3/23/2026 at 4:13:40 PM
by cainxinth
3/23/2026 at 4:17:22 PM
In Yorkshire a short pint will result in "Could you fit a whiskey in there?", "yes of course", "THEN FILL IT WITH BEER"by jjgreen
3/23/2026 at 4:33:16 PM
I'm going to start using this approach. Cheers!by calebelac
3/24/2026 at 7:05:07 AM
"Where's the rest of it?"by iamcalledrob
3/23/2026 at 4:34:39 PM
I'm from Ireland, where filling beers precisely up to the brim is practically a religion, & many barmen will even take the glass back & top it up if they see the head diminishing too quickly in the space of time it takes you to pick the freshly poured pint up.One thing that always struck me as odd is how the culture is seemingly the opposite of this in apparent beer meccas like Belgium - not only are the glasses typically much smaller (this is fine) but they also leave massive gaps at the top. The glass capacity is never treated as being close to the rim at all.
by lucideer
3/23/2026 at 5:02:38 PM
> not only are the glasses typically much smaller (this is fine) but they also leave massive gaps at the topI'm wondering if this is due to the prevalence of cask ales vs bottle/keg conditioning. The former is relatively uncommon in Belgium and you want the head from the latter.
That said, oversized glassware (e.g. Duvel's tulip for aromatics) and/or fill lines are also used to accommodate the head while still not cheating the customer out of volume.
by pmh
3/23/2026 at 6:27:54 PM
It could well have emerged as a cultural norm from the prevalence of heads, but I've seen it often for very moderate heads, with a gap left above the foam.> not cheating the customer out of volume
I don't think it's cheating if its the norm. One would expect prices to be set appropriately for the average volume served (i.e. a full glass would be a bonus rather than the gap being a loss).
I do just find it odd, coming myself from the opposite culturally.
by lucideer
3/23/2026 at 10:04:53 PM
I have a couple glasses of that style (la chouffe), they have a mark for 33cl, which I assume is a full pourby lokar
3/23/2026 at 5:00:13 PM
I remember watching the cornetto trilogy ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Flavours_Cornetto ) and always wondering why on earth they fill up the glasses up to the brim. It is uncomfortable to transport this way and not spill beer.by ahofmann
3/23/2026 at 5:15:24 PM
When CAMRA was new in the early 1970s, they started a campaign for oversize glasses holding a pint to the line instead of a pint to the rim, so that there would be space for a pint of liquid and a head in the glass. The big breweries hated this idea and mounted a reactionary campaign arguing things like it would be too expensive to replace all the glasses, or serve customers the full measure they had paid for. (My father was a new recruit at Guinness and sadly one of his early tasks was the pint-to-brim campaign.)by fanf2
3/23/2026 at 6:44:15 PM
I no longer drink in pubs but in my neck of the woods, the pubs that specialised in cask ale often had lined glasses.The problem was that many people insisted on the glass being filled to the brim, because they felt they were being short changed. So it solved one problem but created another.
by JetSetIlly
3/23/2026 at 5:08:07 PM
First sip's at the bar; then you canby OJFord
3/23/2026 at 6:25:34 PM
Here are your beers lads, I didn't spill anything! They taste good too.by thih9
3/23/2026 at 10:10:05 PM
Belgian glasses, like wine glasses, leave room for head and aromatics.Belgium is also fanatical about matching the glass with the beer, and Europe has the very sensible pour line on glasses, so it is designed for a certain fill and filled to the design.
It's designed for experience, not volume.
by jccooper
3/23/2026 at 5:07:30 PM
My understanding is Belgian beer culture considers the aroma to be an important part of the experience. But I’ve never been, that’s all through osmosis.by amonon
3/23/2026 at 6:33:11 PM
This is exactly it. That's why the glasses have the same basic form (stem, bowl, and tapered rim) as wine glasses and snifters. The liquid sits in the bowl, and the aroma is captured in the empty space between the liquid and the rim.by dkarl
3/23/2026 at 4:55:32 PM
In Czech Republic they usually pour 3 fingers of head. But the measure line is also part way down the glass, the foam all above the line...by dismalaf
3/23/2026 at 9:23:49 PM
You could get a pint of nothing but head as well, if you wanted.In Spain they try to create the head by dumping the beer in the glass, Guinness style, and letting it excessively foam up. So it's half flat and half full.
by ljm
3/23/2026 at 9:40:34 PM
> You could get a pint of nothing but head as well, if you wanted.True but a mlíko pour is a special request and usually cheaper.
by dismalaf
3/23/2026 at 7:23:11 PM
Same in Germany. In Belgium, the glasses don't have a line and they don't fill them to the brim neither! The only thing that prevents pubs from cheating you out of some of your beer is their reputation. And to be honest, I sometimes had doubts about getting all that I paid for.by ahartmetz
3/23/2026 at 4:52:25 PM
Kind of.Guinness glasses are exactly a pint, so the Guinness head means you're getting less than a pint of actual beer.
This is tolerated/expected and so de facto correct but de jure perhaps not.
by philipwhiuk
3/23/2026 at 6:31:51 PM
> the Guinness head means you're getting less than a pint of actual beerI hate to be pedantic but pint being volumetric, you're still getting a pint, independent of density. Also - a nitrogen head doesn't dissipate, so you never get a gap.
