Small beer: Study calls on government to shrink pints

Speaking on BBC Two’s Politics Live, the former culture secretary said offering “people what looks like a pint, feels like a pint but isn’t a pint which means you end up drinking perhaps less and get healthier”.

Researchers found drinkers tend to stick to a specific number of servings when drinking at a pub, regardless of size.

And at 568ml the imperial pint – Britain’s preferred measure for ales since the 17th century – is larger than typical servings in the US (473ml), Belgium (250ml), France (330ml), and Germany (500ml).

In a similar trial in January, wine sales fell when the largest glass size, typically 250ml, was scrapped.

Researchers asked more than 1,700 pubs, bars and restaurants to participate in a trial to say if the same trick worked for beer.

Only 13 accepted, despite compensation offers for lost sales.

The study found customers did not complain about the smaller beer measures and on average venues found number of units of alcohol that were sold fell by about 8%.

Of the 12 pubs in the final study, an average of nearly five fewer pints (2.77 litres) of beer and cider were sold per day when pint glasses were replaced.

There was a 7% increase in the amount of wine purchased.