Talk:Pint glass

Comments

The curved pint glasses are not properly called "tulips". Tulip glasses are a wine/cognac-type glass usually used for serving Belgian ales, imperial stouts, and other very complex beers. Jamesg 03:38, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

Added image - hope you like it. At least its free. Might take more later, but this was best of 50 or so. Justinc 01:58, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Looks good to me, better than the previous photo. Edward 11:29, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

Like the photo! Was looking up Martini (the cocktail) and came across this, which is funny considering I got the biggest head I'd ever seen on a pint of Guinness earlier! I've got a few images on my phone I could upload if needed, but the resolution is really poor. EVOCATIVEINTRIGUE TALKTOME | EMAILME | IMPROVEME 23:46, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

Whether or not curved glasses are properly "tulip" glasses, in my experience they are almost universally known as that ([1], [2], for example) so it is rather daft to argue over it, IMO. DWaterson 18:24, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

In the article it says: "to serve a product in a container such as a pint glass that is badged as being another product." Should "badged" be changed so that American-English speakers can understand? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.208.37.104 (talk) 06:17, 4 March 2009 (UTC)

Good point. What would the US English be? SimonTrew (talk) 09:46, 4 March 2009 (UTC)

UK law: cutting

Last time I was in England, all of the bars 'cut' their pints (see my addition to the article). Anyone know if there's an actual term for this?

I was told that this 'cutting' was legislated. Is this a newer version of the law quoted in the article?

Wednesday, 2006-11-22 04:38 UTC

Not sure that you mean by "cut". In Britain, the law is that a pint has to be at least 95% liquid. It is accepted that in a pint glass of beer (that is, a glass officially stamped as containing no more & no less that a pint) there will be some head. CAMRA campaign about this constantly and want the law changed so a pint has to be 100% liquid. Which means no head whatsoever or - as one finds at beer festivals and some pubs - lined glasses - where the glass is offically stamped, but instead of being an exact pint measure, there is a line on it near the top which says "PINT TO LINE" or something similar. Hope that helps! --SandyDancer 09:53, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

Where does that 95% come from. The weight and Measure (Beer and CIder) 1997 specifically states that "Any reference to a quantity of beer or cider in any provision made under section 22 above in relation to the sale of draught beer or cider shall be construed as a reference to that quantity disregarding the gas comprised in any foam on the beer or cider" which seems to me to say that a pint is a pint of liquid.

To get 100% liquid, you have to overflow the glass, and get rid of the excess on top, so you take a flat object like a spatula or something and run it over the top. I'm surprised that you haven't seen this, as I saw it several times, although I can't remember if it was in London or elsewhere. 216.99.44.191 01:09, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Oh, and I also never saw that in the Netherlands :) 216.99.44.191 01:10, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I agree with SandyDancer. Although this might be some sort of Continental affectation in a few London bars, it would be extremely unusual (so as to be unheard-of) in any ordinary pub elsewhere. Generally, if you consider that your pint has too deep a head, you ask the bartender to top it up. They will then add a little more beer, allowing some of the froth to overflow from the glass; but nevertheless this will still leave a small(er) amount of head on the beer. Indeed, I can't imagine why you would want 100% liquid - that would be considerably deleterious to the overall taste and appearance of the beverage. DWaterson 01:16, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

*I* wouldn't want it, but are you really surprised that in a country that legislates how full a pour of beer must be, people actually want their glass topped up? I've seen this somewhere in U.K., not sure where. 216.99.44.69 09:23, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

I have seen this a lot (and done it myself a few times when I worked in bars) but it was normally after pouring a pint (with head) and then cutting the flumpy parts of the head that extend beyond the glass (the large foamy top would look sort of like an ice cream so people would remark 'can i get a flake with that'). it was just to make the pint look good. If you have someone pouring a pint of guiness and they mis-pour it so the head is messy then normally they'll top it up and cut the head off to give a 'clean' looking pint. You'll only see it if your bar person is dealing with a very foamy tap or they're terrible at pouring good pints. Jaymzcd (talk) 16:04, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

I have found the more normal solution if a beer is particularly "heady" (this is often true for the first few pints on the day when gas pressure has built up in barrel overnight) is to ask the customer to take a few sips then top it up again. I suppose this may be strictly illegal, I can't really think why it would be, but is a perfectly good solution I think.

New EU law

They are going to remove the crown from the glass and change the measurements to metric. [3] Buc 07:02, 5 January 2007 (UTC)

About the new CE etching in pint and half pint glasses, I read that that's not because these glasses are not manufactured in the UK but elsewhere, where presumably the crown doesn't mean anything therefore it must have the EU standard symbol. Anybody know whether this is true? --80.38.96.244 (talk) 13:38, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

Nonic Glass

I seem to remember when I worked in a pub for a while, the Nonic glass (straigh sided with a bulge near the top) was always referred to as a "Head-Keeper" - presumably the design is thought to preserve the head of the beer, though how this might work I don't know.

I also recall that the pub (a Bass house, for what it's worth) had a choice of Nonic and Tulip glasses, and that most patrons preferred lager to be served in Nonic glasses and Bitter/Cider in tulips.

