Wot No Glasses?

[allenlondon]

When did the uncivilised habit of drinking beer out of bottles catch on?

Back in the 60s or 70s, if a barman had given you a bottle and no glass, you would have complained. Now it seems to be the norm.

So what happened?

[Tilly2]

Weil's disease it was...from rats' urine.

[ummmm]

No Mexican, glasses nowadays shatter.

[davebro]

People drink from water bottles & soft drinks bottles all the time - is that uncivilised?

[kat1]

No Mexican

[alavahalf]

Very surprised that no one has mentioned what I assumed was obvious.
Were you to take a bottle of lager from the fridge and pour it into a glass, you would immediately raise the temperature of the lager.. which would be a mortal sin.
It won't happen with bottles of ale as they shouldn't be stored in a fridge. Drinking wine from the bottle should only happen in the very early hours when you think no one is watzchinh.. wastchin.. washin.
Hiccuppp!

[woofgang]

if there was viable leptospirosis bacteria on the bottle, surely they would end up in the glass anyway?

[davebro]

"Were you to take a bottle of lager from the fridge and pour it into a glass, you would immediately raise the temperature of the lager.. which would be a mortal sin."

Bars I've been in (Spain?) keep the glasses in a fridge too.

[Mexican18]

I have a scar from being hit by a glass,50 years ago!

[alavahalf]

Dave.. I know they do.. I would never use a glass straight from the fridge in Spain. Have you seen what that do to the glass..and they all do it!
That rinse the glass in a sink of local water and stick it in the freezer. That translates to dirty water in the drink they serve you !
It's no wonder half the people who go abroad have to spend a few days close to a toilet
!

[Peter Pedant]

// So what happened?//
nothing is set in stone Allen
500 y ago Henry VIII ( yup enery vu afe ) woulda made up attend mass in Latin ( 1538 was all about moolah and head of the church)

[Peter Pedant]

made YOU attend..... goddamit and send Henry to hell

[Peter Pedant]

// It's no wonder half the people who go abroad have to spend a few days close to a toilet//

sorry to dwell on things lavatorial

no in egypt it is because the men dont wash their hands after going to the toilet

and the early english pub wash machines recycled the water you 'rinsed' the glasses in - - - - uuuuuuuuuggggghhhh !

[allenlondon]

You called me Allen! A breakthrough.

Alien

[New Judge]

//People drink from water bottles & soft drinks bottles all the time - is that uncivilised?//

Yes. Eating and drinking in the street at all is uncivilised and if you’re indoors you can use a respectable receptacle.

//Were you to take a bottle of lager from the fridge and pour it into a glass, you would immediately raise the temperature of the lager. which would be a mortal sin.//

It wouldn’t be a mortal sin. But it would, in the case of many lagers produced by the large brewers, make the liquid virtually undrinkable. Those lagers – especially the one that is “probably the best lager in the world” – are only palatable at temperatures low enough so that no flavour can be determined. Of course if this truly is the reason for not using a glass you could always keep a glass in the fridge. As mentioned, many decent bars do so.

Bottles are for transporting the liquid from where it is produced to the end user. They are not designed as drinking vessels. For no other reason the neck is not wide enough to allow air in to the bottle to replace the lost liquid and atmospheric pressure tries to force air into the bottle whilst the drinker is drinking from it making it a most uncomfortable experience.

This habit seemed to develop about 20-25 years ago. It has been said to me that it is to prevent "spiking". I can only say that people should be more choosy where they drink and who they drink with. It is an absolutely filthy practice. Even bottles that are sold in multi packs are subject to dust and grime and a lot more besides. Imagine if you were given a drinking glass that had come straight from the manufacturers, been carted about in a dusty cardboard box in lorries and vans, been handled by multiple people and then you were expected to place it in your mouth. Would you do that when the glass looked dusty, grimy and was covered in finger marks? No, thought not.

[david small]

Many years ago my daughter contracted a micro virus from drinking from the same can of coke as an infected boy. It effected her whole life badly.

[alavahalf]

Don't get me wrong, I am not a lager drinker and a supporter of drinking from a bottle. Thirty months ago I was in Tenerife, I watched the barman doing the dirty dip trick. Strangely enough I left Tenerife with more than I had arrived with and from that holiday until today I have had some mysterious illness that affects me every single day.
Who knows..

[barry1010]

Keeping a bottle in your hot sweaty hand raises the temperature of the beer much quicker than drinking it out of a fancy beer glass and holding it by the stem

[ummmm]

Every pub I've worked in washed their bottles before they went on the shelf/fridge.

[ummmm]

Anyway....my theory is that drinks like Bud became popular but they are only half pints. Men would rather drink out of a bottle than a half pint glass. Then it caught on.

[alavahalf]

Alavahalf..