Did that Newcastle commercial run in the States? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it. If it did, then it would make some sense, but Newcastle running commercials targeting Sam Adams just seemed odd to me.
ETA: Ah, here’s the story. It is targeting Stella and their “it’s a chalice, not a glass” campaign. I personally wouldn’t have made the Sam Adams connection, as it’s not a big part of their advertising (at least to me. I think I remember one commercial of them talking about this special glass, but nothing beyond that.)
In a related note, my boss collects beer coasters. Her little granddaughter likes to play with them and find the ones that are the same and that sort of thing. I went to the pub for lunch a couple of weeks ago and brought back a Newcastle one. It said, ‘If this coaster doesn’t make you want a Newcastle then the coaster sales guy lied to us. No bollocks since 1927’
EDIT: I see my interpretation was incorrect, from your link. But I haven’t seen the Stella campaign.
Here in Ireland you’d say pint and everyone would know what you’re saying.
In most pubs if you go up to the bar and just ask for two pints, you’d probably get two Guinness put in front of you but no a days they may ask you to qualify a beer but that’s a relatively recent thing. If you asked for a Guinness, or any other beer you’d get a pint by default.
A half pint is called a glass and would have to be specified.
Lately in Spain I’ve heard some barmen ask hom much you want, as sometimes people want draft but not as much as they’d normally serve that way (specially if they’re going to drive). Measurements are usually given as a reference to the liter: quinto (fifth) is 200ml and that’s the traditional size for individual-serving bottles (they’re coming in other sizes now), lata or tercio (can or third) is 300-333ml (cans used to be 300, lately they’re more likely to say 330 or even 333). A caña of draft beer is usually a quarter or third. A zurito is a finger’s height in a wide-bottomed glass (called a “cider glass”), but is used only in certain areas. “Irish” pubs have pint glasses.
And apparently there’s people who have actually bothered to measure what different local bars were serving, as they thought the glasses seemed to be shrinking… (text in Spanish, the table’s columns are “location”, “volume of a caña” and price per caña and per liter)
Unless you have an American accent. Then they make you specify exactly what you are asking for. I have tried to order “two pints.” They always ask what I want two pints of. If I ask for “a Guinness” they’ll ask “a pint or a glass?” I think they’ve been burned by too many Americans who don’t know what they’ll get when they order using the shorthand. I’ve seen people say “I’ll have a glass of MGD” and wonder why they got a child’s portion. Well, that’s what you asked for. So I think the barkeeps tend to ask Americans to be specific in what they want.
