Alworth's Honest Pint Project gets national press
Kari Chisholm
Six months ago, I told you about the Honest Pint Project - an effort started by BlueOregon co-founder and beer writer Jeff Alworth. In short, it's a consumer protection campaign to pressure bars to serve a full 16 ounces of beer in glasses they're calling "pint" glasses. After all, a pint is a scientific and legal measurement.
Well, the campaign has now gone national -- with coverage from the Wall Street Journal. First, some context from around the country:
Four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline may be a cause for outrage. But it pales next to the righteous fury provoked by five-dollar-a-pint beer.Beer prices at bars and restaurants have risen over the past few months, as prices of hops and barley have skyrocketed and retail business has slowed alongside the economy. ...
Two of the world's biggest glassware makers, Libbey and Cardinal International, say orders of smaller beer glasses have risen over the past year.
Jeff's campaign is a major part of the story:
Jeff Alworth, a Portland, Ore., beer blogger, university researcher and a founder of the Honest Pint Project, has been testing suspected short-pouring bars, in some cases measuring his beer-glass capacity by the men's room sink. His group collected more than 400 names in two weeks for an online petition urging state regulators to enforce a 16-ounce rule. And at one point, he was posting the names of bars that didn't measure up on his Web site. But in response to complaints, he now has taken to listing the names of establishments serving full pints in bigger glasses. "I'm not a firebrand," says Mr. Alworth. "I am devoted to Oregon beer, and it seemed like using glasses where you don't get a 16-ounce pour was not so cool." ...Mr. Alworth, the activist, demonstrated his methods on a recent Sunday afternoon at Henry's Tavern in Portland. He ordered a pint of a lighter-style lager -- which he chose because it doesn't foam a lot -- and poured it into a plastic measuring cup. He let it settle, then looked closely: The liquid reached a little above the 13-ounce mark. Next he measured the contents of a smaller glass of dark beer: It came out even less.
With his Boston Red Sox cap pulled down low on his forehead, he tucked the empty light-beer glass under his corduroy jacket and went to the men's room, where he filled the glass to the brim with water -- 16 ounces, to be precise. The same procedure with the empty dark-beer glass revealed it held 14 ounces.
Managers of several bars disputed Mr. Alworth's suggestion that they are skimping on their pint pours. Craig McKellar, a manager at Henry's Tavern, says first of all, the bar uses only 16-ounce glasses, though from time to time a smaller glass could get mixed in, perhaps brought in from outside by a customer. "That would be very rare," he adds.
And it's not just a blog campaign. According to the Wall Street Journal, State Representative Brian Clem (D-Salem) will attempt to find funding to enforce Oregon's existing law:
Oregon legislator Brian Clem is taking up the issue for the state's 2009 budget, hoping to fund monitoring of beer portions by the state's agriculture department.
Last time I blogged about this, we got a number of "are you people serious?!" comments. Here's the deal:
#1. It's a truth-in-advertising issue. A pint is 16 fluid ounces. If they want to sell 14 ounce beers, that's just fine -- make up a new word for it (ala the Starbucks "venti"). But a pint is a pint.
#2. It's an economic issue for Oregon. A big chunk of Oregon's economy is dedicated to the agricultural production of hops (and to a lesser extent, barley and yeast) as well as the production/brewing of quality beer. By encouraging a national campaign for an honest pint, we can boost sales of Oregon beer. (As the WSJ notes, the difference between 14 and 16 ounces is twenty glasses per keg.)
So, join the campaign and sign the Honest Pint Project petition.
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Jun 8, '08
I agree. You'd be angry if you bought a five-pound bag of flour at the store and but it only had 4.5 pounds. Why do we let bars get away with this?
Jun 8, '08
Why don't you complain when you go to buy carpentry supplies and find that a 2 X 4 is actually 1-1/2" X 3-1/2"? In the trade that is known as nominal sizing, or call-out sizing, and its widely accepted in various industries.
11:44 p.m.