I'm now curious though whether a nitrogen head is less dense than a CO2 head...
by lucideer
3/23/2026 at 7:24:39 PM
It feels much denser, and I think it does dissipate... but slowly.by ahartmetz
3/23/2026 at 9:25:03 PM
I'm sure it dissipates eventually but I've worked at weddings collecting pints that were forgotten about untouched - it really is a very very slow dissipation.by lucideer
3/23/2026 at 4:50:19 PM
The only sensible approach here is pint-to-line glasses. I don't want my glass filled to the very top where I'll spill it, I want it filled to the pint line. Sadly in the UK up to 5% of the pint is allowed to be foam, but I'd expect any sensible barman in the UK to top me up to the pint line if I asked, and be apologetic about it.by petesergeant
3/23/2026 at 4:39:15 PM
Reminds me of backpacking up and down the east coast of Australia. I learned that Fosters is only northern New South Wales for beer. Every place had their own preferred beer, but maddeningly they all had their own glass. A tenner, a schooner. Each a slightly different size. I made friends with a guy in Hobart that was staying in the hostel as he was doing research there, I think he was a biologist. He took me to his favorite pub as they served imperial pints. I think who ever is behind this site needs to do some serious research in Australia as they could, at least, double the "know your glass" section...by BashiBazouk
3/23/2026 at 5:23:42 PM
You might enjoy the matrix of regional sizes and names on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer_in_Australia#Beer_glassesNo, us locals don't know them all either!
by mcbain
3/23/2026 at 10:24:23 PM
As someone heavily involved in the hospitality (read: beer) area, this doesn't really line up with reality in Australia: there's only one state (South Australia) that doesn't agree on the major standard sizes: Pints are 470ml, schooners are 425ml, a half pint is 285ml, and a pony is 140ml.There's colloquialisms for a half: pot, or middy, mostly. Hobart will call a half pint a ten, because it's 10oz, but they also know what you're talking about when you ask for a pot or a half pint.
Then there's South Australia, which will serve you a pint at 425ml, a schooner at 285ml, no one there outside of specialty craft beer bars have any idea what a half pint is, and if you want a proper pint you need to ask for an imperial pint. I have never seen an 'imperial pint' advertised in Hobart - it's just called a pint there.
Source: I have pretty extensive drinking experience in pretty much all of the Australian capital cities, except Perth.
by hug
3/24/2026 at 1:33:47 AM
> there's only one state (South Australia) that doesn't agree on the major standard sizes: Pints are 470ml, schooners are 425ml, a half pint is 285ml, and a pony is 140ml.> Source: I have pretty extensive drinking experience in pretty much all of the Australian capital cities, except Perth.
I don't drink as much as I used to so this might be a little outdated, but in Perth "Pints" are 570ml. It was rare, but becoming less so, for some places to serve you a 470ml schooner when you ordered a pint. We avoided those places.
by November_Echo
3/24/2026 at 1:54:49 AM
...Embarrassingly, I have typo'd in my original post, and it's too late to edit. Pints are 570ml (not 470ml) everywhere on the East coast - hence why a half pint in Tassie is often called a ten - because it's 10oz, or half a 20oz/568ml pint.by hug
3/23/2026 at 11:24:29 PM
Maybe not today, but in the summer of 1990 every pub I went to seemed to have a different glass and I was somehow expected to know what they were called...by BashiBazouk
3/24/2026 at 12:26:48 AM
I was decidedly not old enough to drink in 1990 and culture in general in Australia was much less homogeneous back then, so you're probably right for the times.by hug
3/23/2026 at 4:29:43 PM
I got poured a pint by a newbie behind the bar at a hotel recently and she looked embarrassed as it was about 40% head, but to her credit she went to fetch the shift supervisor before I said anything.He explained after pouring it better that, even the remaining head (It had ~3/4 inch even after fixing it) might still be met by derision by many customers. "They'd be asking if you would be charging them for just for the half" etc.
There's a bit of leeway but you'll quickly hear about it if you short a pint too much.
by xnorswap
3/23/2026 at 4:40:47 PM
Yes. Americans/Canadians famously can't pour beer properly. If you are pouring a pilsner or really any lager, a head of at least 2 inches is actually correct and absolutely desirable. The way it's poured in Canada (no head) is borderline undrinkable to me.by vojtapol
3/23/2026 at 5:25:40 PM
Preferences vary on both sides of the Atlantic. Another comment on this post complains that Americans pour beer wrong because they _do_ pour with a head.> Also in the US (probably due to lack of training and the customer too embarrassed to complaining) tend not to fill it the brim (and so not even 16''). I've seen 2-3 inch heads and asked them to top it up. They look at me as if I've just insulted George Washington
by mb7733
3/23/2026 at 4:48:47 PM
If an establishment wants to serve drinks with a head they should use glasses with a mark on the side indicating the measure, rather than glasses which need to be brim full. Using the latter style of glass and including a head is just ripping off the customer.by masfuerte
3/23/2026 at 4:50:14 PM
We call that kind of beer without any head "dead". Measurement here is about two fingers width, and if you do it the first time and screw up it is two fingers in length (second part is of course tounge-in-cheek).by consp
3/23/2026 at 6:15:11 PM
How do you measure the head through the red solo bubba cup?Really, no self-respecting Canadian would drink beer out of anything except directly out of the bottle, can, or keg.
