How To Order A Beer In Every Australian State

Ask for a schooner in Victoria and you’ll get a blank look. Ask for a pot in Darwin and you’ll probably be arrested. This is a handy guide to the different names for beer glass sizes around Australia.

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While the names might differ, this is the key principle: there’s a name for a large (425ml) and small (285ml) size in every state. Most (but not all states) use schooner for the larger size, but the options for the smaller one vary considerably:

State Small Large
NSW/ACT Middy Schooner
Victoria Pot Pint
Queensland Pot Schooner
Western Australia Middy Schooner
South Australia Schooner Pint
Tasmania Ten Schooner
Northern Territory Handle Schooner

Other sizes do appear. In every state other than South Australia and Victoria, a pint will get you 570ml. (In SA, that’s an imperial pint.) A 140ml beer (really, why bother?) is known as a pony in several states, but it’s far from universally available.

Remember: these sizes only apply to beer on tap. If you have a “senior moment” when you’re in another state, ordering a beer that’s only available in a bottle will avoid using the wrong term. That said, asking for a schooner will work almost everywhere, but you’ll also get sozzled somewhat faster. Except in South Australia. Those names are just weird.

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