You know how when you go to a restaurant and order a beer, they ask you if you want a tall or a short? And yet, upon being questioned, the waitperson or bartender is typically unable to describe in any relevant detail what the volumetric difference is between the two sizes. I've long suspected that this formed the basis for some kind of scam, so I decided to run an experiment.

A friend and I ordered two beers; one tall, one short, as well as a glass of water. After consuming the beers, I used the glass of water to fill the "short" beer glass nearly to the top:



The water in that glass was then transferred into the "tall" glass:




Don't order the "tall" beer.

 

Never order the tall. Ask how many fluid ounces are in each. If they don't know, have them find someone who does.
Some places don't scam you though, the talls are actually 22oz and smalls are 16os.
Mathematically it's sometimes better to order pints instead too.

I do however hate when I get a beer in a brandy glass. I never understood this, regardless of the beer.
-Yes, I realize this beer is 18%ABV triple Russian imperial stout. I want 16 ounces of it, not 6.

 

<p>I have also ran in to instances&nbsp;where buying by the pint is cheaper than buying a pitcher/tower.</p>

 

******' Joe Perez.

 

This is an amazing topic. That tall pilsner glass should measure 14oz. Whenever I go to a bar, I ask for a pint glass. It blows my mind (and just shows the ignorance of American society) when a bartender selects the appropriate glass and says " this?" I've had to explain to several bartenders that "it's called a pint glass because a pint is 16oz."

 

What if the water had no ice?

 

What if my car didn't have a turbo charger? Would it still displace the same volume?

 

 

MT's own consumer advocate .

I read that there was a shitstorm in England a couple years ago about adopting the US pint over the Imperial(19.2 oz) pint - some pretty lame reasoning involving "standardization" and/or "responsibility. A lot of American places are serving 14-oz "pints."

An extra 20 "pints" per keg.

 

do what I do:
order sampler.
drink 16oz.
pretend it's 4 beers.

 

I KEED, you guys are obviously awake this morning.

What restaurant is this Joe?

 

Even when the tall is a little cheaper than the short (in terms of oz/$), I almost always order the small. I would rather drink 3 small cold beers than one tall beer that started cold and ended up close to room temperature. Even if that means shelling out an extra $1.
YMMV

 

Old news JP

 

I probably should have recorded that information, but I actually don't remember. 'Twas a steakhouse sort of place, not a name I'd heard of before. And I'm sure that there's some variation from one restaurant to the next as well. I've certainly been to a few in which it was obvious that the "large" was in fact larger than the "small," however these seem to be the exception.

Next time I'm out for dinner, I'll bring a graduated cylinder.

 

Not directly related, but this is a point where you and I differ greatly in opinion. I always request that my beer be served in a room temperature glass, and if it's poured unreasonably cold, will often deliberately let it sit for a while to reach a more reasonable temperature.

When beer is too cold, you simply can't taste it. So much of the aroma is just lost.

 

I wish I had friends that weren't on the internet.

 

I had drinks on Sunday at a bar where the options were a 16oz or a 34oz, described as such.

 

<p></p><p>The local mexican place we go does the same thing. Even with their margaritas. They have a nice table with ounces on one axis and brand of tequila on the other.</p>

 

Real pints are 20 oz.

--Ian

 

Yeah, the flared top on that "tall" glass can actually hold a surprising amount of liquid. Pi R squared and all that.

--Ian