Do you actually know how to order a beer in every Australian state? - Beer

Jan 22, 2026

Do you know your butchers from your ponies and half-pints?

You might think ordering a cold one across Australia would be a largely democratic process, but it’s about as fraught as trying to order a ‘potato scallop’ in a potato cake state.

Australia is fiercely divided along state and territory lines when it comes to standard beer glasses. This is how the beer serving sizes stack up across every state and territory, to make sure you pass the pub test no matter what bar you’re propping up.

How to order a beer in NSW

The New South Welshmans are generally a consistent lot when it comes to ordering a brew. You’ll likely be presented with the choice of a schooner (425mL), or a midi (285mL). The pint, 570mL, is also knocking about but tends to come second to the schooner due to the pint’s tendency to warm up on slow sippers. And then there’s the wildcard, the schmiddy (350mL), a much-derided mid sized beer that confused and enraged beer drinkers when it first gained traction in the late ’90s, often charged at schooner prices.

Hawke’s Brewing Co opens Bob Hawke Beer & Leisure Centre in Marrickville — The Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre in Sydney.

How to order a beer in Victoria

Beer drinkers in Victoria should remember the three ‘p’s: the pint, the pot, and the pony. A standard pint is 570ml, the pot comes in just over half of that size at 285ml, the same as the NSW-standard pour, the middy. You’ll likely find the much-rarer ‘pony’ (140ml) only at craft beer joints and on tasting paddles. Just to confuse matters, the schooner is gaining much more of a foothold in Victorian bars, edging out the super-sized pints. Just don’t ask for a middy, that will still expose you as an interstater.

How to order a beer in South Australia

Ah South Australia. Half an hour back on the clock from AEST, 150 years back behind the bar. Order a ‘pint’ in South Australia and you might think you’ve been shortchanged. The 425mL glass that passes as a pint in SA is the same size as the schooner in most other states. Want a Victorian-sized 570mL pint? You need to ask for an imperial pint, and even then some of the glassware is technically 568ml. And if you ask for a schooner, you’re going to get the equivalent of a pot or middy from most other states, at 285mL. Less commonly, you might also stumble across the 200mL butcher, unique to South Australia. Or just skip the whole headache and order a bottle, just make sure its Coopers.

How to order a beer in Western Australia

Western Australia shares its beer sizing proclivities with NSW, with schooners, pints and middys the most popular pours. However you’ll also likely hear the term half pint used interchangeably for middy. And very, very rarely, you might encounter the old-school 170mL ‘Bobby’.

How to order a beer in the Australian Capital Territory

Much like other states, you are safe ordering both schooners and pints. But the ACT and WA both share the habit of referring to a middy as a half-pint.

How to order a beer in Queensland

With schooners and pints, Queensland plays by the same rules as WA and NSW. But it sides with Victoria for the standard 285mL sizing, which is most commonly referred to as a pot up north. And the Victorian ‘pony’ also makes the occasional appearance.

The Gold Coast’s Balter Brewing Company.

How to order a beer in Tasmania

Sticking to the trend of the southern states doing things a little differently, Tasmania has some regional oddities in its beer glass names. A pint is a pint, at 570mL. But you might hear the standard 285mL size asked for as a pot or a ten, too. Likewise, the 425mL schooner also sometimes goes by ‘fifteen’.

Related story: The best Tasmanian pubs with fireplaces

How to order a beer in the Northern Territory

Territoritans will diplomatically refer to the 285mL as both a middy and pot, but it also goes by a handle – largely because the glass often come with a literal handle so your brew stays frosty longer in the searing northern heat. Otherwise, the schooner and pint are both standard orders, at standard sizes.

Credit: Supplied

How big is a jug in Australia?

The one and only beer serving size where Australia is a true hopocracy is the jug, which is going to get you the standard 1,140mL in every state and territory. Just don’t just us started on the etiquette of getting into rounds of jugs down the pub.

Why aren’t beer sizes the same across Australia?

The variations in beer sizes can be traced back to the states and territories being led as independent colonies before Australia’s Federation in 1901, when beer sizes were also based on imperial ounces. Since then, there’s been no standardised sizing enforced at a national level. And these days, who really wants to wade into the middle of a debate between Vic and NSW about pot versus middy? We’d rather stick to jugs, thanks.