Plans to replace the traditional pint glass with one made of shatter-proof plastic will not be accepted by drinkers, the pub industry has warned. The Home Office has commissioned a new design, in an attempt to stop glasses being used as weapons.
Official figures show 5,500 people are attacked with glasses and bottles every year in England and Wales. The British Beer and Pub Association said it did not want the new plastic glasses to be made compulsory. Neil Williams from the association said he was concerned that drinkers would notice a drop in quality. “For the drinker, the pint glass feels better, it has a nice weight and the drink coats the glass nicely. That’s why people go out for a drink, to have a nice experience.”
He said there was a danger that pubs with no record of trouble would be penalised.
He said: “I would ask, is it necessary to replace the much-loved pint glass for safety reasons in the vast majority of pubs where there is no problem? “Pubs shouldn’t be put under pressure to stop using glasses if they are safe places to drink. Why on earth ask them to do that?
“They shouldn’t be corralled into using plastic glasses. Anything that would move us towards a plastic product would not be welcomed.” Nick Verebelyi, the designer in charge of delivering the new pint, said they were looking at two approaches.
“One is to coat the glass with a substance that will make sure the glass doesn’t shatter into pieces when it is broken – that could be a plastic material for example. “But it would have to feel like an existing pint glass to the consumer.”
This is heresy!!! There must be a special Ministry in Britain that is assigned to make this crap up.
When I pass a kidney stone my urine looks like Guinness and I would bet that it tastes just as good so who gives a shit about the glass…..
When you go to the Guinness Brewery, you get served in plastic cups in the tasting room.
I’m used to glass in bars, and plastic outside. Its never affected the taste/experience in my recollection.
One more thing to pay attention to I guess. Now, there are many different types of plastic. Wonder if there should be taste testing about that as well?
How far can a Brit bend over? Cheri-Oh
They don’t need special ministry. This is direct consequence of allowing Big Govt. to grow – slippery slope effect. There is no difference between this, forcing people to wear seat belts or ban on trans-fats in cooking in NYC. All under guise of do-good-ing, all for the same disgusting goal of Govt. control.
#1. No way. Tell me Coke tastes the same out of plastic than a glass bottle! Totally different.
Are these plastic cups going to be reusable? I’d be concerned about the plastic deteriorating over time and leaching toxins like BPA into the drink.
Some nightclubs in Ireland tend to favour plastic glasses for security reasons. I’m certainly not a fan of them. They feel cheap. They’re just irritating somehow.
Yet another reason not to go to England!!!!!!!
#2, they must have run out of glasses for you because I did NOT get my Guinness in a plastic cup at the tasting bar (2007). I would have raised hell if I had because that was the worst factory tour I have ever been to. It was a 2 mile long advertising campaign.
# 5 McCullough said,
“#1. No way. Tell me Coke tastes the same out of plastic than a glass bottle! Totally different.”
Sorry, I should have been more clear. Guinness probably tastes like my urine when I am passing a kidney stone. In light of that why would anyone care about the glass if it tastes like bloody piss?
I agree with you though, I only drink my Miller Genuine Draft out of glass, no plastic or cans as it does make a difference. 🙂
5,500 incidents in a nation of 61 million — it’s around 0.0090% It irks me that this seems like a good idea to some. What a waste of time and money.
At least they still serve pints.
Recently a newspaper here in BC ran a (front page!!) story about how beer drinkers were getting short-changed when they order a pint in a pub.
In Canada, the federal government defines a “pint” as exactly 20oz. (This is an “Imperial pint”). This is 568ml. A U.S. “pint” is 473ml.
But the provincial liquor laws make it a crime to serve a single serving of beer larger than 550ml (18.54 oz). (Pitchers of beer are not considered single servings.)
The newspaper went to several pubs and measured the amount of beer that was poured when a pint was ordered. 2 pubs served up pints of 550ml (approx 19.4oz). Most served between 15 and 18 oz.
Which only proves that Canadian liquor laws are stupid.
ok,
replace a glass that weighs about 6oz, with a Plastic Glass that weighs about 2oz??
If thrown, the GLASS will hit harder, and the plastic will Bounce off, and STILL HURT.
Only people saving money is the BAR, with less breakage.. And if its LESS THAN 1% of all sales in the country…WHO CARES..
If we take the glasses they will throw plates. The only way to make people safe is to remove all objects.
In a world without objects nobody will get hit by a thrown object.
