This morning, upon opening my email for the day, I was presented with an article, “A Pint-Sized Problem,” sent by Dave. Although I’ve heard of pubs and restaurants, here and there, shorting patrons on their brews of choice, I had no idea it was such a prevalent problem.

Turns out quite a few establishments are turning to 14-ounce glasses, usually the size and shape of a 16-ounce pint, but with thicker glass on the sides or on the bottom of the glass, especially since the prices on hops and barley have risen so much. On top of serving inadequate pints, bartenders are also charging more. Less beer for more money? Perish the thought… and yet, it’s happening more and more often. I noted from the article that bars can get 20 more beers out of a keg by serving 14-ounce glasses instead of a true pint. What’s a beer lover to do?

Luckily, you and I aren’t the only ones upset about the Less for More Pour. And not all establishments are jumping on this wagon. Portland, Oregon’s Raccoon Lodge has begun serving beer in 20-ounce glasses, instead of 16-ounce pints;

“The 16-ounce glasses held only about 14.5 ounces, says restaurant manager Lisa Crombie; the 20-ounce glasses hold about 18 ounces. ‘We just thought it was fair,’ Ms. Crombie says. ‘People were paying for a pint, so they should get a pint.’”

Cheers to Raccoon Lodge for truly fulfilling the pint, as it should be. (You do know that an actual pint in Britain is 20 ounces, right? How did we fall into 16-ounce pints here, anyway???)

Think I’ll stop out for a tasty brew tonight, and try some measuring at my own favorite hole-in-the-wall. If I find that I’m being shorted on a weekly basis, I know where my preferred bar can get some true, 16-ounce pint glasses…

What can you do about puny pints in your own neck of the woods? Well, beer activists are currently chatting about creating stickers for the windows of bars that serve true 16-ounce pints. This way, patrons can take their money places that they know won’t stiff them on their favorite brews. Prefer to take immediate action? The article suggests that you try asking for a “top-off” once the foam settles. And why not? I do it every time I’m out for coffee; why not beer? Most likely, you won’t be denied… at least that’s the hope.

TAGS [ BEER | BEER PINT | PINT GLASSES | PINTS | FALSIES | HOPS SHORTAGE | DRAFT BEER | BEERS ]

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 at 8:38 am by Hannah and is filed under Announcements, Draft Beer Tips, Rants and Raves. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.