Is that an official pint?

[the.brewer]

Having spent the last half hour getting caught up on this thread, I think it's about time to point out that the liquor licensing laws in Ontario already do make it quite clear that the serving size and price of each drink must be clearly indicated in the menu, or on the wall, or on a list to be available when requested, kept behind the bar.

Here's an excerpt from the Liquor Licence Act:

53. The licence holder shall make available to, or shall post in locations visible to, persons on the premises lists describing,
(a) the varieties of liquor available for sale;
(b) the amount of liquor in each type of drink offered for sale;
(c) the varieties of non-alcoholic beverages available for sale; and
(d) the purchase price of the liquor and the non-alcoholic beverages. O. Reg. 230/03, s. 27.

Surely this just about says it all. It's certainly good enough for me. Anyone who feels strongly about this should get the AGCO to represent their concerns.

[Bobbyok]

I asked around for opinions on what specifically people expect when they ask for a pint when at the pub. Of the 15 or so responses I got, only two unequivocally stated they expect 20 oz. And the people I asked (many beer geeks) were people I expected to be the ones who care the most. Most of the remaining answers were 16 oz, some said 16 or 20, and one even said 10-12. Take it for what it's worth.

Well that changes everything. A pint is officially now 10 to 20 oz,. Why did I not get that before, it all seems so clear now... thanks!! LOL

PS: how many of them have a CLUE - do they even know what 16 vs 20 oz looks like - or are they just talking the shite? I mean if you handed them 20 oz would they say 'yeah, that's 16 ounces!' Or would they say 'yeah that's 10 right there!' 10 oz (everyone SHOULD know, at least for a visual comparison) is smaller than an everyday can of Coke.

10 oz! Any of the people you qoute who would think a real "Pint Glass" put before them would actually look SMALLER than a 12 oz can of Coke (!) might have a piss-poor grasp of things like ounce measurements, or severe cognitive problems. Why does their opinion matter, since they have no future in things involving measurements?

And I was the one accused of assuming stupidity on the part of others. The people who responded were not clueless whatsoever. Actually most of them pointed out that they indeed knew that an imperial pint was 20 oz and a US pint was 16. But it is their expectation upon ordering a pint that they'll only get 16. And this is where you've entirely missed the point yet again.

Pint as a unit of measurement has a specific definition. However, over time the word pint has come to mean something else to people in terms of their expectations at a bar. So "going out for a few pints" does not mean that people are specifically planning on having 20 oz servings - they're going out to have a few beers. Is it semantics? Absolutely it is. But the point is that the word pint has come to mean different things in different situations to different people. Compound that with the fact that a UK pint and a US pint are two different things and that Canada is officially metric and regulating what the word pint means becomes at the very least a headache and at worst impossible.

Another point about regulation - as the.brewer points out, liquor licensing requirements already regulate that the volume of the glass must be posted along with the price. Additionally, as pointed out to me by one of the folks who you suggest doesn't have a clue, the Canada "Weights and Measures" Act defines a pint as 1/8 gallon, and a gallon as 4.54 liters, etc, so to deliver anything less than 20oz is a violation of federal law (which he followed up with the statement "What I actually expect to receive is a violation of federal law"). The regulations are already in place and aren't being followed according to you. Why would more regulation change that?

[HogTownHarry]

Someone linked this thread and said I had to read it - this reminds me why I never post here; or even bother to read this forum (sorry, Cass).

To any brewers out there who are still bothering read this kvetchfest, I apologize - and if you see me at a fine drinking establishment drinking pints, chalices, yards, whatever of your beers, I'm NOT WITH THEM.

Christ.

[Jon Walker]

Someone linked this thread and said I had to read it - this reminds me why I never post here; or even bother to read this forum (sorry, Cass).

To any brewers out there who are still bothering read this kvetchfest, I apologize - and if you see me at a fine drinking establishment drinking pints, chalices, yards, whatever of your beers, I'm NOT WITH THEM.

Christ.

Agreed. I tried earlier to point out the obvious but it got largely ignored in the bluster. This forum has seen a significant growth in members of late (which I guess is good?) but the quality of the threads has largely degenerated to beer variations on "what's your favorite colour". Maybe we're just horribly ancient and jaded Harry.

[SteelbackGuy]

Yep. Only certain opinions allowed here folks!!! But we're accepting members!

[Jon Walker]

ALL opinions accepted, as always...even the stupid, redundant ones.

[Belgian]

And I was the one accused of assuming stupidity on the part of others. The people who responded were not clueless whatsoever. Actually most of them pointed out that they indeed knew that an imperial pint was 20 oz and a US pint was 16. But it is their expectation upon ordering a pint that they'll only get 16. And this is where you've entirely missed the point yet again.

I did miss the pint a little.

What they were "Accepting" as a pint VS "knowing" a pint to be - the point is much clearer... thanks for being cool & explaining it so.

[trub_man]

I think the Ally Bank comercials sum it up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qb0vquRcys

What if you ordered a pitcher and got a smaller than normal sized pitcher, would you feel mis-leaded?