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"  The recent arrival of a mini-keg of Newcastle Brown Ale in the Esquire offices (okay, a DraughtKeg, if we&amp;#039;re being picky about trademarks) prompted a discussion about beer. Specifically, about why it comes in such small packages. Standard volume in the U.S. is just 12 ounces. You can get 8-ounce cans if you want. We&amp;#039;ve seen imported cans of Sapporo no bigger than a Red Bull. And in St. Mary&amp;#039;s County, Maryland, you can buy all the 10-ounce Budweisers you want. (It&amp;#039;s a great story.) Overseas, things are different. Bottles and cans start at a full imperial pint and go up from there. A lot of traditional brewers use 750-milliliter bottles \u2014 a wine bottle, that is, or, if bourbon&amp;#039;s your frame of reference, a fifth. And we here are huge fans of the half-gallon growler.  The reason is simple: big packages make for better beer. More liquid and a lower proportion of air-to-liquid (air trapped in the neck of the bottle) means less oxidation of the flavorful stuff and more raw material for the happy forces of aging and bottle-conditioning to work on. This is something Champagne makers have known for generations \u2014 it&amp;#039;s why bubbly often comes in magnum bottles (1.5 liters, twice the standard size). So, your assignment for the weekend: buy a big bottle of something good. An imperial pint, at least. A growler if you can. Or, hell, a nebuchadnezzar if you can find one.  If you do, please let us know. RELATED LINKS:  THE ENDORSEMENT: Cans  SURVEY: Hey, What Are You Drinking in the Recession? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a6181/big-beer-bottles-080709/>