A pint glass is a drinking vessel made to hold either a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 ("imperial") pint

Pint

The pint is a unit of volume or capacity that was once used across much of Europe with values varying from state to state from less than half a litre to over one litre. Within continental Europe, the pint was replaced with the metric system during the nineteenth century...

 of 20 imperial fluid ounces (568 mL) or an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 pint of 16 U.S.oz. These glasses are used predominantly to serve beer.

Current shapes

The common shapes of pint glass are:

• Conical glasses are shaped, as the name suggests, as an inverted truncated cone
  Cone (geometry)
  A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
  
   around 6 inches (15.2 cm) tall and tapering by about 1 inches (2.5 cm) in diameter
  Diameter
  In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...
  
   over its height.
• The nonic, a variation on the conical design, where the glass bulge
  Bulge
  Bulge may refer to:*Slang metonym for penis, referring to a visible protrusion through clothing*Hernia, sometimes referred to as a bulge or bulge out-Military:*A localized discontinuity in an extended military line...
  
  s out a couple of inches from the top; this is partly for improved grip, partly to prevent the glasses from sticking together when stacked, and partly to give strength and stop the rim from becoming chipped or "nicked".. The term "nonic" derives from from "no nick".
• Jug glasses, or "dimple mugs", are shaped more like a large mug with a handle. They are moulded with a grid pattern of thickened glass on the outside, somewhat resembling the segmentation of a WWII-era hand grenade
  Hand grenade
  A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
  
  . The dimples prevent the glass slipping out of the fingers in a washing-up bowl, and the design of the glass emphasises strength, also to withstand frequent manual washing. These design features became less important when manual washing was superseded by machine washing from the 1960s onwards. Dimpled glasses are now rarer than the other types and are regarded as more traditional. This sort of glass is also known as a "Handle" due to the handle on the glass. They are popular with the older generation and people with restricted movement in their hands which can make holding a usual pint glass difficult.
• Some more modern glasses have a taller shape, usually flaring out towards the top; these designs are more commonly associated with continental lager
  Lager
  Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
  
  s 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.

Older styles

Older styles include:

• Decorative Toby jugs, although these would not have been for everyday use. Mid 1700s onwards.
• Pewter
  Pewter
  Pewter is a malleable metal alloy, traditionally 85–99% tin, with the remainder consisting of copper, antimony, bismuth and lead. Copper and antimony act as hardeners while lead is common in the lower grades of pewter, which have a bluish tint. It has a low melting point, around 170–230 °C ,...
  
   tankards. 1500s to 1900s
• Ceramic tankards with strap handles. Late 1800s to early 1900s.
• 10-sided glass tankards. 1920s and 1930s.

United Kingdom law

In the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, draught beer must be sold in Imperial measure (see Pint#Effects of metrication). United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 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 common solution is to use certified one-pint glasses. Until recently these had a crown stamp and number etched

Etching (glass)

__FORCETOC__Etching refers to the technique of creating art on the surface of glass by applying acidic, caustic, or abrasive substances. Traditionally this was done after the glass was blown or cast.- Techniques :...

 upon them, however EU directives have stated that the glasses instead now, must have PINT with the letters CE

CE mark

CE marking is a mandatory conformity mark for products placed on the market in the European Economic Area . With the CE marking on a product the manufacturer ensures that the product conforms with the essential requirements of the applicable EC directives...

 etched on them, for synchronisation in the European Union (although the Conservatives

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

 have campaigned to have dual markings of crown and CE). The number relates to the authority certifying the capacity of the glass.
Selling beer in unmeasured glasses without using some other form of calibrated measure is illegal. Half-pint and one-third pint glasses are also available, and are subject to the same laws.

Despite this emphasis on accurately measured glasses, there is a practice of defining a pint of beer and lager as only 95 per cent liquid. It is common for drinkers to be served less than a full 568 ml pint of liquid — either because too much of the glass is taken up by a foamy "head

Beer head

Beer head is the frothy foam on top of liquid beer after it is poured in a glass. It is produced by bubbles of carbon dioxide rising to the surface....

