The Aleheads airwaves have been abuzz with the revelation that Oskar Blues will soon be adding 16-ounce cans to their product line. I, for one, can’t WAIT to shotgun a four-pack of Ten FIDY and then lie down on the ground and take a long, drool-filled nap. Alas, the Aleheads always find someone to argue about even the most exciting beer news. In this case, our disagreement relates to terminology. Kid Carboy assures us that 16-ounce cans should only be referred to as “pounders”. Slouch Sixpack believes that “tallboy” is the correct nomenclature. The interwebs, which generally determines such debates in a matter of milliseconds seems strangely ambiguous as to the proper term. So I’m relying on Alehead Nation to solve this conundrum for us.
What say you, drinkers of larger-than-average craft cans? What do you call your 16-ouncer?
ALEHEADS 
I believe we’re all in agreement that a 24-ounce can is called a tallboy. The question is whether that term should also be used for a 16-ounce can (ie: should ANY can larger than 12-ounces be called a tallboy?) or does it need it’s own special name (eg: pounder, 16-ouncer, silo, etc.)
I will probably be fighting at a disadvantage here because “tallboy” is the more recognizable term, but the explanation up top does not explain my full position here.
A 16-oz’er is a pounder, yes. But a “tallboy” is still a valid term—it means a 24 oz can of beer, a doublecan, essentially. Unfortunately, they usually look like this:
See?? 24 oz! Tallboy! 24!
I rest my case.
Schlitz further muddied the waters last year:
http://barbeerians.com/2010/03/the-original-tall-boy-is-back/
They claimed the “original” Tallboy was back when they released new 16-ounce cans. But the ACTUAL original Tallboy was a 24-ounce can. That’s why we need the masses to figure this one out for us. Democracy in action, folks. Help us out…
It’s a pint.
I don’t personally call it this, but in Northern Wisconsin tallboys are occasionally called “silos”
In Northern Wisconsin I have heard to them referred to as “silos”
We’re just going to get more and more weird names. One guy on reddit called them freaking “master cylinders,” whatever the hell that means.
Upon further reflection, I think a “master cylinder” is sort of like a flux capacitor, except it’s what makes an alien spacecraft go.
After voting, I realize that I usually refer to 16oz bottles as pounders, but 16oz cans are tallboys. That wasn’t an option though.
and apparently I didn’t pay enough attention to the question which asked about cans, not bottles
16oz. Can = Tallboy
24oz. Can = Horse Cock
There might be a geographical aspect to this. In western PA we call them pounders.
As much as I hate to agree with him, the Czar makes a valid point.
Oh, and beer is a fare bit heavier than water, so “pounder” is a bit low. I tried to figure out how much using the OG of Ten-Fidy, but then my head started hurting.
You simply call it a “pint”
I agree that a 24oz can is a “tallboy”. I call a 16oz can (and believe I love these, I wish I could buy a 30-pack of them) a “pintcan”.
Because I grew up in Switzerland, to me a can of that size will always be a canette.
Has the whole world gone CRAZY?! Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules?!
The answer is pounder. A 24 oz can is a tall boy. Pint is only applicable to beer served in a pint glass. This poll is wrong and bullshit. Respect to the local northern Wisconsin nomenclature though.
Hordeum, the Czar has never made a valid point. Ever.
I also can’t believe that there’s not a single Alehead other than myself (stipulating that I’m possibly the least manly man ever born) who doesn’t know that a master cylinder is essentially what makes a car’s brakes work.
Additionally, why the crap is there a diabeetus video ad on this page? When did Wilford Brimley join the Aleheads?
Everything about this post sucks. I award you no points.
I believe, could be wrong, but I believe a pint glass is so named for the measurement of a “pint” and not the other way around. Ergo all beer poured into a 16 oz container is a pint of beer, which includes, but is not limited to, the aforementioned pint glass.
So basically, Beerford read the damn rules (probably more like qualifiers or parameters than rules really).
And pounder just sounds stupid. So even if it’s the “wrong” answer, tallboy is oh-so-right.
Sure sure, “a pint is a pound the world around” and all that. However, Cask, your logic is sound in theory, but falls down in practice. You order a pint of beer, and it comes in a pint glass. You don’t order a pint and have it show up in two 8 oz glasses, or a 12 oz can and 1/3rd of another 12 oz can, or 16 oz of beer in a mostly empty growler. OK, I can imagine, kind of, ordering a Bud and having the bartender in some odd situation have 12 oz and 16 oz cans in stock. So maybe he asks me if I want a 12 ouncer or pint size (though even there he’d more likely just ask if I wanted a 12 or 16 oz, or a regular can or pounder). But if I ordered a pint and he (oddly) had it in 16 oz cans and on draft both, he’d clearly give me a glass unless I specified otherwise.
One of my favorite ramifications of the Aleheads experience is the utter contempt Beerford and John E. have for one another. Considering that they’ve never met and have quite a bit in common (they’re both short, frequently angry, and very well-read despite mostly reading fantasy/sci-fi crap), I thoroughly enjoy their sniping at one another.
It appears that the people have spoken and that “tallboy” is the preferred term for any can of beer above 12 ounces. I’ll admit that this has been my experience as well. In truth, since craft beer is never housed in a 24 ounce can, the 16 ouncers are really the only things we need an agreed-upon term for. Tallboy suits me just fine and we’ll attempt to make that the standard here at Aleheads. Next poll…what should we start calling 750ml bottles?
Crap, cause there ain’t no craft beer in 16 oz. cans yet…When Oskar B does their wonderfulness, I’ll have to change, but for the 51.99 yrs I’ve been on this planet, 16 oz = CRAP.
Haha, no, I have no issue with John D. at all. He’s been a great presence on this site for quite a while, and he chose a literary beer name which also gets points with me. It’s just that I like being right (even if I’m not).
Regardless of the consensus I’m of course not going to be able to change my nomenclature at this point. But in view of the overwhelming vote, while on the site I will refer to cans larger than 12 oz by their volume rather than their moniker.
I’m not short. I’m all kinds of average.
Not true, BeerBanker! I suppose it depends on where you live, but at least in ‘Bama, both Southern Star and Tallgrass have some offerings in tallboys. Actually, ALL of Tallgrass’s offerings are in tallboys as far as I know…including their delicious Buffalo Sweat milk stout and Oasis DIPA.
One of my college roommate called them donkey dicks. This generally referred to cheap beer though.
Fort George Brewing out here does their beer in 16 oz cans. Their Vortex IPA is quite good.
What about oil cans?
Kinda late here but in eastern Kansas we call the 16oz cans tall boys and pounders but tall boys can also refer to the 24oz cans that are now 25oz. Something I realized too, at the bars and breweries we call the 32oz mugs of beer “headaches” but everywhere else I go, far and wide no one knows what I’m talking about.
There were no 24 oz containers back in the days of 12 and 16 oz cans, hence the name tallboys.
Thank you, Jerry Jones. I began drining beer (lawfully) in 1977. There were the 12 oz. can, the 16oz. tallboy, and the quart bottle. Kids…sheesh….