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Volume of beer serving no pint-size brouhaha

Phil Brennan of the Irish Embassy pours an imperial pint of Guinness Stout. An imperial pint is 20 ounces, as opposed to a typical 16 ounce American pint.

So I go to a local watering hole and order a pint of beer. A pint is 16 ounces, right? But when I use a commemorative pint glass at home, why does a 12-ounce can fill a “pint” glass to the top? Does the altitude have an effect on volume in a pint glass? Or do they owe me hundreds of 4-ounce make-up beers? – Sue

You’d think this is would be a simple problem with a reasonable explanation.

But this is Action Line. Nothing can be “simple” or “reasonable” in Action Line. Likewise with the beer-glass brouhaha. Or shall we say, much ado about brew.

First, there is the matter of “pint.” In the United States, a pint is indeed 16 ounces. But in the United Kingdom and some Commonwealth nations including Canada, a pint is an “imperial pint” totaling 20 ounces.

Why are we singling out Canada? It turns out that getting swindled in a Canadian bar is a federal offense.

On Aug. 1, Canada passed a “Fairness at the Pumps” law, which makes sure customers get what they pay for, whether it’s gas, beer or other measurable products.

Establishments serving a pint that contains less than 19.5 ounces of liquid (the head doesn’t count) can face fines ranging from $250 to $2,000.

And there’s even a government website where people can file a complaint about beers that come up short. Seriously. Beer is a big deal in Canada.

And then there’s Michigan, which is pretty much like Canada except that there’s fewer moose and snowmobiles.

Last year, state lawmakers considered a bill that prohibited bars and restaurants from advertising or selling a glass of beer as a pint unless the glass contains at least 16 ounces of beer.

The bill didn’t pass, but it got lots of attention, and it highlighted the nefarious presence of “cheater pints” in the restaurant supply chain.

Cheater pints are glasses with heavier glass or a thicker bottom. Thus, it makes the pint appear like 16-ounce glass but only holds about 12 or 14 ounces. Oh, the humanity!

So chances are, those commemorative pint glasses collected from various Oktoberfests or any of the bazillion alcohol-themed local celebrations are “cheater pints.”

Does your favorite beverage purveyor proffer suds in fraud-prone glassware? Hard to say.

You can always bring a kitchen measuring cup on your next night on the town. But that’s kind of weird.

Instead, get a fair measure of potent potables at the Irish Embassy downtown.

The Irish Embassy imports genuine Guinness beer glasses that hold the “imperial pint.”

“All of our pints are served in 20-ounce glasses,” assures Phil Brennan, manager. “You’re getting more than the standard American pint for sure.”

H H H

The Mea Culpa Mailbag has a memorable dispatch from our friend Jerry Modisette of Pagosa Springs, who took umbrage over last week’s column advising readers to avoid eating rodents.

“Where do you get off, putting down squirrel on the menu?” Jerry asks.

“When I was a kid, I hunted squirrels with my grandfather My job was shaking a bush on the other side of the tree our squirrel dog had chased the squirrel up. The squirrel went around to the other side and my grandfather shot him.”

Jerry adds: “There’s nothing better than a young squirrel, fried. If you get an old squirrel he will flavor a big pot of dumplings.”

The Pagosa Springs reader has eaten his fair share. “I was a kid during WWII, when meat was rationed. I probably got half my protein from squirrels.”

He also has some advice for local hunter-gatherers. “Meat tends to reflect what the critter ate. Louisiana squirrels ate the nuts from hickory trees. Hickory produces the best wood, the best broiled meat and hickernuts, as we called them, the best-tasting squirrels. Squirrels who fed on pine nuts tasted like turpentine.”

Email questions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. You can request anonymity if you agree with Cliff Claven from “Cheers” that beer is just a modified form of bread.



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