Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Is it a pint?

isitapint.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

41–50 of 172 posts

Re: Is it a pint?

#41

Post by petesergeant »

lucideer wrote: post #19

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 typ…

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.

Re: Is it a pint?

#42

Post by bryanrasmussen »

dghf wrote: post #29
ch_123 wrote: post #14

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.

This is why I get agitated when Americans claim to use imperial units. If they did, their pints would be the correct size.

surely if that was the claim George Washington would never have had his dream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYqfVE-fykk

Re: Is it a pint?

#43

Post by mcjiggerlog »

vlod wrote: post #34
ch_123 wrote: post #14

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.

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.

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.

Re: Is it a pint?

#44

Post by philipwhiuk »

lucideer wrote: post #19

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 typ…

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.

Re: Is it a pint?

#45

Post by ryandrake »

9rx wrote: post #7
Waterluvian wrote: post #5

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.

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...

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.

Re: Is it a pint?

#46

Post by philipwhiuk »

badgersnake wrote: post #9

We’ve had laws requiring landlords to serve standardised pints the UK since 1698. This is not a new problem.

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).

Re: Is it a pint?

#47

Post by amonon »

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.

Re: Is it a pint?

#48

Post by dismalaf »

lucideer wrote: post #19

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 typ…

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...

Re: Is it a pint?

#49

Post by [deleted] »

jghn wrote: post #4

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 oz

[deleted]

Re: Is it a pint?

#50

Post by roxolotl »

amonon wrote: post #47

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. A…

The solution is in other comments. In the EU glasses are etched with a fill line. Not filled to the mark? You complain.
Post reply on HN