How much beer did I just order?

Since a lot of standard beer glasses orignate in Europe, it is sometimes hard for the average American beer drinker to figure out the volume in the glass they just ordered. But that's okay. I'm here to help.

We'll start with the most common measurements. First off is the American pint, that'll be 16oz.

Then we have the Imperial or British pint. Here is where it starts getting a bit trickier. A lot of places will tell you this is 20oz. and it is. But is is 20 British ounces, which are slighter larger than their American equivilant. So a place that is claiming to serve British pints and giving you 20 American ounces is really short pouring by about 2oz. Yes, that means the Bristish pint comes out to about 22oz in the states, which suddenly explains why you see so many imported and craft beers in what seems like a bizarre measurement, yes?

In Britain you see the half pint a fair bit (10 British ounces, roughly 11 American) on our side of the Atlantic though the smaller serving of beer tends to be the 'glass' which is much less standard but usually 8 or 10oz.

There has been relatively recent trend in Britain toward reintroducing the 'Third" (roughly 7oz.) in stemmed glasses as an attempt to make beer more acceptable to women. I don't think this trend will carry over to the states, however. Our beer servings tend to be a little smaller to start with and we don't have as strong a stigma about beer being 'unladylike' as they do in the U.K.

That pretty much covers the basics, but if you go to themed bars you are likely to encounter some of the following:

German
The Stein- Typically holds 1 litre or about 34 U.S. ounces
the Pilsner- This is the long narrow one, typically anywhere from 12 -16 oz.
The Weiss, also called the Wheat Beer glass- Similiar in looks to the pilsner, but tends to tulip out at the top, they tend to falls between 16 and 22oz.
The Boot- A novelty glass shaped like a boot, usually holds 2 litres or about 68oz.

Belgian
The Goblet- typically holds 12-16oz, but can go up to 22oz.

English
The Half-Yard-typically about 25-32oz
The Yard-typically 44-50oz.


Now, ladies, some quick advice about the Boot, the Yard and the Half-Yard. All of these glasses were pretty much designed with drinking contests in mind, and all are designed to soak you with beer if you don't know the trick of dealing with them.

The Boot is the easiest of the lot, make sure the toe is pointed either to your right or left, if it is straight in front of you air will gather in it 'til the tension breaks and the beer gushes out onto you.

The Yard and Half-yard glasses present the same basic physics problem, air can't get to the bottom of the glass 'til you are a fair way into it, then it releases everything in a rush. This one is harder to outsmart than the Boot. Your best option is to remember NOT to upend this glass quickly, sip it down as far as you can with minimal tipping of the glass, then go slowly.
Oh, and wear a dark colored shirt just in case....