yet another example of a classic going by the wayside
Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 4:47 am
it's enough to put you off your beer.
Plans are afoot in Britain to replace the classic pint glass with one made out of plastic.
The government's idea is that by introducing shatter-proof plastic vessels it will help address the increasing problem of beer drinkers using pint glasses as weapons in their local pubs.
Needless to say the plan has gone down about as well as a warm beer served, well, in a plastic cup.
There have been cries about how the proposed plastic vessels will substantially affect the quality of the amber nectar being drunk.
Others claim it's yet another example of the government's attempts to transform Britain into a "nanny state".
Despite the outcry, the government has commissioned designer Nick Verebelyi to come up with the new-look pint.
But even Verebelyi admits he faces a tough task, saying the new vessel will still have to "feel like an existing pint glass" as well as be "desirable and acceptable
and cool".
Unlike the plastic beer glasses commonly used at sporting venues, Verebelyi hopes to come up with something that looks like and feels like glass but won't shatter into tiny pieces if smashed by some yob looking to hurt someone.
The motivation behind the push for the new model comes from official figures showing that 5,500 people are attacked with glasses and bottles in England and Wales each year.
Two recent court cases in the Newcastle area highlight just how frequent these attacks have become.
Carl Rodgers, 22, was jailed for five years for glassing a man in a nightclub.
Rodgers had spilt a small amount of drink onto the man's T-shirt while they were on the dance floor.
After apologising and walking away, Rodgers later ran at the man wielding a pint glass and smashed it into his face, cutting his forehead, ear, neck and under his left eye.
Another man, Mark Howarth, was jailed for a minimum of two-and-a-half years after an unprovoked attack on a 32-year-old man in a Newcastle pub.
The man had been sitting at the bar having a drink when Howarth grabbed his hair with one hand and used the other to smash a glass into the side of his head.
The victim's ear was split open and needed 17 stitches.
Stories like this have become commonplace in the British media, along with calls for something to be done about the rise in alcohol consumption and related attacks.
But the British Beer and Pub Association and millions of beer drinkers do not believe replacing pint glasses is the answer to the country's drinking problems.
The industry body worries it will be pubs - which are already closing at a rate of 52 a week - that will end up suffering if they are forced to replace pint glasses.
"Is it necessary to replace the much-loved pint glass for safety reasons in the vast majority of pubs where there is no problem," spokesman Neil Williams said.
"Anything that would move us towards a plastic product would not be welcomed."
It will take the government much more than buying a few rounds of beer to convince drinkers and pub owners to make the switch
Take my word for it beer tastes crap in a plastic cup
Plans are afoot in Britain to replace the classic pint glass with one made out of plastic.
The government's idea is that by introducing shatter-proof plastic vessels it will help address the increasing problem of beer drinkers using pint glasses as weapons in their local pubs.
Needless to say the plan has gone down about as well as a warm beer served, well, in a plastic cup.
There have been cries about how the proposed plastic vessels will substantially affect the quality of the amber nectar being drunk.
Others claim it's yet another example of the government's attempts to transform Britain into a "nanny state".
Despite the outcry, the government has commissioned designer Nick Verebelyi to come up with the new-look pint.
But even Verebelyi admits he faces a tough task, saying the new vessel will still have to "feel like an existing pint glass" as well as be "desirable and acceptable
and cool".
Unlike the plastic beer glasses commonly used at sporting venues, Verebelyi hopes to come up with something that looks like and feels like glass but won't shatter into tiny pieces if smashed by some yob looking to hurt someone.
The motivation behind the push for the new model comes from official figures showing that 5,500 people are attacked with glasses and bottles in England and Wales each year.
Two recent court cases in the Newcastle area highlight just how frequent these attacks have become.
Carl Rodgers, 22, was jailed for five years for glassing a man in a nightclub.
Rodgers had spilt a small amount of drink onto the man's T-shirt while they were on the dance floor.
After apologising and walking away, Rodgers later ran at the man wielding a pint glass and smashed it into his face, cutting his forehead, ear, neck and under his left eye.
Another man, Mark Howarth, was jailed for a minimum of two-and-a-half years after an unprovoked attack on a 32-year-old man in a Newcastle pub.
The man had been sitting at the bar having a drink when Howarth grabbed his hair with one hand and used the other to smash a glass into the side of his head.
The victim's ear was split open and needed 17 stitches.
Stories like this have become commonplace in the British media, along with calls for something to be done about the rise in alcohol consumption and related attacks.
But the British Beer and Pub Association and millions of beer drinkers do not believe replacing pint glasses is the answer to the country's drinking problems.
The industry body worries it will be pubs - which are already closing at a rate of 52 a week - that will end up suffering if they are forced to replace pint glasses.
"Is it necessary to replace the much-loved pint glass for safety reasons in the vast majority of pubs where there is no problem," spokesman Neil Williams said.
"Anything that would move us towards a plastic product would not be welcomed."
It will take the government much more than buying a few rounds of beer to convince drinkers and pub owners to make the switch
Take my word for it beer tastes crap in a plastic cup
