Lat week in a Sheffield pub, I was served a pint of Guinness and quite rightly asked the bar person to top up the pint (before I had taken a drink of it). She said that it wasn't necessary as it was in an oversized glass. I was very pleased. Found out later that night that only beer from a metered pump can be served in oversized glasses and Guinness can never be served properly from a metered pump.
If it had been a pint of frothy gassy lager substitute then I wouldn't have bothered but when I'm paying money for what should be a quality drink, I'm not happy. I suppose it's more because I was taken for a mug than the money.

Lat week in a Sheffield pub, I was served a pint of Guinness and quite rightly asked the bar person to top up the pint (before I had taken a drink of it). She said that it wasn't necessary as it was in an oversized glass. I was very pleased. Found out later that night that only beer from a metered pump can be served in oversized glasses and Guinness can never be served properly from a metered pump.
If it had been a pint of frothy gassy lager substitute then I wouldn't have bothered but when I'm paying money for what should be a quality drink, I'm not happy. I suppose it's more because I was taken for a mug than the money.

A Guinness in a pint glass wouldn’t work its got to be "over sized", they normally let it settle and then fill it to the top, oversized doest come into it.

Lat week in a Sheffield pub, I was served a pint of Guinness and quite rightly asked the bar person to top up the pint (before I had taken a drink of it). She said that it wasn't necessary as it was in an oversized glass. I was very pleased. Found out later that night that only beer from a metered pump can be served in oversized glasses and Guinness can never be served properly from a metered pump.
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Technically it could come from a metered pump but you wouldnt be able to stop at 2/3 and then top up as Guiness suggest. I have never seen an oversized Guinness glass. As far as I am aware they only supply regular branded glasses to pubs. Guinness is meant to be served with approx 1/2 inch of head anyway, Guinness come and actually measure the head and check the dispense temperature at my pub about every 3 months.

As for the head being too large on certain drinks, it personally has never bothered me for the sake of 30 ml of beer or anything else I really dont care. We top up if asked, but generally serve everything with 'some' head.

Found out later that night that only beer from a metered pump can be served in oversized glasses and Guinness can never be served properly from a metered pump.


Plenty of pubs use over-sized glasses (with a pint-mark on them) that are not served from metered pumps. Kelham Island for one pulls all their hand-pulled into them - CAMRA generally encourage this.

I obviously didn't get my point across correctly in the initial post. My point was that the bar person refused to top up my pint stating that it was an oversized glass. Lies, all lies.This pint was well under. Thie glass was definitely not oversize, no 'Pint to Line' mark on the glass. Guinness used to be served in oversize glasses some years ago but not now. I do actually still have a couple of these glasses at home and they hold a full pint of Guinness and have a full head on too.

Lat week in a Sheffield pub, I was served a pint of Guinness and quite rightly asked the bar person to top up the pint (before I had taken a drink of it). She said that it wasn't necessary as it was in an oversized glass. I was very pleased. Found out later that night that only beer from a metered pump can be served in oversized glasses and Guinness can never be served properly from a metered pump.
If it had been a pint of frothy gassy lager substitute then I wouldn't have bothered but when I'm paying money for what should be a quality drink, I'm not happy. I suppose it's more because I was taken for a mug than the money.

What Baffles me as a Regular Guinness Drinker is that you go to some Pubs nowand you see them pour it out all in one go and you think hang on that won't settle properly and then it does perfectly?

But in other pubs they have to do it the "old fashioned" way, and I've yet to visit one where someone poured me a perfect 1/2 inch on the first go. Without either me having to wait a minute for it to settle, and then going back to get it topped up!, or by them "cheating" by just pouring a bit of the froath away when it nears the top and making a sticky mess of my glass.

Any one know a place that can do it to 1/2 inch without the aid some special filter pump or the sticky glass method?

I think several pubs take the mikey in this area as I see them putting lots of head on larger and even leaving a bit of a gap on top of that in a pint glass.

If you do that for every pint you serve then the savings for the pub soon mount up.

The ex-licensee of one of the City centre pubs toild me once that they are told by the pub owners to put as much of a head on beer as possible without it being too obvious. The belief is that most people will accept it without asking it to be topped up, but they must top up the beer if asked by the customer. I'm told that this practice can and does save a goodly amount of money.

I think several pubs take the mikey in this area as I see them putting lots of head on larger and even leaving a bit of a gap on top of that in a pint glass.

If you do that for every pint you serve then the savings for the pub soon mount up.

I am sure that based on the quantity you consume in a sitting that will make little difference lol

I am sure that based on the quantity you consume in a sitting that will make little difference lol

At least my pints are larger not bacardi and coke. :)

BTW hows student land? ;)

Never seen an over sized glass before, shame they could not top it up i myself do drink it sometimes but i prefer fosters

I obviously didn't get my point across correctly in the initial post. My point was that the bar person refused to top up my pint stating that it was an oversized glass. Lies, all lies.This pint was well under. Thie glass was definitely not oversize, no 'Pint to Line' mark on the glass. Guinness used to be served in oversize glasses some years ago but not now. I do actually still have a couple of these glasses at home and they hold a full pint of Guinness and have a full head on too.

Not all oversize glasses have a 'line to pint' mark, or even a Queen's stamp. You only have to go into a WMC to see that.

Guinness is regularly served in brim measured glasses when on 'free flow'. See how many oversized glasses are used in the Dog and Partridge or Fagan's to prove it.

Guinness tastes terrible when on metered dispense for some reason (always watery), but unless it's on free flow, it 'can't' be topped up. The law is that a pint is 'actually' 95% of a pint.

The ex-licensee of one of the City centre pubs toild me once that they are told by the pub owners to put as much of a head on beer as possible without it being too obvious. The belief is that most people will accept it without asking it to be topped up, but they must top up the beer if asked by the customer. I'm told that this practice can and does save a goodly amount of money.

You only have to look at the pathetic 'pints' of cider (which never has a head) to see that. I've taken my beer/cider back to the bar in some establishments when in a round, saying that 'I wanted a pint, not a half', many a time.

What Baffles me as a Regular Guinness Drinker is that you go to some Pubs nowand you see them pour it out all in one go and you think hang on that won't settle properly and then it does perfectly?

But in other pubs they have to do it the "old fashioned" way, and I've yet to visit one where someone poured me a perfect 1/2 inch on the first go. Without either me having to wait a minute for it to settle, and then going back to get it topped up!, or by them "cheating" by just pouring a bit of the froath away when it nears the top and making a sticky mess of my glass.

Any one know a place that can do it to 1/2 inch without the aid some special filter pump or the sticky glass method?

Dog & Partridge, Trippet Lane. Topped up the traditional Irish way if needs be; by you taking a drink first, and then added to from a fresh glass.

So long as you don't take half of your drink first :hihi: