The Honest Pint Project is Dead; Long Live Honest Pints!

Not super long after I started this blog, I stumbled into the thicket of unregulated glassware sizing. Mentioning the crime of the cheater pint, I inadvertently sparked a great outcry. This led to an online petition, some local press, and ultimately, a half-assed advocacy campaign to bring transparency to glassware sizes. Miraculously, the Honest Pint Project led to some amazing things:

• We certified 47 pubs in eight states as Purveyors of Honest Pints.
• The Wall Street Journal did a long, in-depth piece on the Project.
• NPR covered it (twice!).
  
• It got a fair amount of other press.
• The Oregon legislature considered creating a law to enshrine the Honest Pint Project into law (and it made it fairly far along before dying in the Oregon Senate).
• We sold swag.
• We irritated some people.
• I'd like to say we sparked the minor trend of marking the 16 oz line on glasses, but I'm not totally sure we deserve it.
• We inspired women to go on a glass-measuring rampage in Oklahoma City. (This may have brought me the most joy.)
  

Alas, I was always the wrong champion for this endeavor. It needed someone with real moxie and drive. I imagine where we'd be if, say, Angelo, Ezra, or the Beer Wench had stumbled onto it as I did. Cheater pints would be a thing of the past. The project was important enough that it deserved someone like them.

Anyway, the website is about to go dark. The lease on honestpintproject.org runs out on November 1, and my silent--and very important--partner and I have decided to let it go. As bad as I was before about crusading against cheater pints, at least I used to feel guilty about it. Now, as my life has taken a different direction, I don't even have the time to feel guilty. It was a noble project, but died, as they all do, from inattention.

Raise a pint--an honest one, please--to the Project this week. It was good while it lasted.


Update. I just got an email from someone interested in carrying the HPP forward. I'm totally cool with that. Email [the_beerax(at)yahoo(dot)com] if you also wanted to be included. Perhaps more hands means a lighter load.

Honest Pints at Sixteen Tons

Eugene, hermetically sealed from the good beer explosion for about 15 years, is catching up. It is finally boosting it's brewery-to-human ratio, and is home to an awakening giant (Ninkasi). Now it has a bottle shop/tasting bar in the mode of Portland's Belmont Station, Hop and Vine, Bottles, and so on. I consider these establishments indicative of the growth of beer geekery--they pop up when a community reaches a critical mass for, say, gueuze demand. [Note: see comments for a correction on this point.]

Sixteen Tons, which recently hosted a wild ale fest, is such a place. And thanks to the efforts of our Eugene correspondent, Kevin, we are now delighted to certify them as purveyors of honest pints. As is appropriate for those who take beer very seriously, Sixteen Tons receives a gold star for including an etched line indicating the 16-ounce fill point. Kudos!




Sixteen Tons Beer and Wine Bottle Shop
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
265 E 13th
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 345-2003
website | Facebook




As always, I strongly encourage you to visit this fine establishment.

Three More Certified Honest In VA, WA, and OR

I seem to be getting a lovely flow of new submissions of honest pints photos from around the country. As long as this goes on, I think I'll post certifications over the weekend. Anyway, here we go...

Our first certification is also the first in the Old Dominion--Virginia. Pizzeria Orso is obviously a smidge beyond commuting range from Oregon, but the Washington Post gives their pizza a rave: "MacQuaid's Neapolitan crusts are thin, pliant, a tad sour, beautifully charred -- and served unsliced, so the dough can continue to cook after it leaves the fire."

Of course, our principle concern here is beer, and I'm mighty impressed to see that you can get Full Sail Session there (in bottles). To pour into your honest pint are two offerings from Left Hand as well as a Firestone Walker. Sounds like a great place to stop for a slice and a pint, so do it if you're closer than me:




Pizzeria Orso
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
400 South Maple Avenue
Falls Church, VA 22046
(703) 226-3460





Next we fly to Kent, Washington and Airways Brewing, a newly-opened half-barrel nanobrewery. (Even among nanos, that's small.) What I know about Airways is limited to that Beer Blotter post I linked to, and the fact that the Yelpsters love it (except the one guy who was inexplicably displeased by the decor). Oh, and one more, very important thing: they do cask beer. Apparently it's convenient if you're cruising down I-5, so check it out.