Jun 8, '08
Not to worry, Cory, I've complained about that too! Nothing more frustrating than to figure out all the specs for a home project and then discover that nothing seems to add up.
I've learned that "in the trade" that's acceptable, but it doesn't make a damn bit of sense to me.
11:57 p.m.
Jun 8, '08
Despite the many reasons to think that issues such as those described here (nominal sizing, common-term product descriptions) should be acceptable, they are not.
A double-standard is created each time that these events go overlooked. So bravo to those that call foul.
Perhaps the social pressures (accepted by individuals and groups) that tend to frown upon people that get "picky" about such details may be more contributory to their acceptance? (Yes, that's open to discussion.)
Jun 8, '08
While a full pint is a worthy cause, Rep. Clem better not be hoping to find general fund for his pint glass regulator FTE before funding higher-ed and children's healthcare. Perhaps someone should remind Clem what prioritization means. That is unless he can come up with the votes (36) to raise the beer/wine tax...even then it's a stretch before full funding for addiction and mental health treatment services. I say increase the liquor license fee and give the job to OLCC. If a restaurant wants to sell a mini-pint they can call it something else.
I honestly can't believe that this is still a problem in the states. When I lived in Germany, no restaurant, Gasthaus, Biergarten, etc. was permitted to sell beer in a glass that didn't have a mark on the side of it with it's (government) verified volume: typically .33 or .5 liters. Bartenders were very good at filling the glass/mug to the line (no more and no less). Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure they did the same with wine.
Jun 9, '08
The reason Cory knows that a 2x4 gets an eighth-inch planed off each side is because its measurements adhere to a published standard. There is no standard that says a pint of beer is 14 ounces. Bureaus of weights and measures enforce these kinds of things all the time, there's nothing extraordinary about it.
1:03 a.m.
Jun 9, '08
JTT wrote... While a full pint is a worthy cause, Rep. Clem better not be hoping to find general fund for his pint glass regulator FTE before funding higher-ed and children's healthcare. Perhaps someone should remind Clem what prioritization means.
What if it could be demonstrated - even with back-of-the-envelope math - that boosting beer sales through an honest pint generates enough revenue (through income tax and beer tax) to pay for itself? Or better yet, be revenue-positive, thus funding your health care and schools priorities?
Jun 9, '08
Mr. Alworth isn't exactly onto something unique. William Abernathy did this for a long time at Willamette Week years ago:
The crime of the cheater pint was once revealed by Willamette Week writer William Abernathy, who used to cruise around to pubs and pour out glasses into a Pyrex measuring bowl. He managed to shame a number of pubs into going to real pints, and inspiring others to go for 20-ounce imperial pints.
Jun 9, '08
Everything is cheater something or other these days. Think your fancy sheets are really "800 thread count"? Think again! (They are actually 400 of double threads.)
Jun 9, '08
"a full pint is a worthy cause" Indeed. Truthiness in all measurements, I say!
Jun 9, '08
A pint (Imperial pint, or 1.2 US pints) in a British pub is definitely what it's supposed to be. Having lived in the UK and drunk many a pint of Guinness, bitter, and cider, I can testify that one needs to be very careful not to spill when the glass is first filled!
Jun 9, '08
As someone who does not drink (and not because of religious resaons and not because of family problems), I feel this is just too petty, uptight, and foolish. You people are out of joint over an amount of alcohol that does nothing but eventually rot out your innards. Are you all that bored in your life to even attempt to consider this a worthy cause? It is nothing more than an extenstion of your boredom in life - you drink because you are bored and then because of that boredom you take up a cause that will make your boredom more tolerable. I am sure that many of you here in BO are responsible drinkers, but to get uptight over a few oz just shows how bored you are. If you wern't bored, you would think of such ubiquitous drivel to initiate onto the public at large. There are more inportant items in life to get a hold of - like getting Obama and Merkley elected.
Just my .02. Have a good day, eh?
8:32 a.m.
