The size and shape of the glass from which you drink alcohol can affect your perception of how it tastes, but did you know that it can also affect the amount that you drink?
A recent Australian study revealed that the shape of your beer glass affects the flavour of the world's most popular alcoholic beverage. Beer was perceived as being more intensely flavoured and fruitier when served in a curve-sided, rather than a straight-sided glass.
Of course, that shape and size matters is already widely accepted when it comes to wine glasses. I have many photographs of my twenty year old self happily drinking wine out of any old plastic cup or ceramic mug...but now, even if my senses are not as finely tuned as the wine experts who can discern differences in aroma, taste and quality depending on the shape of the glass, I do prefer grape-based drinks in a proper wine glass with a stem and I have absorbed the notion that bigger is better for certain wines (and it definitely helps with swirling).
(If you want to accentuate your wine tasting experience by using different glasses, you can learn more about the subject in this wine blog.)
Over the years, the size of wine glasses has increased dramatically. A recent study revealed that in 1700 the average glass capacity was 66ml, whereas in 2017 it was 449ml. The sharpest increase in size has been over the last two decades, alongside a steeper rise in the quantity of wine being consumed. While there may not be a direct causal link - availability, price, marketing and wine appreciation trends are very probably contributory factors - the link between increased glass size and the increased amount of wine people drink is worthy of further research.
In a study in two Cambridge bars, where wine was served in differing glass sizes of the same design, the amount of wine purchased in one of the bars was 10.5% higher when it was sold in 510ml capacity glasses than in 370ml capacity glasses. This prompts a conversation about the potential for licensing regulations to limit wine glass size as a cost-effective alcohol control measure.
Glass shape can also affect the rate at which people drink. People have been found to drink lager more slowly from a straight-sided glass than a curve-sided glass. The suggested reason for this is that people may adjust their drinking rate based on perceptual judgements. Perception of volume in a curved glass is altered, with the perceived halfway point being judged as lower than the actual halfway point.
The rate at which beer is consumed has also been found to be affected by markings on the glass. A study comparing the time taken to consume lager in glasses marked with a halfway point versus unmarked glasses found that people drank more slowly out of the marked versions. The time taken to finish the drink was increased further when volume information was offered, with 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 points marked on the glass. It is likely, therefore, that we use volume information to adjust drinking rates in order to control intoxication. This would add weight to my mother's excuse for drinking too much: 'People kept filling up my glass and I lost track!'
It is possible to find glasses marked with volume information, although usually by millilitre rather than with quarter, half and three-quarter measures. Alternatively you can buy a cup from Drinkaware, marked with the alcohol units contained in different types of drinks.
If this is all a bit much, but you are interested in some new glassware, you could try out the idea of marked glasses with these musical numbers, or go down a more functional route with this measuring wine glass. Who knew that glasses could be such a talking point?
So, while we can't always control the glass sizes at eating and drinking establishments, should we at least consider smaller glasses for use at home to make our drinks go that bit further? Consumption aside, there are other arguments in favour of smaller glasses. They use less glass in production so are more environmentally friendly, they take up less room in your cupboards, and a smaller glass is also more robust and less liable to breakage, giving it an endurance advantage.
And, if you are feeling slightly outraged by the mere suggestion of drinking from smaller glasses in order to reduce the amount you drink (believe me, many will! I will cover this in a future post), bear in mind that the super-sized wine glasses or the curvy branded beer glasses that are favoured by pubs and bars are offered, not because they care about your right to consume more alcohol as and when you want to, but because they are interested in maximising revenue.
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