A study suggested last week that adopting a two-thirds serve could improve public health. But is the pint really the problem?

‘Woke scientists want to shrink your PINT”! So read one of the more hysterical headlines last week about a study that removed pint glasses from several licensed premises in England and replaced them with two-thirds serves (dropping the prices accordingly). The study found that punters bought almost 10% less beer when pints weren’t available. If adopted nationwide, the researchers concluded, the strategy could reduce alcohol consumption and help tackle obesity.

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) immediately went on the offensive. “The difficulty this study faced in even finding pubs to take part shows that the pint is still an in-demand measure for consumers at the bar,” said Ash Corbett-Collins, Camra’s chair. “With less than 1% of venues approached for the study agreeing to trial the smaller measure, and none of the 12 pubs who did take part choosing to keep the change, the verdict from publicans is clear.”