Some restaurants make no apology for reducing their beer-glass size. The Damon's Grill restaurant chain switched to 14 ouncers from 16-ounce glasses two years ago and didn't lower prices. "Someone who comes in and wants a beer doesn't want a huge glass," says Tanny Feerer, vice president for purchasing at Damon's International. "Fourteen ounces is enough." Since then, the chain has held draft beer prices steady.

The Hooters chain serves draft beer in 14-ounce glasses at franchised locations in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, and 16-ounce glasses in other states. "We can get 20 more beers out of a keg that way," says Archie Gleason, director of marketing for the franchisee, RMD Corp.

There's also some dispute about how much room to attribute to the head, or foam, that bubbles up when pouring a glass of draft beer.

Don't discount how the shape of the glass affects your perception --- and the bartender's --- of how much beverage they have served to you. According to this study by the author of Mindless Eating, bartenders tended to pour more alcohol into short, wide glasses as opposed to tall, thin glasses.

To me, it's not a question of greed --- if you've ordered a pint of beer, you should get a full pint of beer. If it costs more to make or sell a product, then change the price accordingly --- and let the buyer decide if it's right for him or her. Don't cheat them by cutting portions, at least while keeping prices the same.

Updated: for more examples of outrageous product shrink, check out mouseprint.org and consumerist.com. 

(ed note: Liz, this is outrageous. Less ice cream, ok. Less peanut butter, ok. But beer? Is nothing sacred?  If you give us less beer, charge us less money, goshdarnit. -- DTD)