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Fancy nipping for a quick two-thirds of a pint?

Does proposed new measure wet your whistle?

Here's some splendid news for those of you who can't in all conscience go into a boozer and ask for a half, but reckon that a full pint might hamper your post-Friday-lunchtime workplace performance: The National Weights and Measures Laboratory (NWML) is proposing to introduce a two-thirds of a pint measure which would "increase the flexibility of the pub and brewing industries to innovate in the presentation of beer to consumers".

This provocative suggestion appears in the NWML's snappily-titled Consultation on Specified Food Quantities, in which punters are invited to chip in their two bits' worth on the matter of quantities of ale, among other pressing concerns such as whether "specified quantities for unwrapped bread should be deregulated to allow unwrapped bread to be sold in any size".*

The consultation document (pdf) explains: "A number of business stakeholders from the beer and pub industries have proposed that the range of prescribed sizes be extended to include the use of ⅔ pint measures, which would allow pubs and bars greater flexibility in the service of draught beers, particularly in the premium imports sector of the market."

It ponders: "However, we would also want to give consideration as to whether it could lead to greater confusion for consumers through the presentation of beer in a wider range of sizes."

The NWML says it would be "grateful to receive the views of stakeholders on whether to permit the sale of ⅔ pint measure", so it's over to you lot. Given that the NWML notes it's already legal to dispense ale in one-third measures, and that's not a hugely popular size of liquid refreshment, we think we know what the general consensus will be on this one. ®

Bootnote

*Hmmmm. Sounds like a recipe for bread anarchy to us. Has the NWML properly considered the implications of infinite unwrapped bread sizes? No, we thought not.

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