Clear beer + the liquid fraction of the foam head
Pour geometryInteractive study 02
Pint Geometry Lab
Eight glasses · three measures · two pour lines
See why “halfway up” is rarely half a pint. Explore how eight familiar beer-glass profiles turn physical fill depth into liquid, foam and settled volume.
01
Choose the glass
02
Set the pour
Zoom is limited to keep the profile and active ruler in view.
Arcoroc 20 oz Nonik ↗Current scaled model: 152 mm high × 87 mm maximum diameter. Liquid depth: 109 mm.
The two vertical lines beside the glass set the liquid surface and foam top. Space above the head line is empty.
Unfilled volume above the foam-top line
18 points of vessel height
Estimated liquid released as the head settles
71% of the selected measure
Wet foam holds more beer; published 1-minute density: 14–24%.
Total brim capacity is 636 ml with the current reserve.
03
Compare real depth
Curves use millimetres, not normalised height. Every profile is scaled from its reference glass to the selected measure; short mugs end earlier, while Pilsner and Weizen glasses keep climbing.
Liquid volume (ml)
Physical liquid depth (mm)
| Profile | Scaled H × Ø | Liquid at 109 mm | Nominal full depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conical | 152 × 85 mm | 402 ml | 141 mm |
| Pub tulip | 161 × 84 mm | 353 ml | 148 mm |
| Nonik | 152 × 87 mm | 402 ml | 140 mm |
| Dimple | 124 × 100 mm | 554 ml | 112 mm |
| Willibecher | 172 × 78 mm | 333 ml | 157 mm |
| Pilsner flute | 242 × 71 mm | 174 ml | 229 mm |
| Pilstulpe | 231 × 93 mm | 357 ml | 145 mm |
| Weizen | 248 × 85 mm | 153 ml | 232 mm |
For the stemmed Pilstulpe, overall height includes the foot and stem; chart depth and fill percentages measure the bowl only.
04
How to read the model
Reference moulds, scaled by volume
Each profile starts with a published reference height and diameter. Changing the selected measure scales all three dimensions together; changing reserve changes capacity assumptions, not the glass’s physical screen size.
Horizontal slices, added up
The vessel is treated as a stack of tiny circular slices. The tool integrates πr² through the liquid depth and separately through the foam and empty regions.
A comparative instrument
Real moulds, wall thickness, dimples and foam drainage vary. These named reference profiles are more faithful than generic silhouettes, but they are not manufacturing drawings or a legal dispense test.