by bregma
3/23/2026 at 5:06:15 PM
As a Canadian: hard agree. Beer without head is gross.by skipants
3/23/2026 at 5:30:25 PM
If I get a beer with no head I'm assuming the glass was dirtyby secondcoming
3/23/2026 at 6:52:34 PM
You should try the Dutch!They think a big head means a good lager and every pint you get is 80% head.
by mattmanser
3/23/2026 at 7:00:15 PM
Maybe it was a Czech Mlíko pour ;) The faucets they use are pretty cool (https://www.lukrfaucets.com/en/)by anfractuosity
3/23/2026 at 4:34:12 PM
I'm not sure I understand, why didn't she just top it up?by post-it
3/23/2026 at 4:50:05 PM
Who knows, she obviously lacked experience, I guess she just panicked or worried it might be an issue with the barrel rather than her pour?by xnorswap
3/23/2026 at 4:37:16 PM
Right? Just top it up, let some of the foam cascade over the side... Foam always forms in the keg if it sits for too long so you need to let some of it out anyway.by dismalaf
3/23/2026 at 4:31:46 PM
In the UK and Ireland, a pint is 20 oz. (equivalent to just over 19 US ounces), so I always feel cheated by 16 oz. "pint" glasses in the US.by ch_123
3/23/2026 at 5:34:59 PM
It is the same in Canada [1] yet I frequently see beer sold in "US pints" over here. I assume they do it so they can advertise cheaper prices (the amount being smaller). Some places will write the glass size in ounces, but some won't.It is one of my pet peeves for sure.
[1]: https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/measurement-canada/en/buyin...
by lbourdages
3/23/2026 at 8:40:49 PM
Also Canadian. I don't often see "pint" on the menu, usually something like "16oz." Evidently restaurateurs and bar owners are wise to the law. Though I am pleased when I see "20oz" on the menu!I kind of understand the logic by not serving 20oz and saying "pint". Customers might avoid a place because their "pints are more expensive", when in reality that place is also serving them 4oz of extra beer. A bit like the classic 1/3 lb cheeseburger being "smaller"[1].
Annoyingly, I do find that servers will often refer to their larger size beer as "pint" regardless of whatever the menu says.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-pound_burger#Marketing_f...
by neuronflux
3/23/2026 at 9:27:40 PM
I have a buddy who used to call Weights and Measures on bars that passed off US customary pints as "pints". It is illegal, but enforced largely by complaint.by michael1999
3/23/2026 at 4:43:26 PM
Also in the US (probably due to lack of training and the customer too embarrassed to complaining) tend not to fill it the brim (and so not even 16''). I've seen 2-3 inch heads and asked them to top it up. They look at me as if I've just insulted George Washington.by vlod
3/23/2026 at 4:51:51 PM
Well, depending on the type of beer, that's intentional. It's not always the faux-pas that it would be to do this when serving cask ale in the UK.by mcjiggerlog
3/23/2026 at 5:00:35 PM
But usually when that is the case they will use glassware that has a 20oz line on the glass with room for the head.by bardak
3/23/2026 at 4:47:36 PM
A pint in the Netherlands usually is 500ml. In very rare cases, but only in real pubs (not mass market "Irish" pubs) you get an actual pint. So you are cheated out of about ~68ml in that case. Vs the US you get a few ml more.by consp
3/23/2026 at 5:31:40 PM
As far as I knew, Netherlands pubs typically sold:- 200ml "fluitje" (little flute)
- 250ml "pintje" (little pint), often sold in a "vaasje" (vase, a tapered beer glass). This is the typical beer measure: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pintje "Het bestelde glas pils heeft doorgaans een inhoud van 25 cl"
They also sell standard bottled beer in 300ml and standard cans in 330ml: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standaardglas
I was not aware that 500ml was usual for the Netherlands. It is usual in, say, Germany, where they also sell the 1 litre Maß
by amiga386
3/23/2026 at 7:30:54 PM
The Maß is only a thing in Bavaria and strongly Bavarian-themed places, and almost nonexistent for bottles or cans anywhere in Germany. Faxe (which is Danish) sells one liter cans and some Czech brands sell or used to sell 1.5 liter plastic bottles - that's about it. The next common size is 5 liter mini kegs.by ahartmetz
3/23/2026 at 5:49:01 PM
Do they actually call it a pint or just a half litre / large beer?That's seems to be the norm in a lot of mainland Europe.
by jcul
3/23/2026 at 10:48:24 PM
In France it’s 500mL and it’s actually called a pintby benhurmarcel
3/23/2026 at 5:00:08 PM
A standard US pint is about 473ml so a US pint is ~95ml less than an imperial pint.by ch_123
3/23/2026 at 10:08:37 PM
In the 19th century, at the same time they went stone-mad (and redefined the hundredweight as 8 stone or 112lb), the British redefined the pint as 20 oz.After this point, there was no where the whole world round where a pint was a pound.