", or simply because the customer has been sold a short measure. This allows publicans to sell more beer than the stated capacity of the cask

CASK

Peripheral plasma membrane protein CASK is a protein that in humans is encoded by the CASK gene. This gene is also known by several other names: CMG 2 , calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine protein kinase 3 and membrane-associated guanylate kinase 2.-Genomics:This gene is located on the short arm of...

 or keg

Keg

A keg is a small barrel.Traditionally, a wooden keg is made by a cooper used to transport items such as nails, gunpowder., and a variety of liquids....

 and hence save money. This practice may have consciously increased since the removal of a duty allowance on ullage

Ullage

Ullage or Headspace refers to the unfilled space in a container, particularly with a liquid.-Etymology:The word comes ultimately from the Latin oculus, “eye”, which was used in a figurative sense by the Romans for the bung hole of a barrel...

 (wastage). To counter this the British Beer and Pub Association

British Beer and Pub Association

The British Beer and Pub Association is the drinks and hospitality industry's largest and most influential trade association representing 98% of UK brewing and the ownership of over half of the nation's 54,000 pubs.-History:...

 have issued guidelines for bar staff to respect a customer who asks for a 'top up' to a full 568 ml pint.

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 and lined glasses are found mostly at enthusiasts' events such as beer festivals, serious cask ale

Cask ale

Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...

 pubs, and breweries

Brewery

A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....

' own bars. The use of lined 568 ml pint glasses in pubs is advocated by the Campaign for Real Ale

Campaign for Real Ale

The Campaign for Real Ale is an independent voluntary consumer organisation based in St Albans, England, whose main aims are promoting real ale, real cider and the traditional British pub...

. In Australia, however, this style of glass is almost universal.

Other countries

In Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, imperial pints predominate, however, US pint glasses are used in some establishments.

In the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, a pint is 16 fluid ounces (473 mL). Recently (as of 2008), some restaurants have replaced 16-ounce pint glasses (473 mL) with 14 ouncers (415 mL) to which customers have objected.

The Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 also uses 570 mL 1 pint glasses, where legal metrology

Metrology

Metrology is the science of measurement. Metrology includes all theoretical and practical aspects of measurement. The word comes from Greek μέτρον , "measure" + "λόγος" , amongst others meaning "speech, oration, discourse, quote, study, calculation, reason"...

 marks are used to show that a glass has passed inspection by the National Standards Authority of Ireland

National Standards Authority of Ireland

The National Standards Authority of Ireland, or NSAI, is the International Organization for Standardization member body for the Republic of Ireland...

, a state-run body who enforce a number of standard rulings. Starting in 2006, the NSAI "pint" mark, a circle featuring two wavy lines, between which "PINT" is written, with a year mark (last two digits), and a three digit batch code either side; has begun to be phased out with a European standard "PINT"/CE logo stamp. Smaller Pint glasses have been used in pubs and nightclubs though.

Nucleated pint glasses

It is increasingly common to find pint glasses which contain markings on the base; very often these glasses are branded to one particular beer. The markings themselves are formed from small pits which aid in nucleation

Nucleation

Nucleation is the extremely localized budding of a distinct thermodynamic phase. Some examples of phases that may form by way of nucleation in liquids are gaseous bubbles, crystals or glassy regions. Creation of liquid droplets in saturated vapor is also characterized by nucleation...

, allowing the gas within it to more readily release and thus preserve the head. Without the aid of these pits a regular pint glass will keep a head for only 3 or 4 minutes before appearing 'flat'. The markings come in a variety of styles ranging from a simple circular or square hatched pattern to more complicated branding messages.

Pint glass collecting

Pint glass collecting is an increasingly popular way for individuals to commemorate their visits to popular tourist destinations, most notably to microbreweries or sports arenas. These destinations often sell pint glasses adorned with their logos, which are either silkscreened or engraved on the side of the glass, alongside other brewerania, like shot glasses or mugs, for between $2 and $7. Brewery enthusiasts often travel thousands of miles to see where their favorite beer is made or to sample new local and fresh beers. Collectors often display their collections (which sometimes total in the hundreds) in display cases or on shelves.

External links

• CAMRA's Full Pint Campaign page.
• Glass beer mugs collection - Private collection of about 5000 different items