The answer to my question likely has a mix of a GQ/IMHO answer. I thought this forum was more appropriate.
Two of my friends are going to London after New Years to play in a concert there. They should be gone about a week or so and I asked one of my friends to pick me something up.
I remember reading about how all the pint glasses in London (maybe all of England?) had to be checked and stamped by the Ministry of Weights and Measures and I thought it would be neat to get one that has been stamped. I figured he might have to ask a bartender and buy it off him and I told my friend as much. He said that was okay and I gave him some cash to cover it.
So my question is simply how can someone go about obtaining a certified glass? Would he need to buy it from a bar or do they sell them in gift shops? If he has to buy one from a bar I don’t know how much persuading it would take (verbal or otherwise) so I was also wondering if anyone had any idea how much a glass might cost.
I am planning on calling him and giving him any extra information I can dig up before he leaves (I think he flies out January 3rd) so any information anyone can provide would be appreciated.
You can buy stamped glasses in most department stores or homeware stores. For a set of four, maybe £10? You could probably get one off a friendly barman for next to nothing. Not all pub glasses have a stamp, some just have a line at the pint level. It’s all regulated by local Trading Standards agencies, who are part of the Local Authorities rather than any Ministry of Weights and Measures (think State vs. federal).
They’re supposed to all have a stamp, unless (I think) if the beer is only served from those pumps which supply a half-pint on the push of a button. And it’s not all dealt with by local authorities any more, with manufacturers being able to stamp their glasses having proven their process is accurate enough.
Buying a glass is a good idea. Getting one from a pub wouldn’t be difficult, but they’re generally of a quite flimsy nature, whereas one purchased will be much stronger, and more likely to survive the journey home!
I recently returned from the UK, and Badger beer glasses were great. They do sell them online, but won’t deliver overseas. If you were interested you may be able to get them delivered to your frinds. Their array of stock is here.
You’ll see that there is a number underneath the crown device. That is the identification number of the particular Chief Trading Standards officer who was responsible for certifying the glass as being a pint or a half-pint (or whatever amount they sell wine in, because wine glasses are stamped as well). Being a bit of a pillock, I always like to check whose glass I get.
Note that in some areas of the country - but notably not London and the south-east - they use oversize glasses, which have a white line denoting how far up the glass a full measure should go; pints will also have a line for a half-pint. If your glass does not have a line on it, then the beer, including the head, should reach the rim. If it doesn’t, politely ask the person from Australia, New Zealand or Eastern Europe behind the bar to fill it up properly.
Most British men have a cupboard full of pint glasses which they have either bought at beer festivals or brazenly nicked from pubs.