(The US standardized on the wine gallon, so a US pint is and was 1.04 lbs.)
by saalweachter
3/23/2026 at 5:29:37 PM
Same thing here in France. Except I've never seen any "real" pints here, it's always 50cl.by thrance
3/23/2026 at 4:41:48 PM
It's not completely uncommon to be offered 16 oz or 20 oz as options in the US. But I see it more at "fast casual" restaurants than bars or more upscale restaurants.by loeg
3/23/2026 at 5:23:27 PM
And of course, what an "ounce" means may vary. According to Wikipedia "An imperial fluid ounce is defined in British law as exactly 28.4130625 millilitres, while a US customary fluid ounce is exactly 29.5735295625 mL, and a US food labelling fluid ounce is 30 mL."by cbm-vic-20
3/23/2026 at 5:15:24 PM
Your pubs kindly return the favor when we order whiskey. As Hunter S Thompson is reported to have quipped in a bar your side of the Atlantic: "What is this, a sample?"by eduction
3/23/2026 at 5:20:51 PM
That's fair, can't argue with that one.Personally I'd have us use what the Royal Navy used to serve its rum ration in, the half-gill. This is 1/8 of a British pint or 71 millilitres, and the rum would have been a minimum of 54%!
Fractional gills were the pre-metric shot measure in the UK, but they were still pretty stingy. 1/6 gill in England, 1/5 or 1/4 gill in Scotland, and 1/4 gill in Northern Ireland.
by BoxOfRain
3/23/2026 at 4:39:19 PM
This is why I get agitated when Americans claim to use imperial units. If they did, their pints would be the correct size.by dghf
3/23/2026 at 4:47:08 PM
Americans don't claim to use imperial weights and measures; they use customary weights and measures, which were also used in the UK prior to the creation of imperial units with the Weights and Measures Act 1824.by cjs_ac
3/23/2026 at 4:59:22 PM
There are many people in America who do not know the difference, the mistake is fairly common.by kube-system
3/23/2026 at 6:02:40 PM
At this point they are just American units, right? Since the UK has upgraded already.by bee_rider
3/23/2026 at 6:13:37 PM
The origin of US Customary units is British, even if the US, Liberia and Myanmar are the last countries still using it. The UK has almost entirely adopted metric (yards and miles are still used for measuring distances on roads and pints are still used for milk and beer, and the last government made the eccentric decision to permit pints for wine, which no producer used because they couldn't get the bottles), but these systems of units have identities beyond whether or not they're in use anywhere.EDIT/CORRECTION: Milk is sold in multiples of 568 mL, so while the quantities are pints, the measurement is metric.
by cjs_ac
3/23/2026 at 11:51:58 PM
> EDIT/CORRECTION: Milk is sold in multiples of 568 mL, so while the quantities are pints, the measurement is metric.What distinction do you intend to make by that? 1 pint is 568ml.
If you mean in labelling or something, no, they're marked 1/2/4 pints. Usually also with litre markings. You can also get metric sized bottles, i.e. on the supermarket shelf you'll often see one brand's 2 pint bottles next to another's slightly smaller 1l bottles.
The supermarket price labelling will be in £/litre, regardless of whether the bottle's pints or not, if that's what you mean?
by OJFord
3/23/2026 at 6:13:22 PM
Beer and cider are the only drinks that are legally not sold by metric volume in the UK. They have to be served by the pint, 2/3, 1/2 or 1/3. Every other drink has to use metric.by ascorbic
3/23/2026 at 8:09:57 PM
But that just means the quantity has to be expressed in metric units, possibly in addition to imperial, correct? E.g. I currently have a carton of milk in my fridge that’s labelled “2272ml 4 pints”.by dghf
3/24/2026 at 5:11:59 AM
Not for alcohol measures. Beer and cider have to be sold in pints, and there is a list of allowed sizes used for other drinks. Also the size of the standard measure used for spirits needs to be displayed on a sign at the bar.by ascorbic
3/24/2026 at 7:31:08 AM
Apologies, I was specifically replying to your last sentence, "Every other drink has to use in metric."by dghf
3/23/2026 at 6:35:30 PM
Not really. The UK uses imperial units for most of the things you use units for in daily life (roads, cooking, drink sizes, body weight, utilities, land area...), even though they theoretically converted to metric. Canada is similar.by rafram
3/24/2026 at 2:24:56 AM
> The UK uses imperial units for most of the things you use units for in daily life (roads, cooking, drink sizes, body weight, utilities, land area...)Not really. Old people might cook with funny old temperatures/measures and weigh themselves in stones, but it's fading out, contemporary cookbooks and gym culture are all metric. I've literally never seen a utility bill in anything other than metric (even if it's slightly weird metric like kWh or cubic metres of gas).
by lmm
3/23/2026 at 8:01:27 PM
_Human_ body weight. I grew up measuring everything in kilos apart from people, which has I guess what amounts to its own wholly idiosyncratic scale, the stone, that no one I've since met outside of the UK has heard of.by mrwh
3/24/2026 at 12:01:14 AM
I don't know why really, it's just 14lb, why does the US/Canada just stick with very large numbers of pounds instead of breaking it up as with others?Kilograms seem more and more common for human weight too though, largely driven by fitness apps & communities I think. I doubt children in school today are accustomed to stone; only pounds and ounces for birth weight perhaps, but even that is metric medically and converted for the parents' familiarity these days I believe.
by OJFord
3/23/2026 at 6:08:13 PM
That's why we call it the US Customary System.by ZeWaka
3/23/2026 at 5:30:22 PM
The (incorrect) claim is indeed made in every single metric vs "imperial" comments section I've come across.by alnwlsn
3/23/2026 at 8:12:00 PM
Many Americans do claim to use imperial units. They’re wrong, but they do claim it.by dghf
3/23/2026 at 4:50:49 PM
surely if that was the claim George Washington would never have had his dreamby bryanrasmussen
3/23/2026 at 5:15:53 PM
The volume of UK and US fluid ounces being different also doesn't help.The UK pint is 568ml, apparently a US pint is 473 ml.
