# Numbers on the side of my Guinness Pint? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 14, 2010, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/numbers-on-the-side-of-my-guinness-pint/557095 "2010-10-14T05:45:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/numbers-on-the-side-of-my-guinness-pint/557095/1 "2010-10-14T05:45:52Z")
So I was at lunch with gramps the other day, and I ordered us a round of Guinness. The glasses they were served in were proper “Guinness” glasses, with the logo and the like. On the flip side there were these strange insignia. It was a nickel-sized circle, with two numbers separated by this tilde sort of divider (~). My glass had 4 over 4, his had 7 over 1 (or what is 1 over 7?). What do these numbers mean? If I my description isn’t good enough, I have a blurry, overexposed blackberry photo I can put up here to supplement my OP! 🙂 Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![williambaskerville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@williambaskerville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williambaskerville)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/numbers-on-the-side-of-my-guinness-pint/557095/2 "2010-10-14T06:08:14Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > So I was at lunch with gramps the other day, and I ordered us a round of Guinness. The glasses they were served in were proper “Guinness” glasses, with the logo and the like. > > On the flip side there were these strange insignia. It was a nickel-sized circle, with two numbers separated by this tilde sort of divider (~). My glass had 4 over 4, his had 7 over 1 (or what is 1 over 7?). > > What do these numbers mean? If I my description isn’t good enough, I have a blurry, overexposed blackberry photo I can put up here to supplement my OP! 🙂 > > Thanks in advance! Where are you ? They’re probably a mark certifying that that batch of glasses have been tested and established to contain exactly 1 pint, or whatever quantity you were buying. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/numbers-on-the-side-of-my-guinness-pint/557095/3 "2010-10-14T06:23:31Z")
> [@williambaskerville](#): > > > [@antonio107](#): > > > > So I was at lunch with gramps the other day, and I ordered us a round of Guinness. The glasses they were served in were proper “Guinness” glasses, with the logo and the like. > > > > On the flip side there were these strange insignia. It was a nickel-sized circle, with two numbers separated by this tilde sort of divider (~). My glass had 4 over 4, his had 7 over 1 (or what is 1 over 7?). > > > > What do these numbers mean? If I my description isn’t good enough, I have a blurry, overexposed blackberry photo I can put up here to supplement my OP! 🙂 > > > > Thanks in advance! > > Where are you ? They’re probably a mark certifying that that batch of glasses have been tested and established to contain exactly 1 pint, or whatever quantity you were buying. I’m in Canada (Ottawa, to be specific). The two glasses were of the exact same size and yet the two pairs of numbers were different; I thought the same thing you did, but then surely they should have the same number! ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/numbers-on-the-side-of-my-guinness-pint/557095/4 "2010-10-14T06:32:05Z")
Those wee numbers are urban legend generators. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/numbers-on-the-side-of-my-guinness-pint/557095/5 "2010-10-14T14:41:19Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Those wee numbers are urban legend generators. But they’re not illegal numbers, are they? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/numbers-on-the-side-of-my-guinness-pint/557095/6 "2010-10-14T14:45:26Z")
Better write the folks at Rolling Rock and ask them. ---
**Author:** ![Gus\_Gusterson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85f322/32.png) [@Gus\_Gusterson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gus_Gusterson)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/numbers-on-the-side-of-my-guinness-pint/557095/7 "2010-10-14T15:09:21Z")
> **[Pint glass](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pint_glass)** > > A pint glass is a form of drinkware made to hold either a British imperial pint of 20 imperial fluid ounces (568 ml) or an American pint of 16 US fluid ounces (473 ml). Other definitions also exist, see below. These glasses are typically used to serve beer, and also often for cider. > The common shapes of pint glass are: > Pint glasses became popular in the United Kingdom in the early to mid-20th century, replacing tankards made from pewter, ceramic and glass.\[citation needed\] This change was not... > [@](#): > > The Republic of Ireland also uses 570 mL 1 pint glasses, where legal metrology marks are used to show that a glass has passed inspection by the National Standards Authority of Ireland, a state-run body who enforce a number of standard rulings. Starting in 2006, the NSAI “pint” mark, a circle featuring two wavy lines, between which “PINT” is written, with a year mark (last two digits), and a three digit batch code either side; has begun to be phased out with a European standard “PINT”/CE logo stamp. Smaller Pint glasses have been used in pubs and nightclubs though. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/numbers-on-the-side-of-my-guinness-pint/557095/8 "2010-10-14T20:04:32Z")
> [@Gus\_Gusterson](#): > > [Pint glass - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pint_glass) > > > [@](#): > > > > The Republic of Ireland also uses 570 mL 1 pint glasses, where legal metrology marks are used to show that a glass has passed inspection by the National Standards Authority of Ireland, a state-run body who enforce a number of standard rulings. Starting in 2006, the NSAI “pint” mark, a circle featuring two wavy lines, between which “PINT” is written, with a year mark (last two digits), and a three digit batch code either side; has begun to be phased out with a European standard “PINT”/CE logo stamp. Smaller Pint glasses have been used in pubs and nightclubs though. Cool! Thank you! 🙂