Airways Brewing
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
6644 S 196th T-100
Kent WA 98032
(253) 200-1707



Our final stop is that amazing mecca of good beer, that metropolis of 21,000 with three breweries, the nation's premier yeast producer, and now, a rockin' new bottle shop called Volcanic. Like bottle shops in Portland, they also serve draft beer and host meet-the-brewers events. Based on their Facebook page, it looks like the beers are the usual exceptional line-up you'd expect in a Beervana bottle shop. Stop by:


Volcanic Bottle Shoppe
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
1410 12th St.
Hood River, OR 97031
(541) 436-1226

Certified Honest: A New Nano and an Old Fave

If Portland has a sister city of beer, it's probably not San Francisco, Seattle, or Boston--it's probably San Diego. Strange but true: no other city seems to take beer so seriously, or so seriously consider itself a beer city. That I keep getting submissions to certify honest pints there seems further evidence. Today's newest certified purveyor is Hess Brewing, a nanobrewery that opened just this July. I can't speak to the quality of their beer, but the Yelpsters love them. I love that they have cool proprietary honest pints. So if you're in "America's Finest City," definitely stop in for a tipple.



Hess Brewing Company

Certified Purveyors of an Honest Pint

7955 Silverton Ave #1201

San Diego, CA 92126
619.887.6453

I'm slowly backfilling the honest pints in Portland, taking them from provisional to certified, and here's one of my favorite places in the city, the County Cork. I used to live just around the block and up from the pub, and I spent many a fine hour there. Since they opened, they've always had Elysian ESB on tap--one of my favorite beers. They have Beamish during those moments it has distribution (not often), and it's the place I learned to pronounce Smithwick's properply. (Smitticks.) I still make it over, as the photo attests, when I can. You should, too.



County Cork Public House
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
1329 NE Fremont
Portland, OR 97212
503.284-4805

Honest Pints on Bainbridge and in Chattanooga, TN

I have gotten behind on my Honest Pint certifications, so without further ado, here are three places. The Terminal Brewhouse is our first in Tennessee. As you can see, they serve beer in imperial pints, and get this: the regular price for one of these is just four bucks. Maybe beer is just less expensive in the Volunteer State. Stop in for a dunkelweizen if you're in the area.



The Terminal Brewhouse
Certified Purveyors of an Honest Pint
6 East 14th Street
Chattanooga, TN
website




The next two places are owned by the same folks and are situated on beautiful Bainbridge Island and appear to be located just a block away from each other. Pick your pleasure:




Harbour Public House
Certified Purveyors of an Honest Pint
231 Parfitt Way SW
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
206-842-0969
website








Pegasus Coffee House
Certified Purveyors of an Honest Pint
131 Parfitt Way SW
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
206-842-6725
website

Certified Honest in Pendleton

In a day or three I'll do a proper review of Prodigal Son Brewing, the new place Margaret wrote about last month. Based on that engaging piece, Sally and I stopped in on my latest trip to Idaho--and I was seriously impressed. The place is impressive, the food great, but the beer--ah, the beer. Suffice it to say (for now) that Pendltonians are set. I'm still thinking about their porter.

And the coup de grace? Honest pints. I sped out to the Toyota, where I keep my trusty measuring cup, and voila, the newest certified pub.

Prodigal Son Brewery and Pub
Certified Purveyors of an Honest Pint
230 SE Court Avenue
Pendleton, OR 97801
541 276 6090



For most of the state's population, they're not the easiest pub to get to; but if you happen to be in the area, make it a destination stop.

Status of Honest Pintery Nationwide: Woeful (Plus a Cert)

I take some satisfaction in the knowledge that the Honest Pint Project--and its antecedents--has been successful in penetrating Oregon's consciousness. The intention was always more educational than structural--if people know that a shaker pint delivers 13-14 ounces of beer, finding one in a pub puts them at no disadvantage. So, even where pubs choose shaker pints, it is pretty clear that patrons know what they're getting. But lest you think this is usual, let me offer you this dispatch from Jim LaPlume in Rhode Island--in the heart of very-beery New England:

We communicated via email last year about the Honest Pint Project. We in RI have done two Honest Pint Nights, and have discovered that every bar we visited, except for one, did not serve an honest pint. For the most part, we were not taken too seriously, but we did manage to "convert" one tavern; the owner has joined the cause and is spreading the good word. Not surprisingly, his craft beer sales have increased by 17% since he started serving (and advertising) an Honest Pint. Hopefully, the trend will catch.