by dfawcus
3/23/2026 at 4:20:12 PM
In the EU I noticed lots of glasses had markings on the side - if it was full to the line, it was a pint (or liter or whatever).McDonalds cups have a line for ice.
by bombcar
3/23/2026 at 4:37:31 PM
At least in the UK it's a legal requirement to use marked glassware when serving beer, cider and wine. (Or to use a marked measuring cylinder and pour that into the drinkware, which is sometimes done for wine.)It's also the law in at least some EU countries, although I haven't checked beyond Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fill_line
by Symbiote
3/23/2026 at 5:23:20 PM
In true British fashion the requirements for draught beer and cider are in pints, while wine is sold in millilitres.by BoxOfRain
3/23/2026 at 10:00:32 PM
Of course. You're not going to buy a pint of wine.by g_lined
3/24/2026 at 12:10:01 AM
A third of a pint is 189.3ml, a large glass of wine 175ml. Two thirds of that (2/9 of a pint) is almost bang on a small glass of wine, 126.2ml vs. 125ml. Could work if they wantedby OJFord
3/23/2026 at 4:33:19 PM
Measuring beer is serious business in Germany to the point the EU commission had to comment on a rule change that supposedly forbade the usage of steins for foaming drinks (it didn't, but Germany wanted to be extra strict): https://www.bayern3.de/bier-steinkrug-eu-richtliniehttps://germany.representation.ec.europa.eu/news/klarstellun...
by RGamma
3/23/2026 at 10:40:56 PM
They are serious about this in Germany. At the Christmas markets it's common to get a single Glühwein mug that you keep and have filled with drinks as you visit. Even these little souvenir keepsakes have a fill line marked on them, no doubt policed by some very stern German standards keepers.by NelsonMinar
3/23/2026 at 4:45:33 PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fill_lineSelling drinks in mislabeled containers should warrant a fraud report to your local consumer protection agency. A crowdsourcing app seems like the wrong tool here.
by tveita
3/23/2026 at 5:03:46 PM
The US is a different place; though I will say that in Europe everything seemed to be right on the line, whereas in the US I'd say that most pours were to the very brim (likely giving me more than advertised).by bombcar
3/23/2026 at 4:41:09 PM
and crucially, foam has to be above the line.There is some back and forth around whether it's legal to serve beer in traditional ceramic steins, where customers can not verify that the foam really starts above the line.
As I understand, it is legal in Germany, but only if there is visible signage that informs customers about their right to pour their beer into a marked standard glass to check the amount. Source (German): https://www.abendblatt.de/incoming/article402102835/wer-hat-...
In 1899, an association was formed in Munich to combat fraudulent pouring. It was banned by the Nazis and re-formed in 1970. They went around and measured beers. This post is its spiritual successor. German: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verein_gegen_betr%C3%BCgerisch...
by luplex
3/23/2026 at 4:20:32 PM
In the US at least it's pretty common to see bars using cheater pints. They look like 16 oz pint glasses but with a few tricks wind up only holding 14 ozby jghn
3/23/2026 at 10:09:49 PM
Indeed. And coffee bags have gone from 16oz to 12oz to 10oz and I saw my first 8oz bag recently (while keeping the same form factor).by nathancahill
3/23/2026 at 4:24:21 PM
In Canada (and I’m sure elsewhere) there are surprise inspections where government inspectors show up at petrol stations and see if the pump actually gives you what it claims.I volunteer for the pub equivalent of this.
by Waterluvian
3/23/2026 at 4:30:16 PM
In the US every gas pump I've seen (I have not check the majority of states, but still a good sample) has a sticker on it stating inspections and who runs the state department that inspects them. Usually it is a yearly inspection (at least according to the sticker, maybe they do it more often I don't know)by bluGill
3/23/2026 at 6:43:41 PM
Not just gas pumps, but any measuring device used to determine the price of a metered product. The scales at the register at supermarkets also have calibration stickers in my state.by Gormo
3/23/2026 at 7:33:16 PM
Now that you mention it, I've seen them at some grocery stores - but generally not in a place I'd be looking unlike gas pumps where is is right next to the price and so you won't miss it.by bluGill
3/23/2026 at 4:27:43 PM
I don't know if other companies do this anywhere but if you live in Ireland. Diageo have roles for people to travel around the country doing precisely this.by lucideer
3/23/2026 at 4:42:00 PM
ah yes, the guinness vans, I do often see them out and aboutby arkensaw
3/23/2026 at 4:27:14 PM
You're in luck. Measurement Canada has the authority to inspect pints. Typically they only act on complaints, though.https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/measurement-canada/en/buyin...
by 9rx
3/23/2026 at 4:53:45 PM
I have a feeling that if the USA did random, surprise inspections on businesses to make sure what they were selling was actually as-advertised, the whole system would be exposed as fraud within a month.by ryandrake
3/23/2026 at 6:24:46 PM
I don't want my beer to taste like gasoline though.by bregma
3/23/2026 at 7:05:20 PM
Both may contain ethanol.by Waterluvian
3/23/2026 at 7:31:16 PM
This is the sort of goodness the internet was made for. I'm no beer drinker myself, but I'm already sharing it with those in my circles who do.Also a great way to teach folks on how to hold others honest and accountable, a skill sorely underdeveloped at present. Start with the pours, and push upward from there.
