Honest Pints

Everyone and their mother has been short-poured before. But what happens when you actually pay for an advertised pint of beer and end up with substantially less?

Jeff Alworth, Beervana blogger and creator of the Honest Pint Project, created a method to assure you of your pour: get photographic proof that what's being advertised is what's being served. The HPP, while created locally in Portland, is not just an Oregon thing. You, too, can authenticate your favorite public house or bar, regardless of location.

This may sound tick-tacky, but there are places (we're talking locations with reputations as great spots to drink) which will advertise "pint" and then head-fake you with a cheater-pint/mixing glass. These suckers are 14oz. with a thicker bottom and - once you get a half-inch of head on there, you might be getting a 12 or 13 ounce pour. Now, if they just put "beer" or don't mention the pint part, the establishment is in the clear. Technically, they can charge whatever they consider a 'beer' to be.

But pints? Standard weight and measure, son. You just paid for 16oz. - they better be serving you that amount. Hell, if you paid for a 16oz. strip steak and they brought you a 12, you'd likely complain to the waiter, the manager, and anyone else about getting cheated. Beer shouldn't be any different. There are some places (Deschutes comes to immediate mind) that have switched up to glasses with .5L markings on the side so you can see what you're getting. But until the happy, albeit unlikely, day that the US copies the UK and makes it illegal to sell beer in unmarked or non-authenticated glasses, a customer must be alert on their situation when ordering.

I'm pondering doing some assistance on this project by certifying locations that I frequent. There are a couple of places on the HPP list that have yet to have photos taken - this might become a person project over the next few months.