The Society of Beer Advocates (SOBA) and the Brewers' Guild of New Zealand say that as thirsty rugby fans from the northern hemisphere land in New Zealand later this year for the Rugby World Cup, one of the first thoughts on their minds will be "let's have a pint". Except they can't.
New Zealand bars don't serve pints, serving beer in millilitres instead. An Imperial pint is around 568ml, but New Zealand bars legitimately sell "large drinks" of anywhere between 400ml and 560ml.
"It is not hard to imagine the looks on Scots, Irish, English and other visiting fans when they discover the 'pint' they've just bought is 30 percent less than they expected," said SOBA spokesman Martin Bulmer.
"Whilst SOBA thinks legislating all bar owners to serve beer in the same sized glasses is a not a good idea, we do think clearly publishing the glass size next to price of the beer will go a long way to heading off any disgruntlement from our visiting friends," he said.
"Like everyone in New Zealand we want to see the festival of rugby be a celebration of all that's good about our amazing country. We certainly don't want those who'd like to enjoy a 'pint' being left with a nasty taste in their mouths."
SOBA was formed in 2006 in order to increase awareness of and appreciation for flavourful crafted beers.
The Brewers Guild represents all of the breweries in New Zealand and its task is to grow the beer sector through education, communication and celebration.