by stego-tech
3/23/2026 at 11:21:47 PM
If you compare the US and the UK regarding the alcoholic beverage servings, then you can reach two conclusions, depending whether you think drinking alcohol is good or bad. If you think it's bad, then the US is better, because the restaurants in the US tend to serve smaller sizes. I am in this camp. In the UK, by comparison, the restaurants are much more generous; wine glasses seem gargantuan compared to wine glasses in the US. I suppose some people like that, but I am not sure that's really something to admire.by credit_guy
3/23/2026 at 7:19:35 PM
On the subject of the weights and measures to check that a pint is a pint, I remember the father of a friend of mine at university who was responsible for the weights and measures for Staffordshire. I think he was the undersheriff or something like that, and that the official pint was part of the collection.This would have been in the late 80s - i've no idea if it was still in use, but i've a feeling that the law hadn't necessarily moved on, so I guess the official measure could have been required if challenged in court.
by cesaref
3/23/2026 at 8:05:57 PM
I discovered long ago that you might as well order a can in the states because you'll pay less and get effectively the same amount of beer.by scoofy
3/23/2026 at 6:45:42 PM
One thought I keep coming back to is the immense consequences of how our units of length, weight and volume were defined. Products are often sold with round numbers (1 liter, 0.5 liter, 1 kg, etc). If you could go back in time and fiddle with e.g. the definition of a pint, you'd see that reducing its volume would lead to people drinking less, until it's so small that people just order two pints.by eternauta3k
3/24/2026 at 12:24:12 AM
In Taiwan the standard way to drink beer is to get it in large bottles, but shared with a small glass per person. Easy to not drink much that way, and promotes the social “let me fill your glass” behavior. (making it harder to not drink much)by stuartaxelowen
3/23/2026 at 10:03:14 PM
I'm having trouble understanding these 2 claims from the summary:> 1 in 2 pints delivered less than 14.4 oz (below 90%)
> 37.9% were significantly short (under 90% of claimed volume)
Aren't those the same claim with different percentages? 1 in 2 is 50%, and 50% is less than 37.9%
by joombaga
3/23/2026 at 10:08:21 PM
Sounds like a typo you are overanalyzing. I bet the second number was supposed to be 80%.by justonceokay
3/24/2026 at 7:33:26 AM
I don't think it's overanalyzing to point out a typo.by ljsprague
3/23/2026 at 6:03:23 PM
I've joked that the 16oz US pint was a long-play metric-system scheme to drive adoption of 500ml (~16.9oz) as a measure, a Pavlovian mechanic to trick beer-drinking Americans that the metric system is actually better because it results in more beer. The joke's on them. We're all about 12oz cans! 33cl? pfft...Germans have it nailed down with the Kölsch Stange, a 200ml glass that so readily disappears that it stays cold and you just get another from the Kranz.
by chaboud
3/23/2026 at 6:08:29 PM
no one drinks it that way, except for those who drive. and believe me, for half a litre in half an hour one yields an acceptable beer temperatureby wolfi1
3/23/2026 at 6:19:59 PM
I used to work in the Netherlands (i'm from the UK) and I could never understand how the Dutch put up with so much froth on their beer, even really enjoying being ripped off by it.by zabzonk
3/23/2026 at 6:27:33 PM
there is a calibration marker on the glass and the liquid has to be filled up to that line, the froth on top is extra. so on the continent we get more, not less. so from where we stand it looks rather like the islanders are ripped off ;-)cheers
by froh
3/23/2026 at 6:39:20 PM
I'm not denying this, but I do remember a jug of beer being ordered and me being asked to pour it into several glasses without noticeable markings, and me trying to end up with about a 1/4 inch of head as I would in the UK and my Dutch friends yelling "more head" or something even less than polite.Mostly in the NL I drink bottled beer. And I'm a Yorkshire man, at least by birth.
by zabzonk
3/23/2026 at 7:23:51 PM
Yeah, in the Netherlands 2 finger widths is the norm. But if it's more than that, people will get upset that you're pouring them milk.by hencq
3/23/2026 at 8:09:49 PM
I really liked working in the NL, but their food and drink I could not get used to. I did a bit of consultancy at KLM, and what was offered for lunch in the cafeteria turned my stomach - artificial meat, artificial bread. I complained about this to one of the KLM staffers I was working with - "We know, We know, and of course the bosses never eat here"Also, the Dutch idea of Chinese food is very strange (basically some sort of Indonesian thing - and I like Indonesian, but not that).
Anyway you in no way requested a critique of Dutch cuisine, but I'm glad I got it off my chest. So, apologies.
by zabzonk
3/23/2026 at 4:36:28 PM
I'll happily volunteer for this. I may have found my new purpose in life!by TheGRS
3/23/2026 at 4:28:49 PM
We’ve had laws requiring landlords to serve standardised pints the UK since 1698. This is not a new problem.by badgersnake
3/23/2026 at 4:32:16 PM
1985 is the current one: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1985/72/contentsIt's why all bars will have a little plaque saying what size their shots are. Almost always 25ml these days, but 35ml was common in many places. You're allowed to serve shots of either size but not in the same pub.