Hopefully--though I think it will take a little proactive agitation of exactly the kind the Honest Pint Project was intended to provide. So let the English Cellar Alehouse in Providence serve as our beachhead, for, in addition to serving up 150 different beers, they do so in an honest pint.


English Cellar Alehouse
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
165 Angell St.
Providence, RI 02906
(401) 454-3434



That's not the greatest picture, but this one at their Facebook page adds corroborating evidence. I'll be in New England around Thanksgiving, so maybe I'll stop in and have a pint. Any of you who are closer, do the same.

Honest Pints in Olympia

This is a pretty shocking fact, but true: the Project had as of this morning not certified a pub in the Evergreen State. Fortunately we now rectify this terrible oversight. In Olympia, the three-month-old Skep And Skein Tavern joins the certified club.

Skep and Skein Tavern and Meadery
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
2106 Harrison Ave NW B 14
Olympia, WA 98502

Since it's so new, there's not a lot of info, but Dave Ross sends along some details:

We opened on April 23rd of this year and are located on Olympia's "Westside" which is on the hill above downtown. We have 16 tap handles of which 14 are rotating regularly. We are trying to carry beers that are not always readily available in Olympia, which has been a lot of fun. We are also a bonded and licensed meadery with our own meads on draft scheduled for sometime this fall. In the mean time we have been selling Redstone Mead from the bottle and these have been well received.

So next time you're zipping up (or down) I-5, stop in for a pint--an honest pint. And tell us what you think. Good luck, Dave, may the place prosper--

Honest Pints in Astoria

One of the quandaries of the Honest Pint Projects resides in the type of serving vessels available to publicans. One question I regularly get asked is, "but if the HHP requires 16 fluid ounces for certification, doesn't that mean imperial pints?" Actually, no. Behold Astoria's Fort George Brewing, and their stylish Mason jars. A pour to the neck offers exactly 16 ounces, and leaves a half inch for head. Perfecto!


Fort George Brewery and Public House
Certified Purveyors of Honest Pints
1483 Duane Street
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-PINT


As readers of this blog know, there are many other reasons to visit Fort George, as well. So consider this just the cherry on top.

Honest Pints in Silverton

Seven Brides brewery down in beautiful Silverton, Oregon recently opened a tap room. And guess what kind of glassware they bought. Honest pints! They actually have two different kinds of glasses, both honest. A fan of the place, Shane C, sent these photos, along with this comment: "By the way, when feel the need to get out of the city, take a hike at Silver Falls, or visit the Oregon Gardens, visit Silverton and head to the Seven Brides Taproom for some great beers and great food."


Seven Brides Tap Room
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
990 N. First Street
Silverton, Oregon 97381
website



I can't speak for the food, but the beer I've had (sadly limited) was indeed tasty. And he's totally right about the region--it's incredibly nice down there. Silver Falls is one of Oregon's less-exalted gems and makes a great day trip. Now you can finish it off with an honest pint. Cheers to Seven Brides--

Finally Certified: Deschutes Brewery

Back at the start of the Honest Pint Project, when I was feeling embarrassed about how half-assed the whole thing was (probably following the Wall Street Journal article), I decided to make an official logo. I sent out a call for photos of a full, honest pint glass, and got back that lovely, beaded Black Butte Porter you see in the finished version--straight from Deschutes. They subsequently changed their glassware, going from generic imperials to their current embossed Rastal glasses, which sport the gold standard of honest pint transparency, an etched line so the customer can see if she's getting short-poured or not (see out-of-focus photo at the end of the post). All of which is to say that the fact that I hadn't officially certified the brewery is worse than a venial sin. Surely a mortal. Ah, but this is a forgiving business, and after a pint of cleansing pilsner, I believe I'm in the clear. And now Deschutes Brewery--both Portland and Bend pubs--are officially certified.


