You can buy whole books about sake appreciation, so I refrain from attempting more detail. Large bottles in the U.S. are 1.5 liters. The traditional method to test the temperature of hot sake is to press your little finger against the bottom of the ceramic tokkuri bottle, then press your earlobe between thumb and little finger. It should feel warm, but not too hot. If you don't like it, go to a different place.
Beer usually comes in the large, sharable, bottle.
This means you buy a full bottle of booze - usually whisky, but occasionally sake. The bottle is kept at the bar with your name on it. When you come in, you ask for your bottle, and you pay only for mixers or a small service charge. When empty, you can buy another full bottle. As a result, many rural families have bottles of it laying around somewhere.