( edit: Better link: https://www.gov.uk/weights-measures-and-packaging-the-law/sp... )
by xnorswap
3/23/2026 at 5:10:51 PM
The way they got to the 25/ 35 split involves even more craziness. In England the law said spirits are always measured in sixths of a gill. This entire unit is obsolete, but 1/6 is a tiny bit less than 25ml. Fine.However in Scotland two sizes were common, a fifth of a gill (slightly more generous than England) and a "nip" or quarter of a gill (a lot more generous). If you're used to ordering a "nip" of something and now you get a lot less you'd be very angry! So the 35ml option is there for the kind of Scottish or Irish establishment which would have been used to these larger measures rather than either try to keep the gill (which is a stupid unit nobody else needs) or anger drunk people.
I wouldn't be surprised if the "Make a sign" difference was to allow licensed premises to gradually shift to the more profitable, smaller, size. Maybe you change the place you own in Glasgow to 25ml first, and if the locals don't kick off you can try Aberdeen next, otherwise try again in a few years.
by tialaramex
3/23/2026 at 5:04:07 PM
I did not know about the 35ml is OK too but not both on the same premises rule.by graemep
3/23/2026 at 4:35:45 PM
Great minds...by maxbaines
3/23/2026 at 4:35:20 PM
Agree this is a fact - we mark our glasses because of it. https://www.gov.uk/weights-measures-and-packaging-the-law/pr...by maxbaines
3/23/2026 at 9:11:29 PM
Found the original too:by badgersnake
3/23/2026 at 5:27:04 PM
And they say England becoming low-trust is a recent change !by gib444
3/23/2026 at 4:53:58 PM
I like the CAMRA ones which have the pint line below the rim of the glass. Because technically the head doesn't count as part of the pint and there's a lot of back-and-forth about what the legally acceptable amount of head really is (CAMRA say 0%, pub associations serve 5%, pubs themselves serve whatever they think you'll pay for).by philipwhiuk
3/23/2026 at 10:14:31 PM
> CAMRA say 0%, pub associations serve 5%That's a bit of an apples and oranges comparison.
A real ale that CAMRA would be happy with rarely has any head at all whereas a generic lager may need a patient pour to keep it to just 5% head.
Anyone asking for a Guinness with no head doesn't understand the drink they've ordered.
by alexfoo
3/23/2026 at 4:26:53 PM
Most useful website I've been on in a hot minuteby skeptrune
3/23/2026 at 4:30:01 PM
> 79.3% of pours were short (under 100% of claimed volume)That is quite surprising. What breweries used to do when I worked in cafes and bars was to paint a mark on the glass and under it write "0.5" (in market that sells in liters and not in pints) and this mark is above[1] the half liter mark. Note that it is without units.
Pubs and bars get glasses for cheap or free and the brewery/distributor tries to trick the bar into selling more beer than they expect.
[1] We checked using measure cups from the kitchen. Maybe there is a conspiracy to have kitchens use too little ingredients.
by wodenokoto
3/23/2026 at 4:36:19 PM
Thanks for sharing! Glad to see there's some momentum behind this libatious tragedyby calebelac
3/23/2026 at 6:59:49 PM
"You poured yourself a mega pint of red wine, correct?""A mega pint?"
by hrmtst93837
3/23/2026 at 11:56:49 PM
Coffee pours are similarly sketchy.by RyanOD
3/23/2026 at 4:55:26 PM
Look, I get it. Beer is expensive, these days. Always has been. But I feel like these movements miss the forest for trees.If we mandate beer volume then places that are “shorting” you will just raise the prices. Not to mention the tax on beer that would be required to pay for the inspection service. No one likes feeling like they got less than they paid for, but there’s solution is to take your business elsewhere.
Also, you know what really annoys me? When a bartender pulls a pint for me, and it’s up to the brim with no foam. Foam is part of the joy of a crisp beer. It adds aroma and anticipation. If I wanted to drink something with no foam I’d drink a soda. And in my heart of hearts (or stomach if stomachs?) I fear that’s where these arguments lead.
by amonon
3/23/2026 at 5:03:32 PM
No one likes feeling like they got less than they paid for, but without regulation, how do you know that you got less than you paid for unless you're going to carry around a measuring glass yourself?If the places that were shorting you have to raise prices when they have to give you what you paid for, that's false economy -- you're not saving money, if you want to drink less beer to save money, ask for a smaller glass.
by Johnny555
3/23/2026 at 7:17:09 PM
There's a distinct difference between food retail and food service. This kind of regulation will harm the later, it does not belong. Are we going to weigh every pizza, every omelette, every side of fries too? We don't need to sterilize every single part of our food culture.Anyone who has spent even a short amount of time in the food service business will be familiar with shrink. The average bar is probably seeing more than 15% shrinkage. The short pours are probably not offsetting that loss. Margins are thin.
Solutions for the neurotic drinker this website appeals to: - order a can or bottle - buy retail and stay home - go to a self pour joint and pay by volume. Bonus: you don't have to talk to anyone.
Otherwise put away the scale and talk to the bartender. Chances are you come away with plenty of free beer. Most small taprooms will help you find a beer you like by giving you free beer. If you're obsessing over getting what you paid for in food service, you're missing out on the true value of that industry.
