The paragraph:
“I’ve been to many breweries where there’s two numbers [on the menu]. It’s just 8 and 5, and you’re like, ‘How much volume am I getting in a $5 pour?’ I have no idea,” (Eric Larkin of Cohesion Brewing in Denver) says. “I’ve ordered canned or bottled products, and I get a 16-ounce can instead of a 12-ounce can. I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ I’ve seen it work both ways, but there’s definitely a lack of labeling and understanding.”
The standard shaker glass isn’t, if it ever was, a 16 oz. pint, even if filled with liquid to the brim. Which is generally what you see in many bars and breweries. The variety of glassware without volume markings leaves you only to trust the volume stated on a menu, if it does actually show a volume. It would take legislation, like they did in the United Kingdom, to get properly marked glassware so you know what you’re getting. I’m actually OK with a taproom charging me for a glass of beer, just don’t call it a pint if it’s less than 16 oz.
I like to know how much alcohol I am taking on, so posted (if correct) ABV is useful. And so is knowing the volume. Nonetheless, I agree with you that if an establishment chooses to sell beer “by the glass” rather than listing ounces it is not writing 1,000 words about that.