I remember seeing somewhere (it may have been CNN, sorry, i simply don’t remember where) something about English common law (or at very least a custom) saying that beer MUST be served in no less than a pint (16 ounces). I like this idea as law (capitol offense if violated I say;) ). After all, 12 ounces isn’t anything official. It’s a cup and a half. Big whoop.
So…
Is there anything to this? Is there some kind of law in England stating beer must be served in pints, or more?
And where did 12 ounces come from, anyway? It’s not enough for 1 serving!!
British pints are 20 ounces, not 16. This is what leads to the difference between Imperial gallons and US gallons. The weights & measures act states that when you order a pint you should get between 95% and 100% of a full pint. The 5% leeway is to accomodate beers that have a natural head such as Guinness and some of the northern style beers. All pint glasses have a line marking the half pint level, and some pubs use oversized glasses that have a pint line near the top. If you get a short measure, you should ask for a top-up, and the server should give it to you without any hassle. Bottled and canned beer commonly come in 500ml (16.9 oz), 440ml (14.8 oz) and 330ml (11.2 oz).
Man! We all go through the hassle of Metrisizing everything, making sure measurements are in multiples of 10, then leave it to the British to reintroduce multiples of 110. (Miles being 16 x 110 yards, y’know.)
WAG - perhaps it’s to sell another drink for the casual drinker. 1 pt (or 20oz) should be enough to enjoy with a meal but 12 oz requires at least 1 refill.
I know of some lads who came over to the UK on a RevWar re-enactment jaunt and returned to the US with pewter beer pots (tankards) clearly marked “1 Pint” which they proceeded to use at meetings at their “local”, luckily for them, the barman/landlord didn’t know/notice the difference either (they got away with it for about a month).
There’s a point, if they knew but didn’t say and the barman just assumed the volumes were equivalent, is there any offence committed?
Yes, the offence (or offense over here) is fraud. The re-enactors knowingly deceived the barman in order to obtain extra suds for the regular price. The barman foolishly acted in good faith based on the “one pint”-marked tankards provided by the (presumably regular) patrons. Granted, he should never have let these guys use their own tankards – he was opening himself up to be taken advantage of, as well as probably violating some local health ordinance.
Some restaurants (Boulder Creek, for one) have a 28-ounce serving. Guess what I order when I go there? Damn shame they don’t have much in the way of selection, but at least I’m not forced to drink Budweiser, Coors, or Foster’s.
