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A pint glass is a drinking vessel holding a British pint (568ml; ≈1.2 US pints) of liquid and is usually used for beer.
Common shapes
Three common shapes of pint glass are found, though others are available:
- "Conical" glasses are shaped, as the name suggests, as an inverted truncated cone around six inches tall and tapering by about an inch in diameter over its height. More often than not, the glass bulges out a couple of inches from the top; this is partly for improved grip, and partly to prevent the glasses from sticking together when stacked. This style of bulged conical glass is often termed "nonic" by suppliers (e.g. *). This is the most common type of pint glass found in UK pubs.
- "Jug" glasses, or "dimple mugs", are shaped more like a large mug with a handle. For added strength, they are molded with a grid pattern of thickened glass on the outside, somewhat resembling the segmentation of a WWII-era hand grenade. These glasses are rarer than the other types and are regarded by some as the preserve of elderly men.
- Some more modern glasses have a taller shape, usually flaring out towards the top; these designs are more commonly associated with continental lagers or promotional campaigns by breweries, and are frequently etched or marked with the beer's label. This sort of glass is sometimes called "tulip" by suppliers (e.g. *).
UK law
UK law requires certain steps be taken to ensure that a pint of beer is indeed a pint. Though this can be achieved using so-called "metered dispense" (calibrated pumps), the more normal solution is to use certified one-pint glasses. These have a crown stamp and number etched upon them. The number relates to the authority certifying the capacity of the glass (see and [http://www.nwml.gov.uk/docs/enforcement/the%20approved%20verifier%20register%20december%202005.pdf (PDF)). Selling beer in unmeasured glasses without using some other form of calibrated measure is illegal. Slightly cheaper non-stamped glasses are also made for use at home. Half-pint glasses are also available, and are subject to the same laws.
Despite this emphasis on accurately measured glasses, it is unfortunately common for drinkers to be served less than a full pint of liquid - either because too much of the glass is taken up by a foamy "head", or simply because the customer has been sold a short measure. This allows publicans (who are often under pressure from a management company) to "sell" more beer than is actually in the cask or keg and hence save money. At present, those selling "pints" up to ten percent short will not be prosecuted in the UK *.
For those wishing to avoid this practice while still serving beer with a large head, "lined" or "oversized" glasses are available. These have a line near the top (usually labelled "pint to line") to which the beer should be poured, with the head forming above it. In the past a number of breweries supplied these glasses to their pubs; this is now rarely the case (Banks's are a partial exception) and lined glasses are found mostly at enthusiasts' events such as beer festivals, serious cask ale pubs, and breweries' own bars. The use of lined pint glasses in pubs is advocated by the Campaign for Real Ale.
Other countries
The term is also used in Dutch-speaking Flanders. Here a pint refers to a full glass of lager beer, in the same manner as the Netherlandic pils (coming from pilsner). The glasses come in 25cl and 33cl sizes, invariably allowing a generous head.
In Canada, where both British and US pint glasses may be found, some pubs will publicly advertise that they are "proud to serve Imperial pints".
568ml glasses are also used in the Republic of Ireland, where a 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.
In Australia, the names and capacities of beer glasses vary state by state.
See also
External links
- CAMRA's Full Pint Campaign page.
- Glass beer mugs collection - Private collection of about 5000 different items
"Pint glass"