everywhere... 250ml in Spain, 330ml in France, 200ml in Cologne in Germany, 1 liter in Munich, 410ml (Italian Pint) in Italy etc... In most of those places they will still give you a 500ml "pint" if you ask for it specifically. The volume mark is ALWAYS on the glass though, everywhere in Europe, so its easy to check.

All of this stuff has to do with the huge array of measurement systems around the world before the metric system evened it out in most places. Its only us Anglophone countries that keep using the old system.
 
Justflow, it still does not change the fact that in the US, they are selling pints (16oz) that are 12 oz at best!

You know... I am surprised I have never thought of this. I always think the pint is the better value, as you get 4 oz more. I had to do a measurement to check:

16oz is on the left, 12 oz (450 ml) is on the right. I now want a full pint.
pint_compare_002-600x450.jpg



What is the organization lobbying for this? I will join. I cannot believe I never realized this!
 
I wasn't defending the sleazy underfilled beers. I hate seeing those underfilled small pints every time I'm home in the states, especially when someone hands me one full of what passes for Guiness over there.

Its easier in Europe to get stuff like that standardized. If you passed a law in the states about it being required to have a line on the glass that you fill to, imagine what nutjob is going to start screaming about "big government" taking over their freedom to pour crappy pints.
 
Just ordered 2 - one for me and my brother. Would love to see this thing in action.
 
I wasn't defending the sleazy underfilled beers. I hate seeing those underfilled small pints every time I'm home in the states, especially when someone hands me one full of what passes for Guiness over there.

Its easier in Europe to get stuff like that standardized. If you passed a law in the states about it being required to have a line on the glass that you fill to, imagine what nutjob is going to start screaming about "big government" taking over their freedom to pour crappy pints.


I hear that.. it would be hard to pass, and then everyone would raise the price of a draft pour, as they would be screaming about having to replace glasses and be going through beer faster.

I am still going to fuss over it though. At least, no one is going to list it as 16oz... if it is a 12oz pour, it should be sold as such.

what a load of crap!
 
I am still upset by the amount of air in a bag of chips... Once I am done worrying about that, then maybe I'll jump on this bandwagon.

Really though, if you order something, and they don't give it to you, send it back. Ordering 16 oz. or beer is not the same as 12. If you get 12, thats not what you ordered. Seeing as there is already a massive mark up in alcohol at restaurants/bars I feel like they should be a little more honest.
 
Most placed i got to always poor the head off, making sure the glass is filled with beer, not air. One place I frwuent uses a bigger glass for guiness to leave room for the head.
 
I hear that.. it would be hard to pass, and then everyone would raise the price of a draft pour, as they would be screaming about having to replace glasses and be going through beer faster.

I am still going to fuss over it though. At least, no one is going to list it as 16oz... if it is a 12oz pour, it should be sold as such.

what a load of crap!

Lots of glasses voluntarily have little lines that mark .25cl, .5l, .33cl etc due to their odd shape. maybe we should throw them on pints that already have printing, logos, etc.

lastly, if you're going to places that use these cheater pints, they're probably not filling them with the greatest beer anyway. I've never been to a decent tavern or brewpub that uses them. Just lame restaurants.
 
lastly, if you're going to places that use these cheater pints, they're probably not filling them with the greatest beer anyway. I've never been to a decent tavern or brewpub that uses them. Just lame restaurants.

Welcome to the dirty south!

The place I go to for beer most of the time has more than 50 beers on tap and is beer focused, though not very beer educated perhaps. Their draft list would include many selections I would call good (had Corsendunk Christmas?, St. Bernardus Christmas? I am looking forward to this among others...)

But they do serve in cheater glasses. And I am pretty sure it is billed as 16oz. And I am going to ask about it.

And we are talking what, $5 to$8 a pint depending?
 
I've certainly noticed this. Most annoying when you can get a six-pack for less than the price of 2 12 ounce "pints". Even when a pub uses real pint glasses, the head cuts it down far too much.
 