Let's not harass our bartenders, a hell of a tough job, with scales. I spent years behind the case of a cut to order cheese shop. There's a time and place for scales. This is not it.
by goosejuice
3/23/2026 at 7:26:16 PM
Bars are dying and are on thin margins so they have to do short pours, but if I just talk to a bartender, he'll give me plenty of free beer?by Johnny555
3/23/2026 at 7:46:59 PM
Yes, generally food service operates on thin margins. A neighborhood brewery probably won't be profitable for the first few years, then if successful might stabilize around 15% net* profit margin.If you go to a beer bar or a tap room, a large part of the role of a bartender is helping you find beer that you like. Successful bars and bartenders thrive from repeat customers. Community is important. This is very obvious if you actually sit down at bars and talk to the people behind them.
by goosejuice
3/23/2026 at 5:18:54 PM
I guess I feel the same way about that as I do about a steak. How do I know that the steak is the 16oz I ordered? Ultimately the most important part is if I found the experience satisfying enough to return, not whether the steak was within .5oz of its stated measurement.by amonon
3/23/2026 at 5:02:46 PM
> No one likes feeling like they got less than they paid for, but there’s solution is to take your business elsewhere.People need to know how much they got. it can be hard to judge, especially as you will be comparing across visits to different places on different days, and different styles of glass, etc.
by graemep
3/23/2026 at 4:57:08 PM
The solution is in other comments. In the EU glasses are etched with a fill line. Not filled to the mark? You complain.by roxolotl
3/23/2026 at 5:19:14 PM
That seems very reasonable to me.by amonon
3/24/2026 at 7:40:45 AM
Indeed, regular drinkers know what to expect as far as pour and price from any given bar. If I drop into a new bar and I feel ripped off then I don't go back. I do the same with burritos.by ljsprague
3/23/2026 at 5:09:20 PM
I think your expected outcome is actually the desired one, to kill shrinkflation in favor of actual price increases. When the measures are all the same you can compare apples to apples across different businesses.by Spivak
3/23/2026 at 8:50:19 PM
Glad to see I'm not the only person that this bothers. I've been to more than 75 countries, to 43 US states, more than 2500 breweries, and I have drank more than 10k unique beers. Many beers styles should be correctly served in different glass shapes than a standard pint glass, but short pours are endemic, especially in the United States and in Canada. I always appreciate when I get a pint at a bar and see that they're using actual imperial nonic glasses with a pour line at 16oz/568ml.by tristor
3/23/2026 at 6:59:05 PM
I had a mk1 diesel rabbit, which when asked about the mileage, I would reply that is got 15 miles to the pint, though further into my youth people still refered to a "point of rum", as a measure distinct from all others, but of course bieng Canadian, beer comes in quarts.by metalman
3/23/2026 at 5:40:02 PM
It’s such a small thing but when a brewery or restaurant featuring beers writes “pint” as an option and gives me a typical US beer glass (shaker I believe) it annoys the hell out of me. Don’t explicitly write “pint” if it isn’t at least north of 15oz. Definitely don’t if the glass literally can’t hold a pint.by Forgeties79
3/23/2026 at 5:17:50 PM
I enjoyed reading this site and appreciate the passion and the effort.The "loss of the pint" is basically shrink-flation. When a bar's costs and/or overhead goes up, they must do some combination of cutting expenses and raising prices. Raising prices means either selling the same stuff in the same quantity for more, or selling cheaper stuff OR less of the same stuff at the same price. Most bars will opt for the latter options to avoid raising prices, because raising prices is more likely to create complaints. All caveats apply, of course -- drop portions or quality too much or too often and you'll get complaints for sure, but "within reason" it's the lesser of two evils.
This is why I personally don't feel like I'm being cheated out of 2oz when I buy a $8 14oz shaker pint of IPA. Clearly, the cost per oz at this bar is $0.57. A 16oz glass would cost $9.14. They don't owe me the 2oz for free just because they used the word "pint". If the state government started enforcing pint measures again, bars would just drop the word "pint" from their signs and menus.
by oldandboring
3/23/2026 at 6:09:54 PM
Is it called a shaker pint for association with the famously restrained Shakers?by bee_rider
3/23/2026 at 7:19:52 PM
According to my half-assed internet research, it's because it was designed to be used when shaking cocktails.by oldandboring
3/23/2026 at 5:10:19 PM
Now this is what the Internet is really supposed to be about.by twodave
3/23/2026 at 5:07:59 PM
As infuriating as it may be, it's a good occasion to learn to let go.Rationally, you're paying way more than the liquid in the glass, so just mentally tell yourself that the haircut is included in the price, and that's fine. If you can't stand the price anyway, change bar.
You're there to chill. Just chill.
by d--b
3/23/2026 at 5:34:30 PM
I'm sure the same individuals will calculate tip to the cent as well.As someone who worked in specialty foods for years, you get what you get. Flaws and all. That's part of the charm of this industry. This is especially true for small craft breweries. If you insist on accuracy then ask for a can/bottle list. If you insist on consistency then buy macro.
by goosejuice
3/23/2026 at 4:30:00 PM
[flagged]by steveharing1
3/23/2026 at 5:46:26 PM
Wait until they discover cocktails.Bickering over a few dollars when you're paying a premium price for the experience of going out is rather silly. There's better uses of your time, like enjoying yourself.
If you're not familiar with the mess that was nips: https://carolinas.eater.com/2015/10/16/9553903/mini-bottles-...
by goosejuice