If any of that isn't just the idiosyncracies of the Blacksmith's Arms in Huntington, then it might be worth mentioning...? Brickie 12:53, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

I must admit I'm not familiar with the term "head-keeper" - surely the bulge would be much too low to have any impact on the head of the beer. On the glass types, in actual fact I'd say that in my experience the reverse is most common - ale in nonic glasses and lager in tulips. However, personally I rather like the shape of tulip glasses for ale myself... DWaterson 20:25, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

• 
  (#1) Pint Glass (Pub)
• 
  (#2) Pint Glass (Mixing)
• 
  (#3) Pilsner Glass (Standard)
• 
  (#4) Pilsner Glass (Hourglass)
• 
  (#5) Pilsner Glass (Footed)

Are these the two different styles of which you speak? While I was making these images, my bartending source (U.S., just like I am) simply called (#1) a "Pub glass" (which are apparently somewhat uncommon in the U.S., unless you go to a bar that tries to capture the European feel), and (#2) was a "Pint glass" or a "Mixing glass" (since they are commonly used for that purpose as well). It strikes me as odd that there are marking lines and such, or even that the bartenders are supposed to be so careful about measurements. Maybe I just have watched too many bad bartenders, but most seem to have little care as to how much precisely goes into the glass. I've certainly never seen anyone use a spatula or anything like that to shave the head off. What an amusing concept. I'm generalizing here, but I'm guessing that many more Americans would rather get drunk fast than observe the nuances of proper drinking, at least compared to many Europeans. (And generalizations like that are bound to get me in trouble with either somebody who resents that statement or resembles it. :-) Beyond that bit of ethnocentric information, I can't really shed any light on the subject. I'd be curious to know what people from elsewhere (even in the U.S. if different) call these two glasses.

I've included three other images I created of various pilsner glasses (on the wrong talk page, I suppose, but it's a related issue). #3 I was told is a "standard" pilsner glass, and #4 was an "hourglass" one used with wheat beers, and #5 was for use in more upscale restaurants and at banquet settings (such as in hotel ballroom events). I'd appreciate any comments on these three, too. Thanks! --Willscrlt (Talk·Cntrb) 14:04, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

1. In my experience, they are often commonly called "handled" glasses (as the bulge acts a handle to provide grip if the glass is slippery). However, "nonic" seems to be the semi-official term; I'd guess that "pub glass" is just a US term to describe the type of glass which is by far the most common in a "British pub" as it were.
2. Never heard it called a "mixing glass" - I'd take that term to mean something much smaller like a tumbler or high-ball glass for spirits with mixers. "Pint glass" is literally accurate but not very descriptive - this article uses the term "conical", in my experience they're often simply called "straight-sided" glasses (as opposed to the more common (in the UK) nonic type).
3. Yep, I'd agree, though probably just as many pilsner glasses are conical shaped (but smaller than a conical pint glass - 200-300ml volume) like [4]
4. Possibly, though in my experience wheat beer glasses are often even longer and slimmer than type #3. However, the popular Hoegaarden brand is always served in chunky soda glasses thus: [5].
5. Again, possibly, though often footed pilsner glasses are almost like oversized red wine glasses with a distinct stem as well as just a foot, like [6]. DWaterson 21:08, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

#4 looks like the branded glass that Kronenbourg Blanc comes in. Hoegaarden comes in its own glass which is, as you say, similar in design to a club soda glass - but then pretty much every Belgian beer has its own glass - check out the one for Kwak. Brickie 16:18, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

Reason for Shape

My understanding about the bulge in a Nonic glass was that it is for strength when treated roughly - if you knock two pint glasses together, or knock one over then a conical glass will take the impact at the edge where it is already weak due to being an edge, yet a Nonic glass takes the impact on a curved section which is the strongest shape. Matt Beard (talk) 08:36, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

etched

Is this true:

"United Kingdom 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." (my emphasis)

- all the glasses I have ever seen have I think had the info printed on them in some way. If actually etched, the marks would be below the surface of the glass. If it is true you should probably change the link to Etching (glass). Johnbod 19:45, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

No, I've seen them etched. It doesn't wear off with use like ink, so I can see the value of it. I'll have a google for suppliers to the licensed trade to see if I can find something to back that up.Brickie 16:10, 14 February 2007 (UTC)

The glass on my desk which was "liberated" from a pub in England (£6 for ½ a pint, I decided the glass was included...) is etched with "CE ½ PT" and some numbers I can't read (too much sunlight in here), it's very faint -- I've had this glass on my desk for ages and not noticed it before. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.86.151.120 (talk) 16:38, 2 November 2007 (UTC)

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Scratch markings on the base on glasses

Can something be said about these? For example, Carling glasses definitely have them. I was told that they're there so that a good head forms, but don't know if that's true. 80.2.18.139 (talk) 00:56, 8 July 2008 (UTC)

I believe this is called a 'nucleated glass'. The style of the marking is for visual appearance as far as I know. There some info regarding these here: http://www.barbox.com/templates/Home/barBible/bbArticle.aspx?id=2438

All Coors lager glasses are now nucleated to make a great pint even greater. Special nucleation points at the bottom of the glass provide a point for the CO2 to ‘break out’ of the lager to form and maintain the correct head. It’s the little things that make a difference - read on for more top tips!

They do work :) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Jaymzcd (talk • contribs) 12:44, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

I've added a section to that effect and also a photo, luckily my friend always drinks carling, so I had an example one lying around to photograph. Jaymzcd (talk) 13:30, 22 July 2008 (UTC)

Cheers for that :-) 80.7.186.169 (talk) 21:24, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

CE

Why is there an EU directive pertaining to certification of an imperial measurement? --Random832 (contribs) 03:32, 27 October 2008 (UTC)

Numbers on crown-stamped glasses (UK)

Does anyone know what these numbers are? They seem pretty random. I would at one time have guessed they were the inspection ofice stamp or something but in the same pub you can find lots of different numbers. SimonTrew (talk) 16:03, 30 March 2009 (UTC)