Back in July, Indy.com ran a piece on "falsies"--pint glasses that look like they hold sixteen ounces but actually hold only fourteen due to thicker bottoms. As the Indy.com piece noted, some bars use falsies for their beer orders yet charge beer drinkers for a full sixteen-ounce pint. Today's edition of "All Things Considered" on NPR had a segment related to this topic. Listen and enjoy.For more on the Honest Pint Project, which is mentioned in the segment, go here, here, and here.
I once bought a take home pint glass from Alcatraz that was less than a pint. I wonder if they ever increased the glass size...
ReplyDeleteCheeseburger in Paradise in Fishers sells their draft beers in 14 oz and 22 oz. After ordering a few "14 ouncers" I ended up selecting something that was bottle-only. I tried to pour it into my glass and only about 10 oz would fit with about 3mm of head.
ReplyDeleteI happened to be listening to that story, and have a couple comments. One is that the "falsies" you refer to are probably "mixing" glasses, which I believe are 16 fl. oz. to the tip top. That would make for the 14 oz. pour including head. Some bars actually have glasses which are clearly bigger and allow for a short pour of 16 oz. Like the imperial pint, but without the bubble.
ReplyDeleteTwo is that there was a story or editorial in Beer Advocate magazine talking about something similar -- a tendency for publicans to pour a short pour out of being rushed or simply due to absent-mindedness regardless of glass size. Because with a 16 oz. glass you can still get a crappy pour.
Either way, a movement to standardize pub pints, or at least complain to those who short us on a regular basis, would improve the quality of a 16 oz. pour all around.
The Legend in Irvington is a nice little restaurant with a pretty decent beer selection. Their 'pint' glasses are probably 14 oz. tops. A 12 oz. bottle poured in with less than an inch of head crowns above the glass. You can get your false pint glass filled with fine beers like Robert the Bruce, Brugge Black and BBC Bourbon Barrel Stout. Usually there is something lighter on tap too like Oberon or some lager.
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