New research has shown that the half-pint glass has overtaken the pint glass as the most popular measure for consumers trying new beers.
A survey of 2,000 people commissioned by the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) and undertaken by YouGov showed that 34% of drinkers opted for a half-pint glass when trying a new beer, while the pint glass and third of a pint glass was the preferred measure for 26% of consumers each.
The research also showed that people believed the best place to try a new beer for the first time was at a beer festival, with pubs following closely behind. Only 5% of respondents favoured trying new beers at home.
It showed that consumers are choosing to drink less but be more adventurous with their beer choices, said Camra, which also speculated that the findings could denote the demise of the traditional pint glass format. The research was released to coincide with the Great British Beer Festival, described as the country’s largest beer festival.
Camra chief executive Tim Page said: “With more than 1,200 breweries in the UK, and more beer styles being brewed than ever before, Britain has seriously got the beer bug. People are becoming more open to trying new beers and moving away from the mentality of drinking pint after pint of the same brew. Particularly for stronger, more full flavoured real ales such as barley wines, or strong porters and stouts, a half or third of a pint is a much more sensible option and allows people to try a range of beers without drinking past their limits.
“Particularly at events like the Great British Beer Festival, people are as interested in tasting as they are in drinking – and the best way to try the widest range of beers is to opt for a smaller sized glass. It doesn’t matter whether you’re young, old, male or female, if you’re really interested in trying what’s on offer at an event with over nine hundred different real ales, international beers, ciders and perries, then it makes sense to opt for a half or a third.”
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