Blind Lady Education

I posted last weekend on my visit to the Blind Lady Ale House. While my comments were positive (pizza and beer selection are awesome), I did complain about glass size and pours. I received a lengthy, thoughtful comment from Lee Chase, co-owner and beer expert (and former head brewer at Stone Brewing), who corrected me, and clarified Blind Lady's beer philosophy. Here are the key points from the comment:

The second thing we want to happen: you get what you pay for. I like to know that I am getting a certain amount of beer before I buy it---and you sound like you do, too. To this end, we are posting our pour sizes on the right-hand side of the chalkboard (along with alcohol content and price). I HATE ordering "a pint" (which is an actual unit of measurement) and getting a 14oz glass with 12 ounce beer and 2 ounces of foam! You see, a lot of bars use glasses that LOOK like pint glasses, but they are incapable of holding a pint. And the bartender sure as hell isn't going to tell you that the "pint" you ordered is only a 14 ounce glass, minus the foam! So, we want you to know what you're getting and be happy that you got what you paid for! The chalkboard tells you that a Chimay comes in a 25cl pour-- the Chimay glass has a mark on the glass--with room above the pour-mark for foam!(By the way, we charge $5.50 for a Chimay. Speedway Stout for $4.50. The only beer more expensive is the Framboise at 25cl for $6.50....too much?? Shop it around...that's pretty good...) Basically, we want to be honest about what you're getting.

And the last thing we at Blind Lady want is for the presentation to be pleasing to the eye. Flat beer looks old and depressing. Part of an attractive beer is the foam. (Foam is also a measurement of the beer quality, but I won't get into that...) It's difficult for us Americans not to feel ripped off by foam...because we HAVE been ripped off in most cases! You almost NEVER get "a pint" when you order one. However, when you know that your glass has been designed to give you a specified amount of beer, with plenty of room for the foam--well, stop worrying, and start enjoying!!! We all win! And this is the case with most all of the glasswear in Germany and Belgium--THE 2 most-serious Beer-consuming Countries in the world!! Glasses are designed with extra space to allow for foam. The Pour-Line on the glass shows where the beer-level should reach. A Great idea: it's good for the customer, good for the presentation, and good for the beer. So, that's what we're doing!

The comment on the importance of foam, and that a proper pour, in the proper glass, should have foam and the specified amount of beer is reassuring and encouraging. The comment went on to say that the Blind Lady is getting new "pint" glasses soon that will give 17oz of beer with room for big foam.


Short pints and poor pours are an annoyance and an expanding trend that requires constant vigilance. I have noticed short pints with increased frequency over the past year. A thick bottomed pint glass is easy to spot and usually not marketed as a full pint, but generally priced as a regular pint. More confusing are the odd glasses that hold an unspecified amount of beer, but that are sold as pints. I'm glad I was set straight on the Blind Lady's beer philosophy and beer drinker-friendly attitude towards pours. I appreciate that it has not bought into the offensive short pint trend.