I own 4 beautiful 20oz british nonic pint glasses. I like nothing more than pouring a bomber on my homebrew into one of these guys. I feel that a 20oz "pint" is the perfect serving size for a 5%abv ale. 12oz bottles in an american pint glass always end too quickly.
 
Welcome to the dirty south!

The place I go to for beer most of the time has more than 50 beers on tap and is beer focused, though not very beer educated perhaps. Their draft list would include many selections I would call good (had Corsendunk Christmas?, St. Bernardus Christmas? I am looking forward to this among others...)

But they do serve in cheater glasses. And I am pretty sure it is billed as 16oz. And I am going to ask about it.

And we are talking what, $5 to$8 a pint depending?

OOH Corsendunk Christmas is fantastic!!

This very issue is one of the reasons there is one place, and one place only in Atlanta that i love to have a beer. The Brick Store pub. In all my experiences there, they are very intentional to have the beers not only poured properly, but in the proper glassware.

speaking of which, Chefmike, you should swing down this way one night/weekend soon for a brick store visit.
 
What I have noticed is that they just don't say pint anymore in bars. I remember the prices use to be for pints and now they just use 12oz glasses and charge the same price.
 
Ordering a "pint" in the US is the equivalent of buying a lb of coffee in the grocery store(11 oz) or buying a 2x4 at Home depot. Rarely do you get what you actually think you'll be getting. It's to be expected. After all, you're not buying your beer by the ounce, and most of us know what a US pint glass looks like. Now, if there is two inches of head on it, maybe I'd *****. Otherwise, suck it up.
 
Welcome to the dirty south!

The place I go to for beer most of the time has more than 50 beers on tap and is beer focused, though not very beer educated perhaps. Their draft list would include many selections I would call good (had Corsendunk Christmas?, St. Bernardus Christmas? I am looking forward to this among others...)

But they do serve in cheater glasses. And I am pretty sure it is billed as 16oz. And I am going to ask about it.

And we are talking what, $5 to$8 a pint depending?

whoa dude you're drinking st b's bier de noel by the pint? :)
 
Well, you have the imperial pint, and the plain ol' pint. Then, you have folks that don't care to be jerked around, and those who pay to have such done to them.

There is a small, grass roots, real pint movement going on in the U.S. Join it.


TL

I know this is an old and the second post on the thread, but I've been complaining about this since the first time I had a fake pint in an American micro brewery after drinking in Europe (which depending on where you go, beers range from a "real" pint to a liter). I just think that it is American's Capitalizing on something that most Americans don't know about, but rather something that most of them have heard something about. I have quite a few of legit pint glasses from England and they're nothing like the pub style pint glasses you get from your local brew pub in the U.S. It's a damn shame, but should you really be suprised? The U.S. has been behind on brewing ever since those crap Germans came over here and began brewing the **** beer that we've been calling beer now for around a decade!

<----Rambling. Please don't quote me.
 
This has been brought up before. The problem with asking for a full 16oz pour in a 16oz glass is that there's no head on the beer. What we need are 20oz glasses marked at the 16oz line. But do you expect every bar in the country to replace every glass they have?
 
I think one of the biggest problems is that we (the US) are using shaker/water glasses instead of a real "pint glass". The 16 oz size holds 16 oz when its filled to the brim, which doesn't leave any room for head. Obviously, its a recipe for disaster if waiters/waitresses are walking around with a few glasses filled to the brim. We need to get our asses in gear and get a system like the British have. Glassware with the fill mark clearly defined with enough room for foam above the mark. The shaker glass IMO is a terrible beer vessesl anyways. At home, I use my Imperial pint glass, a goblet or a mason jar.
 
The local brewpub has great glasses, they are 20oz so you can get your pint of beer plus head (Back of the glass actually has "An Honest Pint Guaranteed" on it). They also make awesome beers, have tastings (where all the homebrewers stay after and sample their own stuff and get a bit of feedback from the head brewer). Emmett's Ale House in Dundee, IL.