Deschutes Brewery
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
1044 Bond Street
Bend, OR 97701
(541) 382-9242

Deschutes Portland Pub
210 NW 11th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 296-4906

I don't think anyone in the world needs my encouragement to visit the brewery. Like Widmer, Deschutes always has a few pub-only specials, and at least one is usually exceptional. The beer in the certification photo is a pilsner, 5.5%, 37 IBUs, lovely hop character and a totally delightful beer. I regret we don't have more freshly-brewed pilsners on tap around Beervana. They also are pouring their new CDA as well as a silky cream ale. Plus, of course, a couple cask taps, which is reason enough to go.

Once again, thanks much for the photo guys, and sorry it took so long to get you certified. Cheers!


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Officially Certified: Raccoon Lodge

There remain a number of Portland pubs and breweries who serve honest pints but whom I haven't officially certified. One of two of the most egregious oversights on this score is the Raccoon Lodge, which was the first place ever to change their glassware to come into compliance. Well, thanks to that pint of Kriek, now it's official:


Raccoon Lodge Brewpub
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
7424 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway
Portland, OR 97225
503.296.0110



That picture doesn't do it justice, but the elixir in the glass is indeed the Kriek--but don't bother trying to get a pint of it. That was a server misfire, and one of the luckier moments of my pub-going career. You can get a goblet of the Kriek, though, or a pint of any of Ron Gansberg's other beer. The west side isn't exactly festooned with joints serving honest pints, nor pints of great beer, so this should definitely be a go-to watering hole for those out past the hills.
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Honest Pints in Burbank

A guy named Tony Yanow is opening a new pub in Burbank that sounds like it was transported directly from Southeast Portland. Great beer, great food, sustainable, and vegan-friendly. (The vegan sausages are even imported from the NW!) The planned opening is April 4.

Tony did the measuring backward, and he will send me one from an obvious place in the pub once the pub is open, so for now the two photos I have are provisional. But he wanted to promote honest pints for his opening, and so we're bending the rules a bit to get him certified before the place opens. If you're down in Southern California, stop in and have a pint. Looks like a cool place.

Tony's Darts Away
Certified Purveyor of and Honest Pint
1710 W. Magnolia Blvd
Burbank, CA 91506
818-253-1710
website

Pub Three to Serve Honest Pints in Michigan

My man-on-the-scene in Michigan, BB, continues to do yeoman's work in certifying honest pints. Today's Sunday edition features Original Gravity Brewing. (I wonder if Oregon's Terminal Gravity Brewing knows about OG--or vice versa. I'd like to try versions of both breweries' IPA side by side.) Located in Milan, which looks to be about equidistant from Detroit (to the east) and Toledo (to the south)--or, for locals, just nine miles south of Ypsilanti. Founded in 2008, they are already receiving good reviews (4 1/2 stars from Yelp, A- from BeerAdvocate) and serve a range of mostly British-style ales (plus a couple of experimental brews.) If you're nearby, stop in and have an honest pint!

Original Gravity Brewing
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
440 County St.
Milan, MI 48160
(734) 439-7490
Facebook page

Michiganders, I think it's time to consider an Honest Pint pub crawl--

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More Honest Pints in Michigan

Well this is MIGHTY cool: a good beer guy in Michigan has taken it upon himself to start certifying places who serve honest pints--thanks, BB! Today's entry is Arbor Brewing from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Aside from the fact that it hails from occupied territory (hometown of the dreaded Michigan Wolverines--arch enemy of my alma mater Wisconsin Badgers, but leave that aside), I know only what the internets tell me. And once again, Yelp and BeerAdvocate tell me that they're great. (Hypothesis: those places that care enough to proudly serve their beers in honest pints tend to be highly correlated with good beer.)

Arbor Brewing Company
Certified Purveyors of an Honest Pint

114 E. Washington St.

Ann Arbor, MI 48104

Midwesterners, go give them your business--
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Honest Pints in Michigan

Liberty Street Brewing
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
149 W. Liberty Street
Plymouth, MI 48170

It is a fine day when I wake up to a new certification photo in my inbox. It is even finer when that photo depicts a pub in a heretofore uncertified state. Today is a very fine day.

