Is it fairly common to serve 20oz pints in the US, then? Do people actually ask for "an Imperial Sam Adams" if that's what they want, or do some places serve 20oz pints by default?


I've never asked for an 'Imperial' pint anywhere...but it is fairly common in the north-eastern states for a full 20oz pint to be served, especially if you're in an Irish pub or bar. A lot of the micro-brewary establishments also seem to offer the choice of 16oz or 20oz pints which is a bit bizarre. My only hypothesis is that their entire existance is based upon rebelling against the US mega-corp lager industry to start with, and in doing so they have taken a look at how beer is sold in other countries and decided that 20oz is a far better size for a beer.