Jun 9, '08
Mr. Alworth isn't exactly onto something unique. William Abernathy did this for a long time at Willamette Week years ago
Funny that you should quote my own blog with this indictment Peter. I followed Abernathy as the beer writer for WW and have always given him the credit for this. I've never tried to make this a personal issue. In a state like Oregon, there are always people with greater knowledge or longer history with beer. I celebrate them all.
Jun 9, '08
Actually, what I meant to say is:If you wern't bored, you would not think of such ubiquitous drivel to initiate onto the public at large...
sorry for the typo..
Jun 9, '08
I don't think this is trivial at all. If the bars are calling their servings a pint and giving less than 16 oz., it's dishonest and deceptive. I think Eric should separate his personal feelings about drinking from the principle involved here. I don't smoke, but if cigarette manufacturers began selling packs of 19 cigarettes and saying they had 20, I'd be just as opposed to that, despite the hidden benefit. And as for legislative priorities, I don't see why Brian Clem's effort to find funds to enforce a law that already exists should prevent anything else from being done. It's not a zero-sum game.
Jun 9, '08
Oh, Mr. Parker, that kind of talk will get you into trouble in this state. We tend to have a Euro point of view on beer and wine: its considered a food. Moderate ingestion of them is actually beneficial to most people health. If you don't believe me, google for the recent results of medical research on both wine and beer. The aesthetic experience is apparently lost on you, too, but we all have our blind spots ;) And I think the economic issues mentioned previously are enough to warrant looking into this.
Yes, we're all trying to get Obama and Merkley elected, but quality of life issues are still important. In fact, if you're so obsessed about the national picture that you can't stop and enjoy a local issue like this, I'd say you are highly disconnected from the culture and locality you live in.
I'm not bored because I think is an important cause. On the contrary, my time spent on engaging larger cases of injustice make me want to pay attention to the smaller ones that directly affect my quality of life. If you ignore the smaller cases, you embolden the larger ones.
Jun 9, '08
"Funny that you should quote my own blog with this indictment Peter."
Was that really an indictment, or just an observation?
Seems the defensiveness glass is a full 16 oz.
Jun 9, '08
My father in law, who is now retired, had quite the awesome career in the Measurement Standards Division. He focused mainly on fuel issues including being pivitol (IMO) in getting ASTM Fuel requirements back on the books in our state in 1997 have a 50 year hiatus. He also busted more than his share of station owners as well as helped bring down a fairly large oil co executive in PDX some years ago. When I told him about this project when it was first posted on he gave his full endorsement and sincerely hopes that the funding is found. I think he even considered coming out of retirement for a moment. The man loves his oregon brew!
9:59 a.m.
Jun 9, '08
Ah, yes, we drink beer because we're bored and petty.
Apparently, boredom and pettiness are rampant in the EU and in the UK, where all the beer glasses are certified as meeting a standard size, and each is marked accordingly. British pints used to have a Crown imprint, but now sport the CE (although they were allowed to continue using pints for beer rather than half liters).
A "pint" is either 16 or 20 ounces, depending on country and insisting that a "pint" really is a pint is hardly petty.
A properly-poured pint of bitter. The empty glassware display the pint marking.
Jun 9, '08
Quality of life = Anal Retentive. Thanks for clearing that up, Troy.
Jun 9, '08
Not sure why angry people like Eric lurk on message boards like this. If you like Obama, maybe you should listen to his message of not attacking or putting down people who are different or think differently from you. This issue isn't about prohibition or your dislike for people who drink alcohol. It's about truth in advertising.
I think it's great that Portland helped start the craft beer revolution and now has more breweries than anywhere else in the world! Because of our world famous beer culture and breweries we should definitely lead on this. If people go out and get a pint of beer in Portland, they should get a pint of beer. It seems rather straight forward to me. Funny how once again the Europeans seem to get something right and we just sit around and bicker with each other.
Peace~
Jun 9, '08
Brent, not sure why angry people lurk on message boards?
Venues such as this are a ready medium for venting one's spleen, and we all do from time to time. The question is why some never get it out of their system and move on to constuctive dialog.