Chanting::
The end times are near
UK is to Replace Pint Glass by Plastic in Pubs
The end times are near
UK is to Replace Pint Glass by Plastic in Pubs
The end times are near
Everything tastes better in a glass container. Never thought I’d be telling my grand kids, back when I was younger we used to handle glass with our bare hands!
Soon they’ll be making electric stoves that don’t go past low and phasing out gas stoves altogether cause they could be used by a terrorist to blow up your house.
The bigger issue is what is happening to all the small town independently owned pubs. They’re closing up shop at an alarming rate. It appears the youth aren’t into the pub scene. Please note, readers from the UK and Ireland, that the average American idea of a pub is from an old Hollywood movie.
#11 I wholeheartedly agree.
The government is telling them what kind of containers they can drink out of?
Cause getting rid of glass is gonna stop people from attacking each other? Gimme a break.
“In a world without objects nobody will get hit by a thrown object.” no, a large guy will just a small guy at you. To quote “Jurassic Park” nature finds a way.
#14 – I’ve been at a bar where they were throwing midgets.
Would this be the same Beer & Pub Association that advise bars to issue plastic glassed on Friday’s and Saturday’s? Plastic glasses are nothing new in the British bar/pub/club scene. At the end of the day, who really cares what your drink comes served in? Just as long as a pint is still a pint. Oh wait, it’s 500ml now!!
#10
To even attempt to compare any Miller (or Budweiser or Coors) product with Guinness is proof that the majority of Americans still do not know what good beer is supposed to taste like.
The problem is over here in the UK that the public take any shit given to them and don’t complain.
Look at beer- we used to all drink ‘bitter’ or ‘ale’. The dark, flat stuff that has so much flavour and character.
These days most people drink ‘lager’. It’s what the rest of the world call ‘beer’, except the stuff we drink is mass produced tasteless crap that the rest of europe would spit out at first taste.
And as for pint glasses – we used to have handled, heavy pint glasses
These days it’s all crap, thin, french made glasses like above.
And now the move to plastic. Well, 80% of the friday & Saturday night drunkards wont notice or care.
And that’s the reason our nanny state gets away with all of this. We live in a lefty nanny state that imposes the blandest standards on us, all in our capitalist system that tries it’s best to sell us the blandest,most mundane food and products.
And we sit here and take it all.
🙁
Hey John, “Hitler would be proud” as provocative as ever 🙂 I agree beer tastes crap in plastic but at least we get some decent beer over here and don’t have to chill it to death to take away the taste 🙂 Our government does stick its nose in where it doesn’t belong and this should only be mandated in problem pubs which are relatively few and the threat of imposition would make sure the regulars in a decent pub keep the trouble maker in check. It will probably never fly anyway.
Anyway, what’s all this bashing the Brits. The US has as much fatuous crap imposed on it by it’s top heavy “sue the ass” of everyone for nonsense system. I bet that and arming your civilians imposes on your liberties a darned sight more than having a few TV cameras watching out for criminals. Hey, and BTW – our health system isn’t so bad either you grumpy old bugger 🙂
Cheers … Keith (UK)
[John didn’t post this, I did…and I bash only because I care! – McCullough]
#23
I’ve been London a few times and you can still get some get some good ales. There is generally a better selection than the typical American piss (Coors, Bud, Miller etc). It depends on the pub of course. Like everywhere, you have to do some work to find a place that serves good beer in good glasses.
#25 The ales in England are the temperature of piss.
Furry Potato,
I agree we are sometimes too tolerant of government sticking it’s awe in but not that this is a lefty thing. Its mostly the chattering middle classes with nothing better to do with their time than form whacky think tanks to solve problems that don’t exist and give them some false sense of purpose in their otherwise empty lives. Anyway, the current labour government is probably what the tories were before they all either went to jail or moved somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun.
Cheers … Keith (UK)
Nooooooooooooooooooooo!
And I don’t believe Guinness in the states (in cans, bottles or draft) tastes like it does in Ireland, anyway. Although it is still better than Coors, Bud or etc.
I wonder if they got upset when they switched to using hops?
Oh that’s right they did.
Maybe you should go back to making your own and straining it through your teeth?
Poor babies… can’t brew or buy your own and drink it at home. Have to go to a pub, pay more and drink crap with morons.
Cursor_
// #25 The ales in England are the temperature of piss
If you chill it too much you kill the taste, should be around 6 to 8 C I believe – I can’t comment on any similarity to the taste of piss, never knowingly tried it 🙂
Cheers … Keith (UK)