New glass size on tap in British pubs

LONDON - Britain's beloved pint may be facing some competition.

The office that sets measurement standards said yesterday that its proposed two-thirds pint measure for draft beer and cider could be on tap by April.

Proponents of the new glass size say they like it because it would give consumers more options at the bar.

The pint is so much a part of British life that it survived the European Union switch to half-liters. And there is a half-pint glass for those who want a lighter lunch or a clearer head.

Supporters of the new glass size hope it will appeal to female drinkers, who traditionally eschew a full pint.

"It's hard ordering a drink on a date," said Emma Ross, 28, a postgraduate student having a beer with lunch in a London pub. "If I order a half-pint, it's ladylike, but where's my sense of adventure? If I order a pint, I know how to have a good time, but I don't want to advertise it to every guy standing at the bar."

Ross was drinking a half-pint of Stella Artois, almost 10 ounces. For lunch at least, she said, she probably wouldn't have ordered a two-thirds pint, which would contain almost 13 ounces.

Neil Williams, spokesman for the British Beer and Pub Association, said the two-thirds pint would be similar in size to many Continental bottled beers, encouraging customers to order these brews by the draft.

Williams said the new measurement would appeal to the lunch crowd and drinkers of specialty beers with higher alcohol contents. But Jonathan Mail, spokesman for the Campaign for Real Ale, said a two-thirds pint could lead to too much drinking.

"People tend to measure their consumption by the number of pints they've drunk," Mail said. "If they're drinking a mix of pints and two-thirds pints, then that becomes quite a complicated calculation after a few drinks."

ASSOCIATED PRESS