Pint Composition Notation

David Long (dxlong@aol.net)
Fri, 18 Jul 1997 19:17:52 -0400


A Mad mentions in a recent message[1]:
>I just read a little article about the pride of workmanship that the
>person at an Irish bar displays in pouring out stout; why it takes 10
>minutes; and, why its the very worst of manners to try to hurry him
>along.
> -- Mani Chandy

I'm surprised that Mani, of all people, shouldn't appreciate the
formal process [2] which allows one to compose a barman, a tap,
and a pint glass with a reasonable expectation that one's thirst
shall be satisfied.

Note that the process of pulling a pint of Guinness is similar
to that for pulling a pint of Beamish, but a shamrock is used
instead of a "B". Although one might be expected to find the
brewer's name on the glass (or, up until recently, be able to
infer it from the establishment [3]), it seems that even the
relatively low-tech world of stout recognizes the advantages
of self-describing content...

[1] <http://xent.w3.org/FoRK-archive/july97/0267.html>
[2] <http://www.aardvark.ie/beamish/pour.html>
[3] "What's your pleasure?", The Economist, 21-Dec-96

-Dave