yard of ale
{{Short description|Very tall beer glass}}
{{About|the measurement of beer known as the yard|other definitions|Yard (disambiguation)}}
{{pp-semi|small=yes}}
A yard of ale or yard glass is a tall beer glass used for drinking around {{Convert|2+1/2|imppt|L}} of beer, depending upon the diameter.
The glass is approximately {{convert|1|yd|cm|sigfig=3|lk=on}} long, shaped with a bulb at the bottom, and a widening shaft, which constitutes most of the height.{{Cite book | last=Rabin | first=Dan |author2=Carl Forge |title=The Dictionary of Beer and Brewing | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XRyxWu8rRnQC&q=%22yard+of+ale%22+coach&pg=PA283| location=Chicago | publisher=Fitzroy Dearborn | year=1998 | isbn=9781579580780 | access-date=2010-03-10}}
The glass most likely originated in 17th-century England, where the glass was known also as a "long glass", a "Cambridge yard (glass)" and an "ell glass". It is associated by legend with stagecoach drivers, though was mainly used for drinking feats and special toasts.{{Cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/652036/yard-of-ale-glass|title=Yard-of-ale glass (drinking glass) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia|publisher=britannica.com|access-date=2010-03-10}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.theyardofale.com/index.php/history/|title=The Yard of Ale : Our History|publisher=theyardofale.com|access-date=2010-03-10|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304113941/http://www.theyardofale.com/index.php/history/|archive-date=2010-03-04}}
Drinking a yard glass full of beer as quickly as possible is a traditional pub game; as with the toe of a beer boot, the bulb at the bottom of the glass makes it possible for the contestant to be splashed with a sudden rush of beer toward the end of the feat. The fastest drinking of a yard of ale in the Guinness Book of Records is 5 seconds.{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=jaoxAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Yard+of+ale%22+guinness+record |title=The Guinness book of records 1999|page=60|publisher=Guinness|year= 1998 |isbn=9780851120706|access-date=28 June 2011}}
Description
The glass is approximately {{convert|1|yd|in cm}}, shaped with a bulb at the bottom and a widening shaft, which constitutes most of the height. In countries where the metric system is used, the glass may be {{convert|1|m|yd in}}. Because the glass is so long and in any case does not usually have a stable flat base, it is hung on the wall when not in use.
History
File:Yard of Ale name sign, Stratford-upon-Avon (geograph 4139995).jpg]]
The glass most likely originated in 17th-century England, where the glass was known also as a "long glass", a "Cambridge yard (glass)" and an "ell glass".{{cite web |url=http://www.suffolkglass.co.uk/cgi-bin/sitewise.pl?act=sect&pt=61&s=95&id=glass |title=Suffolk Glass |publisher=suffolkglass.co.uk |access-date=2009-09-26 }} Such a glass was a testament to the glassblower's skill as much as the drinker's. John Evelyn records in his Diary the formal yet festive drinking of a yard of ale toast to James II at Bromley in Kent (now southeast London), 1685.
Yard glasses can be found hanging on the walls of some English pubs, and there are a number of pubs named The Yard of Ale throughout the country.
Usage
Drinking a yard glass full of beer is a traditional pub game in the UK. Some ancient colleges at Oxford University have sconcing forfeits.{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=e_Kw0KWTgmQC&pg=PA205 |title=A frieze of girls: memoirs as fiction |page=201|author=Allan Seager|publisher=University of Michigan Press|year= 2004 |isbn=0472089579 |access-date=28 June 2011}} While it is popularly said that former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke was previously the world record holder for the fastest drinking of a yard of beer, Hawke did not set a world beer drinking record. The record he set was a minor record for students of University College, while much faster records were set elsewhere by other people.C. J. Coventry, Sedimentary Layers: Bob Hawke's Beer World Record And Ocker Chic, Journal of Australian Studies, 2023, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14443058.2023.2215790
In New Zealand, where it is referred to as a "yardie", drinking a yard glass full of beer is traditionally performed at a 21st birthday by the celebrated person.{{cite web|url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/38850/turning-21-doing-a-yardie|title=Turning 21: doing a yardie – Birthdays and wedding anniversaries – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand|work=teara.govt.nz}}
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Glassware}}
{{Alcohol and health}}