Liberty Street Brewing was founded just 18 months ago in Plymouth, Michigan, just west of Detroit. In that short time, they've served notice that they want to purvey not only honest pints, but exceptional ones. The raters on Yelp (four and a half stars) and BeerAdvocate (A rating) rave about the place. Here's head brewery and owner Joe Walters talking about his orientation to honest pints:

We are firm believers in a "pint being a pound - the world around", I did not want to serve a 16 ounce pint glass that would only hold a pint if there was surface tension and no head. I have recieved comments from colleagues telling me to reduce my pour, but even when changing glassware this past month, I chose to keep with the Honest Pint pour, using a 20 ounce pub glass. By the way, our half pints are 10 ounces.

That's effectively a verbatim rationale for our criteria for an honest pint. Thanks and congrats, Joe!
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Widmer Gasthaus Introduces Honest Pints

I am most pleased to announce the newest addition to our official list of Certified Purveyors of Honest Pints: the Widmer Gasthaus. The brothers have completely changed their glassware and now use an imperial pint with an etched line indicating the 16-ounce level. It's really cool to see breweries using the Honest Pint Project as an opportunity to introduce new proprietary glassware. The Widmer version is the graceful Irish-style glass and of course features their logo. (You can buy the honest pint glass at the pub.)



Widmer Gasthaus
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
955 North Russell Street
(503) 281-3333
Website



Most of the folks around Portland are well aware of the Gasthaus, its nice German-inflected menu, and the specialty beers (including Collaborator brews) only available there on-tap. Now there's another reason to give them your business--honest pints.

Bonus pic: Rob Widmer with the measuring cup.


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Honest Pints at the Full Sail Tasting Room

It gives me great pleasure to introduce the newest member of the officially-certified Honest Pint club: Full Sail Brewing. When you visit the pub at the brewery in Hood River, you will be served a pint in an elegant glass featuring the gold standard in honest pint transparency, an etched line marking a full pint.


Full Sail Tasting Room & Pub
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
506 Columbia Street
Hood River, OR
541-386-2247
website


The Columbia River Gorge is quietly becoming one of the richest troves of good beer in all of Beervana. They take their beer seriously there, and I am delighted that one of the venerable giants of Oregon brewing now serves honest pints. If you haven't made a swing through recently, stop in and have a pint.

(Incidentally, although these glasses aren't yet on the website, you can buy one for $5 when you're at the pub.)

More Honest Pints in Salem

I love waking up to an email with a new Honest Pint certification, but it gives me special pleasure when it appears to have been sent in by a patron. I believe that's the case with the newest Certified Purveyor--which also appears to be a new pub. To Scott, who sent in the photo below--thanks!


f/stop Fitzgerald's Public House
Certified Purveyor of an Honest Pint
335 Grove St. NE
Salem, OR, 97301
Facebook Page




You'll notice that the glassware at the f/stop is a cool variant of the dimpled Scottish mug and delivers well over 16 fluid ounces. I don't know so much about this pub, but Scott says they have three taps and that owner Kirk Kindle makes sure there are always locals on tap. As always, stop by and have a pint if you have the chance. And if you've been there, let us know what it's like.

Cheers--


Update: Oh, by the way, the web half of the Honest Pint Project is home tending to a one-week old baby, and so the official list of Certified Purveyors may not get updated for a little while.

Honest Pints in Salem

Venti's Cafe
Purveyor of an Honest Pint
325 Court Street NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-399-8733

The newest certified purveyor of an honest pint is down in Salem: Venti's Cafe. The owner, who sent me this photo, also notes that it's not actually all that easy to get 20 ounce glasses with a "calibrated logo." Well, we appreciate any pub willing to go the extra mile.

Venti's is principally a cafe, but they have eight taps, and appear to be expanding the beer line-up. (They also have an expansive bottle list, too.) The food includes a nice vegetarian selection, something you can't find at a lot of pubs. If you're down in Salem, be sure to stop in and have a pint.

Cheers!