Other places with their shaker 'pints' are really annoying. I don't think they'd take well to me bringing in a proper glass with a pint marking on it and pouring their beer into it though.
 
This has been brought up before. The problem with asking for a full 16oz pour in a 16oz glass is that there's no head on the beer. What we need are 20oz glasses marked at the 16oz line. But do you expect every bar in the country to replace every glass they have?

If they want our business, then yes.
 
Okay, then stay home and drink homebrew (which is what I do the vast majority of the time anyway). Right now I'd settle for being sure what I was paying for: a pint? (then I'm being ripped off) A glass? (then it's fine, if a bit pricey)
 
I mainly go to places that serve in the breweries' glasses anyway so it doesn't affect me but if other people started doing it then businesses would have no choice, especially in this economy.
 
well at my favorite pub, they serve their taps in brewery specific glasses, ie Trumer Pils in a Trumer Pils glass. Surely not a pint, but I like it.
 
I mainly go to places that serve in the breweries' glasses anyway so it doesn't affect me but if other people started doing it then businesses would have no choice, especially in this economy.

If you like the fact that your bar serves beer in the correct glass, I would highly recommend that you don't try to get the government to pass laws about what glasses the bars can use. Believe me, they won't be written from a beer geek's perspective.

I'm not a fan of shaker glasses but I'm a big boy and I am pretty sure I don't want the government any more involved in my beer purchasing than they are now.
 
I've swiped glasses from a local brewpub because I was pretty sure I was getting under-served. Low and behold, I was! Now...how can I got about telling them this without mentioning that I took one home for a bit of testing? I don't know, but the bottom of the 'pint' glass is so thick that I was pretty sure I was getting screwed!
 
If you like the fact that your bar serves beer in the correct glass, I would highly recommend that you don't try to get the government to pass laws about what glasses the bars can use. Believe me, they won't be written from a beer geek's perspective.

I'm not a fan of shaker glasses but I'm a big boy and I am pretty sure I don't want the government any more involved in my beer purchasing than they are now.

Interesting point, although this seems to be more of a grass roots movement and would rely solely on customers policing their local hangouts.
 
But do you expect every bar in the country to replace every glass they have?

Those are water glasses. They should be used for thier purpose; water and soda. Bars need to invest in beer glasses and not serve beer in water glasses.

When it comes down to it, I don't tell a bar they are serving in the wrong glass. However much I dislike the shaker glass as a beer vessel, it is the defacto here in the US. As long as I can get an unfrozen one, I'm fine.
 
Exactly. It sucks, but I'm not expecting anything to get changed in the near future, even if we do call it 'grassroots.'
 
If you like the fact that your bar serves beer in the correct glass, I would highly recommend that you don't try to get the government to pass laws about what glasses the bars can use. Believe me, they won't be written from a beer geek's perspective.

I'm not a fan of shaker glasses but I'm a big boy and I am pretty sure I don't want the government any more involved in my beer purchasing than they are now.

When paying for beer my new dollar is 90 cents. I don't expect the law to get involved in THAT either! ;)
 
only problem with making the bars pour a real pint is where does it stop? The bars around here either use shot glasses and fill it and still pour some booze into the glass while dumping in the shot or just do a 2,3 or 4 count .So if its regulated you get a a 1 once shot in you drink and do you think the price will go down?. bars don't gouge on booze either they pay a hell of a lot more for beer or booze than we do. They can't just buy it when its on sale at the corner store. Everything has to be bought from a commercial distributor I believe NY has 3 or 4 liquor distributors and then beer is the local distributor that only sells to business's the two big ones around here are Dutchess Beer or Manhatten beer

I was in Australia and every drink is metered out and don't even bother to ask for a double. I think its better to just stop calling them pints . How bout large and small like soda .
 
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