How Many Ounces in a Pitcher? Standard Beer Pitcher Sizes

If you’ve ever asked, “How many ounces in a pitcher?” then you’re not alone. There seems to be plenty of confusion about the size of pitchers as they come in different sizes like 32, 48 and 60 ounces. Many beer enthusiasts want to find out the number of ounces they can find in a pitcher.

Read this complete guide as our experts enlighten you about everything you need to know about pitchers and their sizes.

How Many Ounces in a Pitcher of Beer?

There are 60 fluid ounces or 3.75 pints in a standard pitcher of beer — this is equivalent to serving 1.77 liters of beer per pitcher. However, some craft bars serve 48-ounce and 32-ounce pitchers while some bars serve extremely sweet beer towers. You can’t call it a pitcher technically, but it is a large mass container, and that is what a pitcher beer signifies.

Portable tap beer can also be considered a pitcher. They are measured in liters. The pitcher of a beer is just another method of serving beer, and it is no more in vogue since the renaissance of craft beer. But that does not mean they don’t exist; they are just not common.

A standard cup of beer sold in restaurants and bars has 12 ounces. Therefore a 32-ounce pitcher would contain two ⅔ cups of beer, and a 48-ounce pitcher would contain about four cups. Lastly, a 60-ounce pitcher would hold five cups of beer. When drinking from a pitcher, one could easily underestimate the intake of alcohol, so be careful when consuming alcohol from a pitcher.

Various Beer Pitcher Sizes

A 32-oz pitcher contains 946.353ml of beer (since 1 pitcher of beer in litres is 1.89 liters), and it is the smallest pitcher which contains about three glasses of a 12-ounce beer. The various pitcher sizes according to the United States standards are 32, 48 and 60 ounces. One ounce is equivalent to 29.5735 ml, according to the metric system. So be careful when sharing with a company of three; the cups might not be full.

A 48-ounce pitcher has 1,419.53 ml of beer. This implies that you will consume about 1.4 liters of beer. This explains why it comes with spare glasses so you can enjoy it with a companion. You can get four glasses of 12 ounces of beer each.

A 60-ounce pitcher contains 1,774.41 ml of beer. When you order a 60-ounce pitcher of beer, you get about five glasses of a 12-ounces beer or six glasses of a 10-ounce beer. For people used to pints, you will get three pints of your beer. Summarily, we have four beer pitcher sizes:

• 32 ounces or 0.94 liters = two American pints; 2.67 beer cups; 1.67 imperial pints.
• 48 ounces or 1.42 liters = three American pints; 4 beer cups; 2.5 imperial pints.
• 60 ounces or 1.77 liters = 3.75 American pints; 5 beer cups; 3.12 imperial pints.

What Is the Typical Cost of a Pitcher of Beer?

Depending on the quality of the beer, a pitcher can cost you anything from 15 to 30 dollars these days. Gone were the days when we got a pitcher for one dollar at the local bar. Now, things have changed due to liability and declines.

However, if you do the calculations correctly, you might be able to manipulate the total number of drinks in a pitcher. For instance, a beer with a 6 percent alcohol by volume in a pitcher gives you more drinks than one with a 5 percent alcohol by volume. Don’t just jump on pitchers with 8 percent ABV; it doesn’t benefit anyone.

You must also note that, when it comes to drinking in bars, the general cost of goods purchased in bulk and the form factor of the pitcher tends to benefit the consumer. Ordering a typical pitcher costs less than ordering a ⅔ or ⅘ pitcher. However, it depends on the pitcher’s size.

Pours Used for Beer Pitchers

Beers are served in 10, 12, 16, or 23 ounces containers. The beer world can be quite confusing, especially when it comes to container and glassware complexities. For example, the glass used to pour stouts and porters are different. The stainless steel cups or English ales differs from that of Pilsner or Belgian beers.

There are various sizes of beer towers, crowlers, growlers and pitchers, so let’s discuss what goes into them.

– What Beer Requires a 10-ounce Pour?

A 10-ounce pour is used for stronger beers like stout and imperial, which are stronger than the usual 5 percent ABV beers. Any imperial beer will have an 8 percent ABV or more, and they could be up to 16 percent.

Although there are stronger beers than imperial, the majority of imperial or double beers will fit into that category. Most breweries, bars and restaurants aim to help you enjoy yourself and not lose your cool, so they might not serve you a 12 percent 16-ounce beer.

– Other Kinds of Pour for Beers

Aside from the 10-ounce pour, there are 23, 20, 16 and 12 ounces pours. The most popular when you don’t order from the tap is the 12-ounce pour. The bar has only glasses and bottles of your order and that is what you get. However, you might be lucky enough to get the 16-ounce cans as long as it is available in stock.

The most common beer when ordering a draft beer is the 16-ounce pour. It is the general size for most glasses of beer, while 23 and 20-ounce pours are for large menus. The bar charges higher for pours higher than 16 or 12 ounces.

Other Beer Vessels To Consider

There are several vessels you can consume beer from. If you like to cheer often and want a thick and strong material, you can go for a tankard or beer stein. In this case, you can call “cheers” and not worry that the vessel can break.

A lot of common beers found in beer bars are beer towers placed in the center of the table. You can pour beer on a tap from it. Beer towers also make drinking fun, and it keeps beer refreshed.

Due to safety reasons, the beer vessel you can get at public events like festivals and concerts is a plastic container. However, these situations are rare, so you don’t have to worry. As a result, the compromise presented by a plastic container is tolerable.

Conclusion

By now, you should have a detailed answer to the question, ”how many ounces in a pitcher?” We’ve discussed most of the things you need to know about beer pitchers, so let’s have a quick recap.

• A typical pitcher of beer should contain 60 ounces or 3.75 pints. However, some crafty bars serve 48-ounce and 32-ounce pitchers.
• The various pitcher sizes according to the United States standards are 32, 48 and 60 ounces. A 32-ounce pitcher contains 946.353ml of beer and It is the smallest pitcher of beer and contains about three glasses of a 12-ounce beer.
• Some beers are poured into a 10, 12, 16, or 23-ounce glass. A 10-ounce pour is used for stronger beers like stout and imperial, while 12-ounce pours are used when it is not a tap order and 16 ounces are used when you order a draft beer.
•  A pitcher can cost you anything from 15 to 30 dollars these days. A pitcher with a 6 percent ABV pitcher gives you more drinks than a 5 percent ABV pitcher.
• There are several beer vessels aside from the pitcher. They include beer steins, tankards, beer towers, plastic containers and so on.

The next time you order a pitcher of beer, you already have an idea of the amount of beer consumed. Read through this guide to know how to calculate the amount of beer served and have a good time.