Hi, can anyone advise me about about something I discovered about Sydney pubs ?

I notice when the locals order beer, its either a pint, a half-pint or schooner. Whats a schooner, & how does it compare to a pint ?

I only seem to find this in Sydney, not in Melbourne or Brisbane. Is this a peculiarity of Sydney, & how did it originate ?

Cheers.

Many interstate wars have been fought in pubs across Australia on the differences between the sizes of beer. For some great reading on the subject try - http://www.australianbeers.com/pubs/ordering/ordering.htm

One measurment that seems to be missing is from the bottle shop -
Customer "A slab thanks mate"
Server with arms folded across chest and an evil look on his face, "Waddauwant, 'evy or light?"
Customer, "Maaaaaaate!"
Server dissapears into cool room and brings out a heavy slab.

You'd have a tough time translating all that into English - LOL

We have pots and ponies in Melbourne

Pots, ponies, schooners ........(sigh) ........ gettng harder & harder to keep track of all these measures.

May have to stick to the straight & narrow & just ask for either pints or half-pints :)

Seriously though, whats a schooner (when ordering beer in Sydney, that is) ?

Just some of the measurements for beers in different states. Easiest way is to find the right size glass in the pub you visit and tell the barman, "FILL'R up mate!
Jug. Queensland.1125ml.
Pot. NSW.Qld.WA.NT.285ml SA.575ml
Pint.NSW.Vic.568ml.SA.425ml
schooner.NSW.Qld.WA.Vic.NT.425ml.WA.285ml
Middy.NSW.Qld.WA.285ml
Handle.NT 285ml
10.Qld.285ml
8.Tas.225ml
7.NSW.Qld.200ml
6.Tas.170ml.
Glass.Vic.200ml
Sml glass.Vic.170ml
Bobbie.WA. 170ml
5.Qld. 140ml
Pony. NSW. Vic. WA.140ml
Shetland.WA.115ml
Small.Tas.115ml

Volumes are always mesaured relative to a pint - which is 20 ounces in old meausurement (approx 568ml). As far as i know a pint is a universal term ask for a pint in any english speaking country and you wil get a 20 ounce glass of beer. All other glasses are mesured relative to the volume of a pint, with a rounding factor taken to account when converting ounces to ml.

A Jug is 1125 ml or two pints (568x2 = 1136 its rounded down to 1125 for ease of conversion)
The next size is three quarter pint - 15 ounces or 425 ml (three quarters of 568 = 426)
Half pints (10 ounces or 284 ml - which is normally rounded to 285ml)
You also get sever ounce glasses (200 ml) 568/20*7 = 199
and four ounce glases (113.6ml) which is rounded down to 110ml in modern measurements.

As for the names, well Pints and half pints speak for them selves, its just a term used to decribe the volume of water you need to equal 20 ounces in weight. The reason why the regional names adopted to the various ounce measurement glasses is so differnt however is a mystery to me.

Oh and Schooners are very common in Brisbane, ask for one and you will be given a 425 ml (15 ounce) glass. Some pubs do not serve them, they are more the exception rather than the rule however.

2 basic sizes in NSW.
Schooner is the large one - approx. 1 pint (when you are pretty thirsty)
Middy is the smaller one - approx. 1/2 pint (when you are not so thirsty or are offered a raffle ticket for every beer purchased, that way if you drink middies you get more raffle tickets!!!only in some pubs)

Cheers everybody :)

At least thats 1 mystery cleared up ...........