Jun 9, '08
I know it was your blog... I was just referencing that for other readers.
12:46 p.m.
Jun 9, '08
I don't drink beer - yet I still think this is important.
If I go into a restaurant and order a dozen chicken wings, do they get to bring me 10? Of course not - a dozen is set at 12. The same with a pint - it means a very specific measurement. To sell anything less is wrong.
Jun 9, '08
What if it could be demonstrated - even with back-of-the-envelope math...
Go for it. I don't deal with hypotheticals and neither does Ways & Means. Show me the envelope.
...Or better yet, be revenue-positive, thus funding your health care and schools priorities?.
Boy you must be drunk to think that enforcement of an honest pint and/or a higher beer tax is going to fund children's health care, higher ed, and OLCC pint enforcement. Might I suggest laying off the beer (or the pipe)? As I said before, I think Clem is much more likely to get a few enforcers by increasing license fees.
Jun 9, '08
It's not a zero-sum game.
Actually Mike, budgeting in Salem is very much a zero-sum game. There aren't unlimited funds...hence zero-sum.
2:07 p.m.
Jun 9, '08
Folks, if we stipulate that this is indeed small potatoes and that it is indeed less important than the presidential election, is it still possible to talk about something else? There are political issues everywhere, and some may not amount to Solidarnosc--but they're still worth talking about on a blog with infinite column width. (The reason Kari posted this was because it was relevant to the WSJ article, not because it was somehow an emergent theme this very second.)
Might I suggest laying off the beer (or the pipe)? As I said before, I think Clem is much more likely to get a few enforcers by increasing license fees.
For what it's worth, we may not require a statutory solution here--or at least not one that identifies a complex and expensive enforcement mechanism. I know from my own efforts to document honest pints that it's a real booger--the state of glassware is fluid, and even in one pub, you would have to go back several times a year to verify. As this has gone along, I have become more convinced that a pint glass cop is not the solution.
Sanctioning certain glassware would be enough--either 16 or 20-ounce glasses. Then consumers would be able to judge for themselves whether the pub was using sanctioned glassware or something else. It would create a feedback mechanism where the market would dictate enforcement because consumers would reward pubs with legit glassware.
Jun 9, '08
I had been thinking of it in terms of time spent and number of things that can be accomplished, and in that sense it's not a zero-sum game. But yes, in the sense that finding money to enforce this will take money from other things, it is.
Jun 9, '08
We should have 20 oz pints anyways. What's with this 16 oz BS? Better yet, give me something that requires two hands to pick up!
Jun 9, '08
I take issue with Eric's accusation that I drink because I'm bored. That's an inflammatory remark that needs to be set straight. I drink because I'm addicted to alcohol.
Also, there's no way the state should pay for an additional employee to start policing this. But, that doesn't mean we the drinkers aren't getting the short end of the stick. How do I know if the deal I'm getting at one bar is really that good if I don't know how much they're serving me until I sneak into the bathroom with my plastic measuring cup? That's total BS and the market won't work unless the consumer has the information available to make an informed decision before the purchase. So, Jeff, keep up the good work and publicize the folks that aren't cheating us and let's spend the next legislative session fighting the inevitable beer tax.
3:06 p.m.
Jun 9, '08
To quote the late Tip O'Neil (via his father), all politics is local.
Its the smart legislator who picks up on something like this and takes action.
Micro issues that are tangible to the local electorate matter. If people believe they are getting ripped off--and local lawmaker steps up to end it--its a chit in their favor.
We can all pretend it doesn't matter to us if the streets are swept or the garbage isn't picked up (especially when there is the issue of Iraq or health care or education to talk about.) But if a legislator can show that he/she is effective with the less-weighty, day-to-day stuff--that's a very meaningful way to show people that they're likely capable of tackling bigger issues.
Jun 9, '08
Jeff: You should contact a local TV station. These kinds of "investigative reports" where they can "bust" a business for "cheating the consumer" are big during sweeps months. The next big sweeps period isn't till November, though. The last one just ended and the summer one isn't paid much attention.
Jun 9, '08
great work jeff!!
Jun 10, '08
Who says this is not an national issue.
McCain has vowed as president to "veto every beer"!
RichW
9:54 p.m.
Jun 10, '08
I signed the online petition because I have a strong point of view about this issue, even though I dislike beer. I got an email from the WSJ reporter about it, asking me if I was willing to be interviewed. I emailed her back and said, well, although I hold a strong opinion on this issue, since I don't actually drink beer, you might want to get someone else. %^>
10:36 p.m.
Jun 10, '08
I think the best approach might be for one brewer or group of brewers/pubs to custom order pint-marked glassware. Someone has to set the example, and also have the coin to front new glassware. Could SNOB do anything to promote or even sell the glassware to pubs? Or what if people started bringing marked glasses to pubs?
Jun 11, '08
to eric parker, member of the women's christian temperance union:
you sad, sorry little man, please get a life and pull your head out of your own ass. obviously you aren't a drinker. you didn't need to tell us that, as your childish lack of understanding of this entire issue makes that fact abundantly clear. the issue isn't about getting two or 3 more oz. of beer into our systems. that much might get you buzzed, lightweight, but to those of us who responsibly enjoy oregon's most celebrated beverage, that isn't the issue.
let me break it down for you, and also address cory's misunderstanding of the issue. a pint, as understood by american beer drinkers, is 16 oz. if someone sells me a pint that is purported to be 16 oz but in reality is only 13 or 14, i am being cheated, lied to, and played for a sucker. i don't like that, and i refuse to patronize establishments that do this.
cory, everyone who knows anything about buying wood knows that a 2x4 isn't really 2x4; that's accepted and understood. everyone who knows anything about beer knows that a pint is 16 oz, and 14 ain't 16.
it's that simple, and eric, you pantywaist, don't try to be a content nazi. there's always someone on here crying 'waaah waaah this issue isn't important enough to be on here! we should be talking about this, or that blah blah fucking blah.' start your own blog where you can filter the content however you like; don't go around insulting people on this thread because you don't like the topic. or the insults come right back at you.
ahhh, that feels good to say.
Jun 11, '08
I wonder if this issue might be addressed by an industry group, say, the Oregon Brewer's Guild or the Oregon Restaurant Association, or both -- perhaps in conjunction with the state? The industry groups would do well to make it very clear that they feel their beverages, if sold in increments described as pints, should be sold in increments of 16 ounces (or 20 ounces for an imperial pint).
Maybe the answer is just to have the state mandate that all glasses be marked with either a 16-ounce or a 20-ounce fill line, if they are sold as either "pints" or "imperial pints." Otherwise, the establishment would be free to use any other language they wanted to describe the beverage (i.e. "glass" or "vessel"), but not the word "pint."
If a bar needs to raise the price of beer to pay for dispensing the extra volume, so be it.
Also, I do like the line on a glass idea, because it implies there is room on top of the line for the unavoidable head. Liquid to the line, head to the top of the glass.
And yes, this is an important issue to beer drinkers, and it should be an important issue to beer makers and beer servers, as well.
Jun 13, '08
Interesting, perhaps this movement for labeling of a pint for products other than beer. A few years ago my mother bought my grandmother a gift of a monthly visit to an ice cream shop in Salem for a "hand-packed pint" of ice cream. They were both furious that the "pint" was something like two or three scoops of ice cream into a pint container, for 10 to 12 ounces of ice cream.
They went as far as writing the president of the company, and getting aletter back with an explanation as that "a pint is a pound the whole world round" didn't apply to their ice cream.
Point being: no matter the product, if a business sells anything as a "pint" and it's lass than a pint, people feel ripped off.
Jul 4, '08
In the UK bar operators are obliged to use either metered pumps which automatically dispense a pint or CE marked glasses with the pint line marked on the tumbler. Is not the case in the US? Maybe you should adopt this law?